WPPI Is Bigger and Better Than Ever!

WPPI is one of the biggest photography conferences in the world. But after COVID, the show struggled to make a comeback. Thankfully, WPPI is now as good as it ever was, and getting better each year.

I've been speaking at WPPI every year since 2018. But as a speaker, I still love to actually experience the show. So, I still attend photo walks, seminars, networking events, and parties, as well as check out the tradeshow floor. Because of this, I have a pretty good idea of how each year has been (at least since my start), and you can sort of sense the energy of the people in attendance. And as you can imagine, the shows before and after COVID have had a different feel.

In 2020, the last show before lockdown, I felt like the conference as a whole was amazing. Attendance was great, there were a ton of speakers, and the tradeshow floor was packed with the biggest names in the industry. Then after COVID, the first show back wasn't exactly a ghost town, but it was closer to that than what it was in 2020. There was still excitement, there were still amazing classes, and the tradeshow floor still had some big names. Everything was just less.

It wasn't until 2023 that things felt like they were getting back to normal. I thought WPPI was back to its peak potential. Then 2024 came along and showed me what the conference really had to offer. Not only was the show back, but it was better than ever. If 2020 was the year of less, then 2024 was the year of more. More seminars, more photo walks, more booths, more parties, and more people. Not only that, but the show as a whole was evolving.

 You see, back in 2018, I wrote an article called “The Conference and Trade Show Industry Are Changing for the Better: The Portrait Masters Conference.” In this article, I explained how the Portrait Masters Conference was doing things differently. They centered the show more around experiences rather than observations. They didn't want attendees to walk around the show and see what was happening. They wanted attendees to become part of the show itself.

The reason why this new mindset has made its way from Portrait Masters over to WPPI is because the same people, George Varanakis (Strategic Consultant) and Aaron Andersen (Brand Leader of the Photo Group), who helped Portrait Masters become so great are now working behind the scenes of WPPI. After the 2024 WPPI conference, I was able to talk with George and Aaron to see if I could find out exactly what elements played the biggest role in making this year so great. They mentioned things like all the amazing shooting bays and hands-on learning opportunities. They explained that bringing back the keynote speakers as well as having the ICON awards involved in bringing back the print competition was a huge help as well. But mainly they explained how amazing their team and support staff were. They told me that everyone behind the scenes has a real passion and dedication to WPPI. And because I've had the pleasure of working with many of these people personally, I know this to be true. But a good team and staff still need great guidance and direction. And it's clear that this is what George and Aaron bring to the table.

Speaking of great direction, the future of WPPI is about to see one of its biggest changes in the past few years. This change is coming in the form of a new venue. While the event will still be in Las Vegas, it's moving off strip to The Rio. I was initially disappointed when I heard this news. The Rio doesn’t have the greatest reputation as a quality space. However, I was later informed that the venue is undergoing extensive and costly renovations that aim to bring it back to life as a premier and up-to-date location. And I was equally excited to hear that these renovations are scheduled to be completed well before the next WPPI conference.

One of the more exciting aspects of this venue change is the fact that the venue is off strip, which will now allow WPPI a bit more freedom in what it is allowed to do. For example, the locations available for the popular and amazing photo walks were extremely limited at the past two venue locations. Both in spaces available and the size of those locations. This led to multiple photo walks having to be held right next to each other without much room to work. But at The Rio, there will be a lot more available locations and more freedom for these walks to explore. This not only gives classes more room to work but gives instructors more flexibility in the content they are able to teach.

An example of this is that WPPI plans to have one of the multi-bedroom master suites at The Rio available for photo walks and classes. This gives access to better indoor spaces as well as privacy. This opens the door to photo walks catered to boudoir classes, as well as classes all about things like bride/groom prep or working in tight locations. This will allow students to experience these classes in a real-life environment rather than having to visualize what could be.

From here, similar to 2024, George and Aaron plan to do more. More networking events, more walks, more classes, and most importantly, more diversity. This was seen in 2024 when they had special break-out sessions dedicated to wedding photography as well as a track dedicated to people who speak Spanish. This Spanish track will also see more support in the coming year as they plan a partnership that will help increase its visibility and support.

So as a speaker and a forever student, I am extremely excited to see what 2025 has to offer. I think the venue change will end up being a great move, and I can't wait to see what new and improved things the show will have to offer. And after speaking with George and Aaron and getting some glimpses into what they have planned, I think 2025 will be the best year yet.