IFEA 71st Annual Convention & Expo

Coming out of our 70^th Anniversary celebration last year, and looking ahead, we do so with a renewed passion and appreciation for the critically important role that the festivals, events, and global industry that we have the privilege of being a part of, continue to play in holding our world together; in laying out the welcome mat for our respective communities, cities, and countries, when they are at their best; and in creating magical milestones and memories for so many. Come join us as we Step Forward and continue our remarkable journey together. A journey of memories and milestones; of challenges and triumphs; of strength, durability, and endurance; of friends gained and friends lost; of innovation, inspiration, and imagination; of joy, confidence and authenticity. A journey that has bonded families, friends, communities, and our world closer together. A journey that continues as we look to the future.

Come Step Forward. The future of festivals and events starts here.

As we look to the future, we do so in a world of many challenges – some never remotely imagined - but also many new opportunities and possibilities. Whether your challenges seem daunting, or your opportunities seem endless, we encourage everyone to – as Walt Disney noted as his secret to success - always ‘Step Forward’ into the future. Whether it is a small step, or a giant leap, step forward with one new idea; one new sponsor; one new volunteer; one new event improvement; one new, unexpected piece of creativity that will bring your attendees joy and that one special moment that they will remember and talk about for years to come. That ability to step forward begins with a revisitation within ourselves, to find and reignite the joy and the passion that we had when we first started in this magical industry. Ryan Campbell will help us all search for, remember, and rediscover your joy and your passion, and then to share that joy with your friends, peers, and those around you. Come join us for a Joy Audit™...Your First Step Forward...as we set the stage for the IFEA 71st Annual Convention & Expo presented by atVenu. Come (re)find your pink Cadillac.

Working in the festival and event business is deeply meaningful. As rewarding as your days can be, they can also be demanding, emotional and exhausting. Even the most dedicated professionals can feel stretched thin.
In this energizing and deeply relatable session, you will be inspired to reconnect with why you do what you do, rediscover your personal and professional purpose and re-ignite the positivity that fuels outstanding care!
Through relatable stories, practical mindset shifts and uplifting insights, you will be reminded that how YOU show up everyday matters - to your customers, families and colleagues. The bottom line? When YOU lead with purpose, manage your energy with intention, and choose positivity – you build a culture of success, and leave a legacy of results.

In a quickly changing and challenging world, we often find ourselves in situations where it would be helpful to have that law degree we never got! Thanks to Steven Adelman, head of the Adelman Law Group, PLLC, co-founder of the Event Safety Alliance, and IFEA’s new Director of Event Safety, we are pleased to offer this special extended session to give us all a leg up. This three-hour session will teach you the legal concepts every event professional should understand to do business in our industry. We will discuss the few legal issues that arise in contracts that are deal breakers, and why most issues are business decisions, not hills to die on.  We will explain the law surrounding common operational issues, such as the rare instances of personal liability for employees and how the First Amendment works on event sites.  We will dip a toe into the murky waters of litigation.  And we will teach you key vocabulary so you sound smart.  You already know a lot of this – this session will explain the legal reasons so you are more confident going forward.  Topics to be addressed will include:
 The elements of a contract and the “legal mullet”
 Employees versus independent contractors
 Cancellation and force majeure
 The elements of a negligence claim
 “Reasonable foreseeability”
 Indemnification
 Limitation of liability
 Agency law and personal liability
 Evidence and the importance of documentation
 The First Amendment and the constitutional limits on “speech”
Led by Steven Adelman, head of the Adelman Law Group, PLLC and Taylor Collins, associate at McCarter & English, LLP, both with extensive experience working with and representing festivals and live events, you’ll gain valuable insights that bring both competency and comfort to your world. Don’t miss this special opportunity to raise your bar.

This session explores how event professionals can modernize and streamline their event operations by pairing effective systems and creative leadership strategies. Participants will leave with resources and tools they can implement immediately.
Participants will be able to:
· Identify the core components of effective event management and how these core principals support consistency, risk    reduction, and organizational memory.
· Understand how high-performing teams’ function within a singular event or across seasons and multiple events,           clarity of roles, communication structures, and decision-making pathways.
· Evaluate existing event frameworks and pinpoint opportunities to strengthen workflows, documentation, and cross       team alignment.
· Apply practical tools and templates to improve planning, execution, and post-event evaluation across multiple event types.
· Explore examples of how system level improvements lead to stronger participant experiences, smoother operations, and more resilient teams.

See 10:45AM for Session Description.

From increasingly harsh weather to major equipment failures to criminal acts, we're forced to confront the risks of holding our festivals and events. You'll learn how to identify the risks to your events, how to make a plan for dealing with them, what to do when a crisis occurs, and how to recover quickly. You'll walk away with a checklist of actions you can take as soon as you get home.

More festivals are bringing food and beverage operations in-house, but what does that actually involve? Hear from operators who’ve made the shift as they walk through planning, vendor management, execution, and settlements. Learn where the revenue upside is and how to evaluate if it’s the right move.

Sustainability can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. This interactive session explores what sustainability is - and what it isn't - through the lens of real-world event operations. We'll discuss practical, achievable steps that events of any size can take, common challenges organizers face, and simple ways to measure and communicate results.

Festival and event buyers will walk away from this session with a proven framework for programming entertainment that engages every generation in the crowd — from Gen Alpha to Boomers — simultaneously. Drawing on research from IFEA and leading consumer behavior studies, this session challenges the traditional "kids zone" model and introduces a 3-layer programming approach that extends dwell time, increases per-capita spend, and drives repeat attendance. Attendees will explore the full family entertainment toolkit — from Silent Disco and live music to variety acts, outdoor cinema, and interactive participatory experiences — and leave with a practical planning checklist and ROI measurement criteria ready to apply to their next event.

See 10:45AM for Session Description.

Volunteer programs are more than extra hands on event day. They are one of the most powerful, and often overlooked, connections between an event, its community, and its brand partners. This session will explore how to transform volunteers into community ambassadors, storytellers, and strategic assets, while creating volunteer experiences that sponsors genuinely want to support. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for building volunteer programs that strengthen community loyalty, create measurable impact, and open the door to meaningful sponsorship opportunities.

Your email list is one of your most valuable assets. Discover how leading events use email marketing to sell more tickets, encourage repeat attendance, promote upgrades and add-ons, and build year-round loyalty. We'll explore campaign strategies, automation, segmentation, subject lines that get opened, and performance metrics that matter—so you can turn more subscribers into paying attendees.