Is PPA’s Imaging USA Worth the Cost? My 2026 Nashville Review
This year was the third Imaging USA conference that I attended, and the second on that took place at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville Tennessee - Jan 11–13, 2026 with over 10,000 attendees. I specifically made a point to come back to Nashville because I thought the hotel was great the first time around (practically speaking, you never had to worry about the weather and there were many food options on site).. but was the second time as impressive as the first? Not really. And is Imaging USA worth the cost? Let’s break it down..
Oh, and all conference photos below were taken with my Fujifilm XT-5, which is my beloved travel camera.
How much did the conference cost me in total?
I spent a total of $3,554.81, which included $1,428 for PPA-discounted 5-night hotel stay, $676 for the full access conference pass and 3 pre-con classes (more on that later), $335 in food costs, $150 for airline tickets (I also used some credit card points and flew in Economy Comfort), about $500 for UBERs to and from airports, and $800 that went towards dog boarding (which is not a tax deductible business expense, btw). It’s important to note that I did bring my own snacks, mostly got take-out food, and tend to stick to vegetarian options when I travel (which are cheaper than meat options).. oh, and also don’t drink alcohol, which keeps my food costs lower than I assume would be otherwise.
My honest thoughts on the Gaylord Opryland
I loved this hotel when I stayed there in 2023, but coming back in 2026 the room seemed more tired and more “sticky” (there were some drawers and doors I learned not to touch.. yuck!). Maybe I didn’t have a good reference point before or maybe my standards have changed over those 3 years.. but the hotel isn’t as impressive the second time around. The best part, however, is that you don’t have to leave in order to get food or attend the conference, and the indoor biodome-like environment is really beautiful with lush greenery.
The other thing that was really lacking is the quality of food and just how expensive it is. We all know how much prices have increased in the past two years, and I don’t know if it’s just me being stuck with the price anchoring of early 2000’s or just being fed up with all of it at this point. Now, the food isn’t BAD, but it’s nothing special and often isn’t all that fresh either. I usually had to spend a few minutes going through all the pre-made salads on display in order to find the one that didn’t have browning romaine as the main feature.
Furthermore, the thing that always seems to be bad at conferences are the coffee lines.. and this isn’t specific to The Gaylord by any means, but there would often be a 20+ minute line for coffee in-between presentations with several different places available to get said coffee. Many times people flowed in with their coffee cups in hand 10 or 20 minutes after start time because everything took so long. My tip is, if you can, leave the presentation a bit early and head straight to the coffee line to avoid the long wait times.
I don’t think anyone can deny that the hotel is beautiful and so convenient for the conference, but I do wish they would clean the rooms a bit more thoroughly and have better food options, which I’m sure is a complaint that is said about most conference hotels.
Is it true that the Gaylord Opryland is impossible to navigate?
It is easy to get lost within the hotel as there are often several levels intersecting in one area and no straight paths anywhere. This being my second visit, I had a better sense of how to get places and which coffee shop was going to be the least crowded in the morning.. but I still had to learn and found a few shortcuts and cut-throughs that were new to me! The Gaylord app has a good navigational feature that’s very similar to Google maps and many people had great luck getting around with that.
Does the conference provide valuable learning opportunities or is it just “fluff”?
In short, the pre-con classes dive deep into a topic and are often the best investment you can make if you’d like to come away with valuable insights and learnings. The main conference presentations are hit and miss. I attended some classes that were incredibly insightful with full photoshoot demos, an entertaining speaker, and valuable info.. and some that felt like a complete waste of my time. It’s so important to pick the right class and it’s often hard to tell from the short description whether it will be worthwhile or not. A good strategy is to find the speakers you really love (or ones you’ve seen teach elsewhere) and attend their presentations.
One thing to also keep in mind is that a lot of the really popular and famous speakers will give shorter and more intimate talks during the Expo.. so it’s a good idea to walk around on that first Expo day and take photos of the posted scheduled so you don’t miss a talk you might be interested in. These are all sponsored by a company, so be prepared to want whatever the product is after the session!
I do feel that the conference is a lot more informative for photographers who are just starting out. As someone who has been in business for over a decade, while I can always learn more, the basics aren’t as relevant for me as they are for someone else. Once again, those smaller pre-con classes are going to be a better value for more experienced photographers, with the main conference providing a nice networking opportunity instead.
Was the "Mattering Mindset" keynote applicable to a photography business?
Probably! People seem to have really enjoyed the talk. Personally, I’m so far down the whole “mattering”, service minded, business learning pathway that I feel like I’ve heard it all before. It was lovely to discover Matthew Emerzian’s story and to have someone like him voicing this message, but I didn’t feel like it was necessary for me to experience.
Likewise, I tend to skip all the parties. I felt especially unconvinced that everyone was healthy at the conference and decided to sit out some of the more crowded events in order to make sure I didn’t catch something while there (I did succeed in staying healthy!).
Is Imaging USA worth it for a beginner or hobbyist?
This is probably when Imaging USA is most worth it. I really feel that you will get the most out of this conference when you’re just starting out - you’ll be able to get the best value out of the speaker presentations, view all the cool gear as you build up your kit, and potentially expand your service offerings based on samples and software you see at the Expo. As a seasoned professional photographer, I already have all the gear I could ever want, have a set workflow, know what I’m doing, so the takeaways won’t be as meaningful. For people like me, Imaging is more about meeting other photographers, making friends, and networking.. and that can be quite worthwhile in itself!
Thank you George for our group photo at the meetup!
How do you actually meet people at such a massive conference?
Honestly, I felt like I kept seeing the same faces and running into the same people, so I think the conference doesn’t feel as big as it is. PPA also creates many opportunities to meet others - there’s the Networking Avenue that facilitates meeting others, parties, simply walking around the expo floor or waiting in that very long line for coffee, and smaller get-togethers that often take place outside of the conference (I attended a Headshot Tools party and a small Facebook group gathering) where you can meet photographers in a similar genre. I’ve alway managed to make a friend or two at Imaging and all it takes is striking up a conversation with the photographer next to you!
Should I spend my time in the classes or on the Expo floor?
Both. Don’t miss any of it. They’re both so valuable and I had a full schedule for myself during the 3 conference days (use the Imaging app to plan everything out). The expo is always amazing - although I was sad to see that Nikon wasn’t there this year - and worth walking around every day. This is your opportunity to try new gear, ask questions directly to the company reps, and find new things that could improve your business. There are vendor giveaways, free stickers and samples, and even t-shirts. The Expo is fun, and the classes are often where you can learn the most - do both if you want to maximize your investment.
The "Final Verdict"
I love ImagingUSA. I love seeing all the other people who love photography and being able to learn from incredible educators in our industry. And yes, to me it was worth going. Will I be at Imaging next year? I’m not sure. I will be waiting for the schedule to come out before I make my decision on ImagingUSA 2027, which will be in Charlotte, North Carolina, from January 31 - February 2, 2027.
And I will probably plan to attend ImagingUSA 2028, which will be at the Gaylord Hotel in Grapevine, Texas, from February 6 - 8, 2028 with a similar setup as this year, which is my preference. So I guess we’ll see! But either way, always make sure you have the funds for the conference before you go to avoid potential financial issues as a result (which is something one usually learns the hard way!).
And if you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.
