AAPEX 2026: you are already in the best building to eat in
November 3-5, 2026 · Venetian Expo · 50,000 attendees · Auto care and parts distribution
AAPEX is a buyer and distributor show at the Venetian Expo from November 3 to 5, sharing the week with SEMA up the Strip. The useful thing about it is where it sits: the Venetian and Palazzo hold seven restaurants we book, so the supplier dinner does not have to leave the building. Our Las Vegas team books the room, and the table after it.
A buyers' show inside a much larger week
AAPEX is where distribution actually gets done, and it shares three days with SEMA two miles north. That pairing is what makes the week difficult rather than either show alone: two hundred and ten thousand people, overlapping halls, and Halloween weekend clearing out as everyone lands. The dinners AAPEX groups are traditionally after are the ones where people can actually hear each other, and those tables are the first in the neighborhood to go.
When people are actually in town
Most people land on the Monday, exhibitors earlier still to build the booth. That makes Monday night a real evening and one nobody plans for. The floor closes Thursday and most of the hall flies out that day, so Thursday is optional, even though it happens to be the night XS reopens.
Seven restaurants without leaving the building
This is the advantage AAPEX has over almost every other show in town, and it is worth using. The Venetian and Palazzo hold Wakuda, Bazaar Meat, BOA Steakhouse, Estiatorio Milos, LAVO Italian, Mott 32 and TAO Asian Bistro, all of which we book and all of which handle a table of ten or a private room without it feeling like a compromise. Bazaar Meat and BOA are the steak answers, Milos the one for a table that wants fish and quiet, Mott 32 and TAO the rooms with more going on. Across the street Wynn adds SW Steakhouse and Delilah if the dinner deserves the walk. For the supplier dinner that wants old Vegas rather than a Strip room, Golden Steer is the one people ask for.
Taking clients out after dinner
A business-to-business floor changes the shape of the evening. Fewer groups want a main room and more want somewhere a conversation can keep going, which is why the room we recommend most that week is not the one with the biggest name on the poster. That said, the calendar is unusually good this year. XS at Encore reopens on the Thursday with Rufus Du Sol, which is AAPEX's closing night, and TAO is inside the Venetian and the shortest walk from the hall of anything worth being in. The night-by-night picks below are the ones worth planning around; if you want the full list for the nights you are in town, our Las Vegas events calendar lists every venue.
Groups and buyouts
The most common AAPEX booking is a private room for a supplier or distributor dinner, twenty to sixty people, with a hard start because everyone has a floor to work in the morning. We book those and we handle the cars so the group arrives together rather than in six rides. Larger buildouts and buyouts we will place with the right room, and the budget is the useful place to start.
If a nightclub is not the answer
If you are after something other than a club, say so. The Mayfair Supper Club turns dinner into the evening without anyone having to move. And if you would rather have a speakeasy or a live music bar, tell us the group and we are happy to steer you in the right direction and make recommendations.
Where to eat, by where your day ends
Inside the Venetian and Palazzo — you do not need to leave the building
Across the street at Wynn — if the dinner deserves the walk
Off-Strip — Golden Steer has been doing this since 1958 and takes a large table well
Frequently asked questions
When and where is AAPEX 2026?
November 3 to 5, 2026, at the Venetian Expo, with roughly 50,000 attendees. SEMA occupies the Las Vegas Convention Center over the same days and closes a day later.
Where should we host a distributor dinner during AAPEX?
You do not need to leave the building. The Venetian and Palazzo hold Wakuda, Bazaar Meat, BOA Steakhouse, Estiatorio Milos, LAVO, Mott 32 and TAO Asian Bistro, all of which we book. A private room usually beats a table, because the dinner is a working one.
Is AAPEX the same week as SEMA?
Yes. AAPEX takes the Venetian Expo November 3 to 5 and SEMA takes the convention center November 3 to 6, putting roughly 210,000 people across overlapping halls. Book earlier than you would for either alone.
What is on at night during AAPEX week?
XS at Encore reopens on Thursday November 5, AAPEX's closing night, with Rufus Du Sol. TAO is inside the Venetian if you would rather not leave. Lineups move, so check our Las Vegas events calendar for the current version.
What is on while you are here
Checked against the calendar on 1 September. See the full Las Vegas events calendar for the current lineup.
Monday — setup and arrival night, before the floor opens
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday (optional) — closing day, so optional - most people fly home, though XS reopens tonight after its refurbishment
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