Reflections on ICRS 2025—and Ideas to Make the 30th Anniversary Even Better
Every year, the International Car Rental Show brings together agency owners, operators, vendors, and experts from all corners of the rental world—and 2025 was no exception.
This year's event in Las Vegas had strong attendance, energetic networking, and an impressive range of products and services on display. Most of the sessions were packed with valuable takeaways, and it was inspiring to see how much innovation is happening across the industry.
But as the event heads into its 30th anniversary next year, we thought it might be helpful to share a few ideas to make it even better—for both newcomers and long-time attendees.
It Was Truly International
One of the highlights this year was the strong international turnout.
We met attendees from:
Across the U.S.
Canada
Caribbean nations
Greece
South America
Australia
New Zealand
The shared challenges and creative solutions discussed by these international attendees added depth to the conversations. It reminded us that while rental businesses may differ in scale or location, many of the goals are the same: reduce downtime, increase fleet utilization, and build better customer experiences.
Ideas to Make the Event Even More Valuable
Here are a few ways the ICRS team could raise the bar for 2026:
1. Post-Session Roundtables
Each session could be followed by an optional roundtable discussion for attendees who want to:
Share their own experiences with the topic
Ask implementation questions that weren’t covered
Discuss how they’re applying similar strategies in their business
This would turn valuable presentations into real-world brainstorming and make the insights easier to act on.
2. Speaker Focus: More Strategy, Less Self-Promotion
Most speakers were fantastic—generous with their ideas and grounded in the realities of rental operations. That said, a few leaned too heavily on:
Personal journeys
The sessions that really stood out focused on real data, tactical advice, and practical lessons. A stronger speaker brief or session review process might help keep future content laser-focused on helping agencies grow.
3. Regional Meetups or Niche Discussions
With so many international attendees, it would be great to see:
Small breakout groups by region (similar to the Latin America group, but on a smaller scale)
Meetups for specific business types (e.g., luxury, airport-based, peer-to-peer, small-fleets & start-ups, independents, etc.)
This could help attendees make more relevant connections and start partnerships that continue after the show.
Looking Ahead: ICRS 2026 (30th Anniversary Edition)
Next year’s show marks the 30th anniversary of the International Car Rental Show.
We’re hoping the organizers go big—more networking, more actionable sessions, and maybe even a “best of the last 30 years” track featuring insights from long-time industry leaders.
They say “Everything is Bigger in Texas” and that’s where ICRS 2026 is moving to for their 30th anniversary event! From May 13-15, 2026 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Centre.
More information is available at the International Car Rental Show website.
If you’ve never been to ICRS, it’s a great way to discover new tech and learn about the future of the industry (Autonomous vehicle anyone?) And if you have been before, this might be the year to bring more of your team.
We’ll be there again next year—and we’d love to meet you.
If you’re serious about growing your agency through SEO, Google Ads, social media, and direct marketing, book a strategy session with FLEET Rental Marketing. It’s normally a $1200 consult, but if you use the code ICRS2025, you’ll get it completely free.
We’ll walk you through what’s working for other independent rental agencies and show you how to apply it to your own business.
Book your free session with code ICRS2025 →
(Limited-time offer)
