Fire Department Instructors Conference - FDIC Interational 2027

FDIC International 2025 brought more than 37,000 registered professionals to the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium. The conference hosts more than 800 exhibiting companies and welcomes delegations from 55 countries, including Colombia, Mexico, China, the United Kingdom and Australia. According to the organizer, 2026 was a record-breaking year with more than 38,000 attendees and over 850 exhibitors. The audience is made up of firefighters, chiefs, company officers, instructors, and EMS professionals.

Registration for FDIC International 2027 opens on Monday, October 5 at 12 PM ET. Attendees choose from several package types:

1. Training All-Inclusive Package — features up to 20 hours of hands-on training and workshops, starting at $1,465.
2. Conference Passes — access classroom sessions and the exhibit halls, with the flexibility to add hands-on training and workshops à la carte, starting at $690.
3. Discounted Group Plans — available with as few as 3 department members, starting at $680 per person.

Session add-ons are priced separately: a 4-hour H.O.T. Evolution is $200, an 8-hour H.O.T. Evolution is $330, a 4-hour Hands-on Workshop is $200, and a 4-hour Workshop is $168. Summit passes (EMS Innovation, Industrial Fire, Aircraft Fire and Rescue, and Women in Fire Conference) are $230 at the early bird rate before 2/26/27 and $255 at the standard rate after 2/26/27. Cancellations must be requested in writing by Friday, February 26, 2027 to receive a refund, minus a $120 administration fee.

The event traces its roots to its first year in 1928, when the educational conference attracted just eight attendees. A group of Mid-western insurance rating bureau personnel met in Chicago in 1928, and this gathering of only 8 people was the first Fire Department Instructors Conference. The event grew steadily over the decades — by 1967 it had 4,270 fire service instructors present. Today, under organizer Clarion Events, FDIC International has become one of Indianapolis's biggest conventions. The conference has an economic impact on Indianapolis of about $35 to $40 million. The conference was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 and returned to the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium in August 2021.