The International Padel Cluster (IPC) has signed a new partnership agreement with the International Association of Pickleball & Padel Facilities (IAPPF), giving Cluster member companies direct access to one of the world's fastest-growing racquet sports markets through Smash 2026 – The IAPPF Conference and Expo, which will take place as part of the AB Show.
Smash 2026 is a standalone three-day summit dedicated to the business of managing pickleball and padel facilities. It will be held from 17 to 19 November at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, alongside the AB Show, the country's largest trade show for sports, fitness and recreation facilities. The programme features dozens of educational sessions and networking events designed for club operators, with a Padel Business Summit serving as the centrepiece of the opening day, as well as full access to the AB Show exhibition floor, featuring hundreds of exhibitors from the wider sports, fitness and recreation industries.
An Event of Unprecedented Scale in the U.S.
Smash 2026 will bring together more than 2,000 attendees from all fifty U.S. states, offering a programme of more than 100 sessions and an exhibition area featuring over 200 exhibitors. The attendee profile is particularly relevant for Cluster member companies: owners, operators and programme directors responsible for investment projects worth more than 50 million dollars collectively, representing more than 17,000 pickleball and padel facilities currently operating across the United States. For Cluster companies looking to enter or expand within the U.S. market, this means direct access to decision-makers, not simply other industry stakeholders.
The timing is equally significant. RacquetX, the other major racquet sports event in the United States, will not return until next spring, meaning that no other event in the country currently approaches this scale for the padel industry. For Cluster member companies shaping their U.S. strategy for twenty twenty-seven, Smash 2026 represents the first major opportunity to establish a presence before that window closes.
IPC member companies may participate either as attendees or through a wide range of sponsorship opportunities -including headline sponsorships, pavilions, activations and customised sponsorship packages- featuring a format specifically designed for international companies with tailor-made options according to each organisation's objectives. Companies interested in sponsorship or exhibition space can contact Mike Knowles directly atmike@insidethelinesadvisory.com. Full event information and registration are available at iappf.org.
"Our audiences complement each other extremely well, and we want to drive padel strongly through this event," said David Johnson, CEO of IAPPF. "We are excited to be working with the Cluster and with Michel, and we believe this is the beginning of a long-term relationship."
"One of our missions is to make the Cluster a truly international organisation, and that begins by connecting with fast-growing markets such as the United States," said Michel Gogniat, Managing Director of the International Padel Cluster. "This is a natural opportunity to collaborate rather than compete, and we are excited about what this partnership can build for both organisations."
Mike Knowles, the Cluster's International Development Partner for the United States, will represent the IPC on-site throughout the event.
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