Imaging USA 2027 Survival Guide: Tips for First-Timers

Quick Answer

If you're going to Imaging USA 2027 for the first time, know this before you go: you cannot do everything.

Imaging USA 2027 is January 31st through February 2nd in Charlotte, North Carolina, with pre-conference classes and events beginning January 28th.

And there is a LOT going on. Classes, speakers, IPC, the Expo, photowalks, parties, demonstrations, meetings, awards and thousands of photographers everywhere. It's a lot, especially when you first look at the schedule and start thinking you need to somehow fit all of it into a few days.

You don't.

Figure out what you want from Imaging, make some plans before you get there and then be willing to change them.

Imaging is what you make it.

There Is No Right Way to Do Imaging

I haven't made it to a class at Imaging in three years.

My days are usually filled with meetings, awards, IPC, volunteering, wandering the Expo looking at new products, networking and seeing photographer friends from around the country. A lot of these are people I see regularly on Zoom, but only get to see in person once or twice a year.

That's my jam.

Someone else might go to every class they can squeeze into three days. And honestly, if that's why you're going, you should.

Your Imaging doesn't need to look like mine.

That's one of the things I think gets lost when people start giving first-timers lists of everything they HAVE to do. Go to this class. Don't miss this event. You have to go to this party. Make sure you see this.

Pretty soon you've planned every minute of three days based on what everybody else likes to do.

So before you start doing that, think about what you actually want from Imaging.

Why Are You Going?

Maybe there are certain speakers you really want to hear. Maybe you need help with a particular part of your business. Maybe you want to look at products or find a new lab. Maybe you're interested in image competition or you want to meet more photographers.

Or maybe you're like me and part of the reason you're going is because a whole bunch of people you normally see in little boxes on a computer screen are going to be in the same place at the same time.

Probably it's some combination of all of those.

Knowing what you want out of Imaging makes looking at that enormous schedule a whole lot easier.

Make a Plan Before You Get There

Once the 2027 Imaging app is available, download it and spend some time with the schedule before you leave home.

I would definitely mark the things you really don't want to miss. And because there will inevitably be two things happening at the same time that sound good, have a second choice.

Look at the Expo vendors too. If there are specific companies you want to talk with, figure that out before you walk onto the Expo floor and get distracted by approximately 400 shiny things.

And make actual plans with the people you really want to see.

Do not rely on, I'll see you at Imaging!

I've done that.

Then Imaging ends and somehow there are people who were in the same building with me for three days that I never saw.

If you really want to spend time with someone, schedule dinner. Meet for lunch. Pick a time to meet at The Hub. Put something on the calendar.

But don't get so attached to your schedule that you refuse to change it once you're there.

If a Class Isn't Working for You, Leave

Let's say you picked a class because the description sounded fantastic. Fifteen minutes in, you realize it's not what you thought it was going to be.

Go somewhere else.

And don't worry that you're going to be the one person awkwardly sneaking out the door while everybody watches. People are constantly coming and going at Imaging. Classes overlap with other classes, meetings, appointments and a whole bunch of other commitments.

There are too many things happening at Imaging to spend an hour or two in a class that isn't useful to you just because you don't want the speaker to see you leave.

Half the time I've been interested in something else happening at the same time anyway. Now I know where I'm going.

You Do Not Have to Go to the Parties

Imaging has opening and closing parties, and some photographers live for them.

Introvert here!

I am not one of those photographers.

I would rather chew my own arm off.

I've never needed the big parties to meet people at Imaging. I'd much rather go to dinner with a group of friends I only get to see once or twice a year. I've had great conversations sitting at IPC, walking through the Expo, volunteering, between meetings and standing in hallways when one conversation somehow turns into 45 minutes.

If you love a giant party, GO. Have fun.

Seriously.

Just don't assume you have to go because somebody told you that's where the networking happens.

Networking doesn't have to look like that.

Have a Plan for the Expo

The Expo can get dangerous pretty quickly if you're a photographer who likes new toys.

I like to look at the vendor list ahead of time and figure out who I definitely want to visit.

Maybe you're looking for a lab. Maybe you want to compare albums or frames. Maybe there's software you want to see demonstrated or equipment you want to get your hands on.

Go see those companies first.

Then wander.

I absolutely think you should leave yourself time to wander because that's how you find the thing you didn't know existed until you walked past it.

Just remember that Ohhhhh, look at that! and My business needs that are two entirely different thoughts.

If I'm debating something, I take a picture of it and keep going. If I still want it a few days after Imaging, then I'll look at buying it. In my experience, a lot of the vendors keep their Imaging specials available for at least a little while after the conference, so I usually don't have to decide while I'm standing in the booth.

It's amazing how many things I desperately needed on the Expo floor that I don't need quite as badly three days later.

And taking a picture means I don't have to remember which company made the thing I was looking at, because after a few days at Imaging, good luck with that.

Touch ALLLLL the Things

If you sell products to your photography clients, take advantage of having all these vendors in one place.

An album can look fantastic online and feel completely different when you're holding it. The same is true for wall art, frames, papers and packaging.

And samples are expensive.

The Expo lets you compare products from different companies without ordering a sample from every single one of them first.

Open the albums. Pick things up. Look at the print quality and construction. Compare things side by side when you can.

This is one of the main reasons I spend time at the Expo.

Talk to the Vendors

And while you're there, talk to the people in the booths.

Ask questions. Pick their brains.

I know that can feel intimidating when you're new, especially when you don't even know exactly what you should be asking yet. Ask anyway.

They're there to talk to photographers about their products. If the person you're talking to doesn't know an answer, they can usually find someone who does.

Some of the Education Is on the Expo Floor

Don't get so focused on the classroom schedule that you overlook what's happening at the Expo.

There are demonstrations, Express Talks and other educational programs happening right there.

Sometimes a short program on the Expo floor turns out to be exactly what you needed.

Go See IPC

IPC is the International Photographic Competition. If you've never been involved with image competition, you may not have any idea what it is when you first see it on the Imaging schedule.

For 2027, preliminary live judging happens on Saturday before the main conference starts. There's also an IPC exhibit, and the Final Four images in each category move on to the IPC Finale Monday evening.

Image competition is a big part of my photography world, so IPC is something I make time for.

But there's another reason I go.

Last year I had several friends with images in the finals, and it was so much fun sitting there cheering their images on.

When somebody you know has an image come up, suddenly watching IPC feels a little different.

If you're interested in image competition, definitely go watch some judging. There's a lot you can learn just by sitting there and listening.

If you've never thought about entering competition yourself, go see what it's about. You might find yourself interested in a part of photography you hadn't really paid much attention to before.

What the Heck Is The Hub at Imaging USA?

If you're looking through the 2027 schedule wondering what The Hub is, you're not missing something. It's new this year.

The Hub is going to be a central gathering area in Hall C with places to sit, food and concessions, a biergarten, lawn games and different things happening throughout the conference. Table Topics, Lunch & Learns and Networking Avenue will be there too.

Basically, it's a place to land.

At least that's how I'm looking at it.

Nobody has actually experienced The Hub at Imaging yet, so I'm interested to see how people end up using it.

I'm hoping it also solves one of those very Imaging problems where you know someone is there, you're trying to meet them and the text conversation goes something like:

Where are you?

By the entrance.

Which entrance?

For someone attending Imaging for the first time, I think The Hub could be particularly useful. Grab something to eat. Sit down for a little while. Figure out where you're going next. Meet someone there. Join a conversation.

Give your feet a break.

They will need it.

Find Your People

If you're new to Imaging and you're not already involved with your local PPA Community Network, pay attention to the people around some of the smaller events.

By Community Network, I'm talking about PPA-affiliated state and local photography associations.

You may have one practically in your backyard and not even know it yet.

Go to the PPA New Member Meet & Greet

If this is your first Imaging, put the PPA New Member Meet & Greet on your list. For 2027, it's scheduled for Saturday, January 30, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., and it's open to all attendees.

It's specifically designed to give newer PPA members a place to meet people, ask questions and get some help figuring out their conference agenda.

And if you're standing there thinking, I don't know anybody here, there's a pretty good chance the person next to you is thinking exactly the same thing.

Talk to them.

Look at Who Is Sponsoring the Photowalks

This one is easy to miss if you don't know what you're looking at.

There are multiple photowalks happening during the scheduled walk times, and different local and state Community Networks sponsor them.

So let's say you're from Tennessee and you see a photowalk sponsored by TNPPA.

There's your Tennessee group.

The person leading the walk and the people volunteering with it are part of that organization. Go introduce yourself.

You don't even necessarily have to choose that particular walk. If you see people from your state organization, go say hello.

Now when you get home, you know somebody.

That's a pretty good thing to bring home from a national conference.

Ask People Where They're From

This sounds ridiculously simple, but ask people where they're from.

I've met people at national events only to discover we live surprisingly close to each other.

You can fly or drive hundreds of miles to a conference with thousands of photographers and somehow find somebody who lives an hour away.

Photography can be a pretty lonely business. Finding people you can continue connecting with after Imaging is worth something.

If You're Already a Community Network Leader, Imaging Starts Earlier

If you're already serving with your local or state PPA Community Network, there's a whole other part of Imaging.

The Community Network Leaders Meeting is held on Saturday before Imaging officially begins, and I help lead it.

It's a full day of speakers and education specifically for people leading local and state Community Networks. We talk about what's happening in our organizations, what's working, what's not and what we can learn from each other.

It's become a big part of Imaging for me.

It's also part of the reason I laugh a little when I say I haven't been to an Imaging class in three years. I'm definitely still sitting in rooms learning things. They just aren't necessarily the classes on the regular Imaging schedule anymore.

Leave Some Holes in Your Schedule

Yes, I just spent a good chunk of this article telling you to make a plan.

Now I'm telling you not to plan too much.

Welcome to Imaging.

Some of my best conversations there weren't scheduled.

You run into somebody in the hallway. Someone introduces you to somebody else. Friends decide to grab dinner. You notice something happening at the Expo. You sit down for five minutes and end up talking to someone for half an hour.

If you've scheduled yourself down to the minute, there's no room for any of that.

Plan the things that matter.

Leave some holes.

Don't Come Home With 47 Things You're Going to Do

This is something I've done for years and still think is useful.

When somebody says something that makes me think, I need to do that, I write it down.

But I don't want to come home with 47 things I'm suddenly going to change in my business, because we all know how that's going to go.

Instead, think about what you could realistically do in:

One week.

One month.

One quarter.

Pick a few things that are actually worth doing.

A notebook full of brilliant ideas sitting on your desk doesn't change anything.

Wear Comfortable Shoes

I'm not kidding.

You will walk more than you think you will.

This is not the time to break in the cute new shoes.

There are things happening all over the place, and whatever you want to attend next will inevitably feel like it's on the opposite side of the building.

Wear the comfortable shoes.

Your feet can be fashionable again when you get home.

The Bottom Line

Imaging is what you make it.

You can spend three days going to classes. You can watch IPC, wander the Expo, go on photowalks, meet your local Community Network, see friends you've only known through Zoom or do some combination of all of it.

You can also go to the opening and closing parties.

I won't be there.

I'll probably be at dinner with friends, happily in possession of both arms.

Look at what's available before you go and figure out what matters to you. Make enough of a plan that you don't arrive completely overwhelmed, but don't plan the life out of it either.

Some of the best things that happen at Imaging aren't going to be on your schedule.