Tall Ships America®, the National Sail Training Organization, announced today a strategic partnership with Showpass, the fastest-growing event technology platform in North America. Showpass has joined the Tall Ships America Leadership Circle and will serve as a Platinum Level Sponsor of the 2027 Tall Ships America Annual Conference.
The partnership builds on a working relationship that began in Duluth, Minnesota, during the 2025 TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Series. There, Showpass delivered ticketing for one of the most celebrated tall ship events in the Great Lakes region, handling the scale and complexity of a major maritime festival. That success opened the door to a broader relationship across the sail training community.
"We first saw what Showpass could do in Duluth, and we were impressed by how seamlessly they handled ticketing for an event of that scale and complexity," said Stuart Gilfillen, Executive Director of Tall Ships America. "There's an extraordinary opportunity here to use their technology to make it easier than ever for people to attend tall ship events and to get on board. Whether someone is watching from the dock or stepping onto a tall ship for the first time, we want that experience to be frictionless and inviting. Showpass is the partner who can make that happen, and I am genuinely excited about what we're going to build together."
Under the agreement, Showpass will provide Tall Ships America with a dedicated registration portal designed to host both TSA-led events and direct people to experiences offered by member vessels.The portal gives tall ship enthusiasts a single destination to discover and register for everything from shoreside festivals to on-board sail training voyages. Showpass will serve as the preferred registration platform for the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Series and other Tall Ships America events including Community Musters and the Annual Conference.
Tall Ships America will also introduce Showpass directly to its member fleet, giving individual vessels the opportunity to use Showpass technology for their own programming and bookings and to feed into the central booking portal hosted on the Tall Ships America homepage.
Lucas McCarthy, CEO of Showpass, said: "The maritime world is full of independent organizers doing incredible work, from ships and museums to waterfront festivals and education programs. These are one-of-a-kind experiences that bring real value to their communities, and the people behind them deserve modern tools to run their events, grow their audiences, and own their relationship with the people they serve. Showpass was built for independent organizers, and we're proud to support Tall Ships America as they bring these experiences to life across North America."
The partnership pairs a shared mission with the right technology. Tall Ships America has long sought to lower the barriers to participation in sail training and tall ship experiences Showpass builds technology that makes event discovery and registration more intuitive and accessible for audiences of all kinds. Together, the organizations aim to expand the reach of the tall ships community and introduce a new generation of participants to the power of sail.
About Showpass
Showpass is the world's first customer-centric ticketing and discovery platform for events, activities, and things to do. The fastest-growing ticketing company in North America, Showpass empowers event organizers to create unforgettable experiences through next-level technology. A global leader in event technology, Showpass offers ticketing, distribution, and discovery solutions to over 30,000 event organizers worldwide, proudly serving millions of customers. By combining a passion for technology with a love for live events, Showpass delivers a solution that partners can be proud to work with. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Showpass has been named one of Canada's fastest-growing technology companies by Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 and one of Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures. To learn more, visit showpass.com.
The Tall Ships America Leadership Circle brings together industry leaders who share a commitment to advancing sail training, youth development, and maritime education across North America. Leadership Circle members provide critical support that enables Tall Ships America to fulfill its mission of encouraging character development through sail training, promoting sail training to the North American public, and supporting education under sail.
