An empty hotel ballroom the night before a conference, tables set, stage lit

You got handed the company event. Pull it off.

One online day that walks you through the whole plan, in order: budget, venue, contract, attendance, and the day itself.

See the full agenda
Date
Doors
Ends
Venue

Ten to six. The whole event, in order.

Five tracks, one per stage of the plan. Each opens with a fireside, then five talks run at once and you pick the one that fits your event, then a networking round.

Sound familiar?

  1. The hotel agreement has words in it you've never negotiated: attrition, force majeure, F&B minimums.
  2. Leadership wants a number by Friday and you're building the budget from a blank sheet.
  3. You picked a venue from photos. Nobody told you what to check on the walkthrough.
  4. Registration, housing, AV, transport, and a room full of people who need to actually show up.

You're the EA, the marketing director, the HR lead, the chief of staff. The kickoff is yours now, and it's not a team lunch: it's a few hundred people, a room block, and a contract with your name on it. Twenty-five people who do this for a living, each teaching the one part they know cold, in the order you'll need it.

The full agenda.

Every track is ninety minutes: a fireside with all five experts, then five rooms at once, then a round to meet the people you just heard.

10:00

Opening keynote: the mistakes first-time corporate planners make, and how to skip every one

Melissa Burce, host. Thirty years on the hotel side of the table.

17:30

Closing session: your next step, and a last networking round

Melissa closes the day with what to do Monday morning. Ends at 6:00 PM ET.

Twenty-five people who do this for a living.

Two hosts who have sat on the hotel side of the table for decades, and one expert per specialty. No two speakers compete for your business.

A planner on a one-to-one video call with a hotel sales director

Leave with people, not just notes.

  • After 1 and 3
    Speed networkingTimed one-to-one video rounds. You're paired automatically, so you meet the planners and experts you'd never have picked yourself.
  • After 2 and 4
    Guided discussionsSmall rooms. Bring your actual contract, budget, or venue question and get answers from people who've solved it.
  • All day
    The ExpoEvery speaker has a booth. Walk in, ask your question, book a call, leave when you want.

Hotels, CVBs, DMCs, AV, event tech, insurance: there's a vendor pass for you. See the two vendor passes

One ticket. All five tracks. The price goes up each month.

Buy in the month you're reading this and lock that price. The window closes on the last day of the month.

Super early birdNow
$300
Through October 31
Early bird
$400
November 1 to 30
Regular
$500
December 1 to 11
  • The opening keynote and closing session
  • 25 talks across all five tracks
  • Two speed networking rounds
  • Two guided discussion rooms
  • The Expo, all day
  • A receipt your company can expense as training

Bringing a colleague? A second ticket is half price at checkout.

Your ticket link arrives by email in about a minute. The super early bird price holds through October 31.

Questions planners ask before they buy.

Is it live, or recorded?

The talks, guided discussions, networking rounds, and Expo are live on December 11. Some fireside conversations may be recorded in advance and shown in their scheduled slot.

I'm not a professional planner. Is this over my head?

The agenda assumes you're not. Every talk starts from the first decision, not the tenth, and the day runs in the order you'll actually plan the event.

Five talks run at once. What about the ones I miss?

Pick the talk that fits your event in each track. Replays and Action Packs for every session are offered after checkout, so you can cover the rest later.

Can my company pay for it?

Most attendees expense it as training. You get a receipt at checkout, and the ticket is in your name, so it travels with you.

What time zone?

Eastern. 10 AM to 6 PM ET on Friday, December 11, 2026. Join from anywhere with a browser.

I sell to planners. How do I get in the room?

There are two vendor passes: Networking Access, and Networking Access with a Vendor Booth in the Expo. See the vendor passes.

Friday, December 11. Walk out with the plan.

Twenty-five experts, five tracks, and the people you'll need to book. $300 through October 31.