The Founders Summit for leaders in capital intensive Live Event Production businesses
Your next move starts here.
Three days built for founders and operators — the key players powering live events. Less gear talk, more on figuring out structure, team, capital allocation, and what move to make next.
Attendees
Founders, CEOs, COO’s & Operators
Format
2 Days · Immersive
Who it’s for
Built for the people who build businesses.
This event is designed for operators running production companies. If you sign the payroll and own the gear, you belong here.
01
The business owner
You own a capital intensive business serving the live event market and you’re past survival mode and focused on margin, systems, and growth.
02
The scaling operator
You’re moving from a staff that depends on you at every turn to a company that runs without your constant presence — hiring leaders, building process, and chasing bigger contracts.
03
The General Manager
You run day-to-day at a single or multi-location business and need peers solving the same operational problems at scale.
What you’ll learn
nine tracks. Zero fluff.
Every session is built around the levers that actually move a production business forward — taught by people who run them.
Track 01
Warehouse Automation
Keep up to date with the most recent affordable tools and equipment to bring efficiency to your warehouse; from cable coiling, through to equipment QC’ing we address a myriad of common needs for rental houses to bring efficiency to the shop floor.
Track 02
Offshore Talent
Find cost effective talent on a global scale that can perform duties to fill roles at various levels. As we become more globalized, the opportunities offshore solutions have exploded. Here from a speaker how he built a cohesive offshore team that now runs many aspects of his rental business.
Track 03
RFID
Avoid the pitfalls in adopting the next wave of inventory management technology. RFID is here to stay, and as our industry takes this on in growing numbers, there are key risk areas that all operators need to know. Learn the most effective way to implement and install RFID into your warehouse.
Track 04
AI
The obvious applications for AI are well known, but there are big gains to be made using AI as it relates to capex decisions, gear allocation, repair and tech support to name just a few. Learn where a production business can deploy AI built specifically for our industry.
Track 05
Revenue Generation
Getting off the owner-sells-everything treadmill. What are your best channels for revenue growth? How to hire, comp, and structure a sales team that books shows and grows accounts — without you in every conversation.
Track 06
China
What you need to know about China and the role it plays in the future of our industry. Practical strategies for sourcing gear and components overseas, vetting suppliers, and managing logistics to cut capital expenditure without sacrificing quality.
Track 07
Insurance
One of the biggest line items nobody talks about. Structuring coverage for gear, vehicles, and liability — and the moves that keep premiums from eating your bottom line.
Track 08
Banking
Capital intensive businesses live and die by access to the right financing. Understand your lending options — from equipment financing and lines of credit to SBA loans and asset-based lending — and how to structure debt that funds growth without choking cash flow. Learn what lenders look for, how to position your business for better terms, and when to borrow versus when to wait.
Track 09
Acquisitions
Growth through business acquisition has had mixed success in our industry — the difference usually comes down to strategy and execution, not luck. Learn how to identify the right targets, value a business realistically, and structure deals that protect your downside. We cover sourcing opportunities, financing the buy, integrating teams and gear without losing key clients, and avoiding the cultural and operational pitfalls that sink so many acquisitions before they pay off.
Why attend
The room that moves the needle.
Forget trade-show floors and vendor pitches. Two days in a setting built for the conversations you can’t have anywhere else in this industry.
Real playbooks, not theory
Frameworks on hiring, systems, sales, and margin — from owners who’ve actually built profitable production companies, not consultants who’ve never coiled a cable.
Peers who get it
The only people who understand a 3am load-out, a blown budget, and a flaky sub are other owners. Spend two days with the ones doing it at the highest level.
Conversations off the floor
The real value happens over dinner and between sessions — comparing comp structures, swapping vendor intel, and pressure-testing your next big move.
Leave with specific moves
A hire to make, a process to fix, an insurance call to schedule, a system to implement. Takeaways you can act on the week you get back — not a stack of notes.
From the room
Operators don’t waste each other’s time.
“Finally a room full of people who own this kind of business. I left with two hires planned and a completely new take on how I price labor.”
Sample Attendee
Founder · Audio Co.
“High signal, no vendor pitches. The session on operations alone paid for the ticket several times over. Already blocking my calendar for next year.”
Sample Attendee
Owner · Lighting & Staging
“The caliber of the room is the product. Every conversation taught me something about running a better company. Inspired and refreshed.”
Sample Attendee
Managing Partner · AV Rental
Speakers
2026 guest speakers.
We’re being selective. The lineup features owners of leading production companies, operators running shops at scale, and specialists on the systems, sales, and insurance side of the business.
Troy Clair
Guest Speaker
How I rolled up a dozen companies in two years
Rich Thomson
Guest Speaker
How I achieved a 50% market share at Dreamliner through an aggressive series of acquisitions
Wes Bailey
Guest Speaker
How private equity ruined my business
Huntly Christie
Guest Speaker
How to build a business organically
The experience
All-inclusive. Dialed in.
The setting is the point. Real conversations happen over dinner and between sessions, not on a crowded expo floor. Everything is handled so you can focus on the room.
Venue
To be announced
Destination & dates confirmed soon.
Limited to 120 owners.
Questions? hello@fohsummit.com