The International Federation of Exhibition and Event Services (IFES) has announced that the IFES World Summit 2027 will take place in Lake Garda, Italy, from 15-8 June 2027, bringing the global exhibition and event services community together under the theme “(Re)Design the Future Together.”
The 2027 Summit marks the next chapter in an ongoing IFES conversation about the future of the industry. Following the 2026 World Summit in Munich, where members explored “Navigating Change, Shaping What’s Next,” the Lake Garda Summit will take that thinking further – focusing on how design, collaboration and shared responsibility can help the industry create stronger value for clients and communities worldwide.
In a world beset by complexity and fragmentation, exhibitions and events remain powerful places of connection. They bring people, markets and cultures together with purpose, creating space for dialogue, trust, commercial opportunity and cross-border collaboration. For IFES, the World Summit is where this value becomes visible: a trusted setting for members to exchange knowledge, build partnerships and strengthen the global network.
The choice of Italy as host destination is especially significant. Italy is one of Europe’s most important exhibition markets and, second only to Germany in Europe in terms of available trade fair space, plays a major role in the international exhibition landscape. It is a country where trade fairs are closely connected to industry, export, craftsmanship, entrepreneurship and the global strength of Made in Italy.
But Italy brings more than market strength to the Summit. With its long history, diverse cultural roots and global influence in design, fashion, food, architecture and hospitality, it offers a living example of how form, function, beauty, craft, identity and business value can come together to create experiences that endure.
That makes Italy a fitting setting for a Summit focused on “(Re)Designing the Future Together.” For IFES members, design is not only visual. It connects strategy, creativity, construction, logistics, sustainability and human experience. It is how ideas become environments, how brands become memorable, and how clients create impact in front of the audiences that matter most.
Lake Garda will provide the backdrop for a Summit focused on practical progress. The programme will explore how the industry can design better experiences, build stronger partnerships, rethink materials and processes, and create future-ready value across international markets. It will also offer valuable networking opportunities for members, partners and next-generation talent from across the global exhibition and event services sector.
The IFES World Summit is the Federation’s flagship annual gathering. It brings together business leaders, suppliers, partners and emerging industry voices to share insight, strengthen relationships and develop the trust-based connections that allow IFES members to work locally and globally.
The 2027 theme, “(Re)Design the Future Together,” is a call to action. Redesigning means challenging the status quo, integrating perspectives and showcasing differences to build something new and shared. It reflects IFES’ belief that the future of the industry will be shaped through collaboration, not isolation.
The Summit will also underline the global significance of exhibitions and events at a time when face-to-face connection has renewed importance. Live events create trust, accelerate understanding and turn relationships into meaningful business outcomes. For IFES members, this makes the industry not only commercially important, but strategically relevant to global exchange.
“Lake Garda 2027 gives the IFES community the opportunity to take the conversations started in Munich further,” says IFES President Jörg Zeissig. “Across our industry, we are seeing a renewed need for event formats that bring people together in more meaningful ways – a Renaissance of togetherness that creates communities as much as experiences. Italy is a natural host for that next step. Its culture of design, hospitality and connection offers the perfect setting to explore how we shape the future of live experience, client value and global collaboration.”
In a fragmenting world, choosing to design together is a powerful statement. Perhaps the most powerful of all!
The IFES community will gather in Lake Garda from 15–18 June 2027 to (Re)Design the Future Together.
ENDS
About IFES
The International Federation of Exhibition & Event Services (IFES) is the worldwide trade association dedicated to the specific needs of exposition designers and providers of tradeshow and event services. Over 350 companies representing more than 47 countries are proud network members. The purpose of IFES is to promote the commercial, professional, and socio-political interests of its members on an international level and generate and promote a business and knowledge exchange platform for its active members in the global market.
The IFES mission is to create partner unity and generate a stronger understanding of exhibition and event marketing on a worldwide scale through networking and knowledge sharing.
For more information about the International Federation of Exhibition and Event Services, go to www.ifesnet.org
Media contact:
Robyn D’Alessandro
PR and Communications Manager, IFES
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