As Greater Fort Lauderdale prepares to host the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW 2026, Universal Destinations & Experiences Vice President of International Sales for Latin America Marcos Barros says the event remains the most efficient and impactful platform for connecting with global travel partners. Speaking ahead of the May 17-21 conference, Barros highlights how IPW compresses months of international outreach into a few days of targeted, high-value meetings that drive long-term business growth.
What would you say to a global partner deciding whether IPW is worth their time?
I have been attending IPW for the past 26 years, and it has become clear to me that IPW is the single, most efficient gateway in the US to the global travel trade. That’s because IPW brings together vetted international buyers, top-tier media, and U.S. suppliers in a highly structured, appointment-driven environment that compresses months of global outreach into one highly productive moment. For any partner serious about distribution, market expansion, and long-term relevance in U.S. travel, IPW delivers a return on time and investment that simply cannot be replicated elsewhere.
How does IPW impact your pipeline for the years ahead?
For our team, the face-to-face appointments that occur at IPW convert into contracted programs, renewed partnerships, and forward-looking commitments that shape demand in the current year and beyond. That forward momentum is particularly meaningful given the depth of new experiences coming to Universal Destinations & Experiences. In California, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift will become Universal Studios Hollywood’s first-ever outdoor, high-speed roller coaster and will bring an entirely new thrill dimension to the park when it opens this summer. In Frisco, Texas, Universal Kids Resort will debut this summer – UDX’s first-ever theme park specifically designed for families with younger children. And at Universal Orlando Resort, as we approach the one-year anniversary of Universal Epic Universe and our transformation into a weeklong vacation destination, we continue to invest in new experiences across the resort and continually raise the bar with our guest experiences. These are defining moments across the portfolio, and the relationships built at IPW are exactly how we make sure global trade and media partners are aware of all the exciting things happening in our universe.
What would it take to replicate the same number of meetings or connections outside of IPW?
Quite simply, it would require months of international travel, fragmented meetings, and, in turn, higher costs. At IPW, we’re able to participate in more than 200 appointments every year with decision makers across the board, all in a matter of three days. Trying to recreate that concentration of access independently would be less efficient and convenient.
What does IPW deliver that no other event in the travel space can replicate?
IPW uniquely combines scale, structure, and credibility. It is a place where hundreds of buyers, accredited media and the full spectrum of U.S. exhibitors convene with one commercial objective: driving future travel to the United States. No other event matches this concentration of qualified demand, pre‑matched appointments, and measurable economic impact.
Why is IPW a must‑attend moment in your annual calendar—and what’s at stake if you miss it?
IPW is a strategic “must” for Universal Destinations & Experiences, as it represents a time when global programming decisions are made, products are refreshed, and partners decide what gets promoted for the coming years. If we are not in attendance, we are not a part of those conversations – and that’s something we can’t miss.
What would be significantly harder—or less efficient—about your sales strategy without IPW?
IPW helps us be more efficient, as we’re able to reach more partners within a shorter timeframe. Without IPW, sales teams would need to rely on fragmented outreach and meetings, and the timeline for relationship building could be slower. In short, IPW accelerates results.
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