Learn from Industry Leaders
Real experience. Proven strategies. Actionable insights from professionals who understand the wedding and event industry.
Alan Berg - Keynote
Alan Berg CSP, Global Speaking Fellow – Sales Trainer, Speaker, Author (and Bourbon Nerd)
Alan Berg (yes, that Alan Berg) helps you stop sounding like everyone else and start closing sales.
He’s the former VP of Sales at The Knot, author of 15 books, and has spoken in 14 countries, sharing practical sales strategies that actually work in the real world. He’s also one of only 46 Global Speaking Fellows in the world, and holds both the CSP and FPSA designations.
If you’ve ever wondered why people ghost you, why cheaper competitors win, or why your inquiries aren’t turning into bookings, that’s exactly what Alan helps you fix.
He’s the host of the “Wedding Business Solutions” podcast, with over 400 episodes and more than 300,000 downloads, where he shares real-world advice, you can use right away. And when he’s not helping businesses sell more effectively, you might find him at a piano or using his Executive Bourbon Steward credentials in ways that may or may not improve the conversation.
If you want better conversations, more replies, and more booked business, you’re in the right place.
Alan Berg, CSP, FPSA is one of only 46 Global Speaking Fellows in the world.
We're excited to welcome internationally recognized wedding industry speaker, consultant, and author Alan Berg to the Midwest Wedding & Event Pro Summit.
Speaking Topics
I Won't Replace You, But Someone Using AI Might
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing the way couples search, communicate, and make purchasing decisions. In this eye-opening session, Alan will show wedding and event professionals how AI can be used to save time, improve client experiences, create better marketing, and stay competitive in an evolving marketplace.
You'll Learn:
• How AI is changing the wedding industry
• Practical AI tools you can start using immediately
• Ways to save hours each week through automation
• How to use AI without losing your personal touch
You Don't Need More Leads, You Need Better Follow-Up
Many wedding professionals think their biggest challenge is generating more inquiries. The reality? Most businesses are leaving bookings on the table because of inconsistent or ineffective follow-up.
In this powerful sales session, Alan will share proven strategies to increase conversions, improve response rates, and turn more inquiries into paying clients.
You'll Learn:
• Why leads aren't your biggest problem
• Common follow-up mistakes that cost bookings
• How to create a lead nurturing process that converts
• Simple changes that can dramatically increase sales
Special Post-Summit Masterclass
Wednesday, March 3, 2027
AI for Wedding & Event Pros
Bring Your Laptop and Put AI to Work in Your Business
Want to go beyond the keynote and actually implement AI in your business?
Join Alan Berg the day after the Summit for an intensive 2.5-hour hands-on masterclass designed specifically for wedding and event professionals. This interactive workshop will help you put AI to work immediately in your marketing, sales, client communication, and business operations.
Masterclass Topics Include:
• Creating content and marketing materials faster
• Using AI to improve client communication
• Automating repetitive business tasks
• Building prompts that actually produce results
• Practical tools you can begin using immediately
Masterclass Registration
Early Bird: $399
Regular Registration: $475
This masterclass is a separate event from the Midwest Wedding & Event Pro Summit and requires its own registration. Seating is limited to ensure a hands-on learning experience.
Speaking Topics: Two-Part Series
PART 1
"What I Almost Missed Because My Business Was Consuming Me"
Presented by Liz Pulliam & Skip Wolfe, Empower Your AI
There's a moment most wedding and event professionals know intimately.
You're standing in candlelight watching someone else's father walk his daughter down the aisle and you realize you missed your own child's performance tonight. Again. That your family has quietly stopped asking you to be there because they already know the answer.
You turn back to the room. You smile. You do your job beautifully.
And you carry that weight home at midnight.
This session is about time. The one thing none of us can make more of or buy back. Liz and Skip share the moment that changed everything for them and a simple proven framework that shows exactly where AI fits inside any wedding or event business.
Once you see it, you can never unsee it.
Come to Part 1 to see what's possible. Come to Part 2 to make it real.
Liz Pulliam & Skip Wolfe | Empower Your AI
Liz Pulliam and Skip Wolfe are the founders of Empower Your AI and two of the most uniquely qualified voices at the intersection of the wedding industry and artificial intelligence.
Liz brings a rare combination of organizational leadership, entrepreneurial vision, and deep industry empathy to everything she does. Before co-founding Empower Your AI, she served in senior nonprofit executive roles administering federal grants and leading high-impact community organizations across rural Kentucky. That journey from mission-driven leader to entrepreneur to AI strategist gives Liz a perspective on business transformation that is both uniquely human and genuinely hard-won.
Skip Wolfe brings analytical precision and operational discipline from a distinguished career as a nurse anesthetist and healthcare executive. His background in high-stakes clinical environments where systems, accuracy, and efficiency are non-negotiable translates directly into the way Empower Your AI builds and deploys solutions for its clients.
Together, Liz and Skip built Hemlock Springs Wedding Venue from the ground up, scaled it into a thriving operation, and ultimately achieved a successful exit as a team. That shared experience in this industry gives them an insider perspective no outside consultant can replicate. Today they are certified AI strategists who have implemented intelligent automation systems across dozens
of businesses spanning hospitality, property management, real estate, education, healthcare, and more. Their work is grounded in a simple but powerful belief: the best technology doesn't replace the human touch. It protects it.
They built something beautiful in this industry. They learned what it costs when a business consumes the life you're trying to live. And they found a way out that they now share with every room they walk into.
They don't just teach this. They've lived every chapter of it.
PART 2
"Steal My Systems: The Exact AI Tools That Run My Business Without Me" Presented by Liz Pulliam & Skip Wolfe, Empower Your AI
You walked into Part 1 carrying the weight of a business that never really lets you go. Maybe you left with something you haven't felt in a while.
Hope.
Part 2 is where hope becomes a plan. Where the story becomes a system. Where hope becomes something you can actually use on Monday morning.
Every system in this session has been personally built and tested inside a real wedding venue and then deployed across dozens of businesses spanning hospitality, real estate, education, and more.
No theory. No jargon. No wasted minutes.
Just real tools, real workflows, and a first real step you can take this week. And now, for the first time, you don't have to figure out how to get there alone. Missed Part 1? You're still in exactly the right place.
Heidi Thompson - Evolve Your Wedding Business
Heidi Thompson is the best-selling author of Clone Your Best Clients and the wedding business coach & marketing strategist behind Evolve Your Wedding Business where she helps wedding professionals stop throwing everything at the wall and build a focused, strategic marketing system that books ideal clients consistently without living on Instagram or working 60-hour weeks.
Her business & marketing expertise has been featured on several wedding and business outlets and events including Wedding Business Magazine, Wedding Industry Insider, The Wedding Empires Podcast, WeddingMBA, Aisle Planner, Honeybook, and WeddingWire World.
She is the creator and host of Book More Weddings Summit & Wedding Business CEO Summit. Since 2012, Heidi has helped thousands of wedding pros of all kinds across 6 continents grow their wedding businesses without working non-stop.
Speaking Topic
Work Smarter, Not Harder: Becoming the CEO of Your Wedding Business
Somewhere along the way, you got sold the idea that being CEO means grinding 60+ hours a week and doing every single thing yourself.
I call BS on that.
You don't have to do it all. You don't have to hustle harder. And you definitely don't have to torch your evenings and weekends to grow your wedding business.
In this session, you'll learn what actually shifts when you stop working IN your business and start running it like a CEO. Not someday. Now. Even if you're a team of one and your to-do list is already out of control.
The Wedding Business Collective offer for attendees
Stop doing it all. Start running your business like a CEO.
Being CEO of your wedding business doesn't mean grinding 60+ hours and doing every single thing yourself. It means you're running the business instead of it running you and that starts with a plan, not more hustle.
Right now you're probably doing a hundred sorta right things (Instagram, directory listings, blogs, wedding shows) while also carrying every other piece of the business in your head. That's not a you problem. That's a strategy problem.
The Wedding Business Collective gives you the roadmap for both sides: attract and book the right couples and streamline the systems so you stop carrying it all yourself and grow your income without growing your hours. Most members free up 5-8 hours per week (that’s 11 days per year!) It works for every kind of wedding pro, not just planners and photographers, whether you're a team of one or you've already got help.
Try it for $1 for your first month. See what changes in 30 days.
Speaking Topic
Paid Advertising That Actually Works
Boosting posts, talking with a Google rep in a faraway land, wondering if TikTok Ads work, are ChatGPT Ads the next thing?... it’s all SO confusing! Eliminate the confusion and fast track your way to real results. In this seminar you’ll learn what works right now with paid advertising to convert couples:
How paid ads strategy is completely different
What works on each ad platform right now
How to build your campaigns correctly
Mark Chapman - The I Do Society
Mark is the wedding industry's authority on paid advertising. His deep fascination with paid ads started way back in 2010 when he cracked the code of Google Ads for his family's wedding business. After mastering ads for himself he started helping others > and fast forward to now, his team successfully manages $30M per year in paid ads for wedding businesses across the country. When he's not studying advertising data and trends you can find Mark snowboarding, hiking and enjoying everything mother nature has to offer at his home in Mammoth Lakes, CA!
Speaking Topic
What Happens Between the Click and the Inquiry?
Why Some Websites Book Weddings... and Others Don't.
Every wedding pro wants more website traffic. But traffic alone won’t fill your calendar. The real opportunity lies in what happens after a prospective customer lands on your website.
The websites that consistently lead to booked weddings aren't necessarily the ones with the best design or the most images. They're the ones that quickly build trust, answer the right questions, create an emotional connection, and make it easy for couples to take the next step.
In this session, you'll discover what really happens between the click and the inquiry, how AI is changing the way couples search for and evaluate wedding pros, and the timeless marketing strategies that influence buying decisions. You'll leave with practical strategies to improve your website's messaging, user experience, SEO, AEO, and conversion strategy, so more of your visitors become inquiries, and more of your inquiries become bookings.
Marc McIntosh - Team Wedding
Marc McIntosh is the president and co-founder of Team Wedding Marketing, a marketing agency that helps wedding professionals attract more qualified leads, book more weddings, and grow their businesses through smarter marketing.
A former wedding show producer and longtime wedding industry entrepreneur, Marc has spent more than three decades studying how couples shop for wedding services and what influences their buying decisions. Today, he specializes in helping wedding businesses navigate the rapidly changing marketing landscape, from website strategy and messaging to SEO, AI search, and conversion optimization.
A nationally recognized speaker, writer, and marketing consultant, Marc has educated thousands of wedding professionals through conferences, workshops, webinars, and industry publications. Known for blending real-world marketing strategies with practical, actionable advice, his presentations help wedding pros cut through the noise, embrace emerging technology, and build marketing systems that consistently generate more inquiries and bookings.
At Team Wedding Marketing, Marc and his team work behind the scenes as the outsourced marketing department for wedding businesses, allowing owners to spend less time worrying about marketing and more time doing what they love.
Speaking Topics: Two-Part Series
PART 1
Websites that Convert: Your 24/7 Employee: Let your website do the talking so you can focus on what really matters.
a. Every business needs a website, but for small businesses, websites need to work for them. Discover the different tools and features your site needs to have that will attract potential clients that are local to you, boost user experience, and sell your service before they even talk to you. Our wedding and party industry experts know exactly what you need.
Wedding and Party Websites
Wedding and Party Websites has helped wedding and event professionals improve their digital marketing for nearly 20 years. From stylish custom websites, to extensive social media management, to powerful SEO services, and more, we’ve made it our goal to help professionals like you. Wedding and Party Network’s goal is to create a community for brides and party planners to help them easily find their wedding and party vendors. For our vendors, we amp up your online presence through our marketplace, ads, and custom built websites, while sending potential customers straight to you.
PART 2
Content That Matters: Let your feed show you off: From reels to infographics, learn what social media users want to see that will make them want to work with you.
a. Social media is the ever changing top marketing and advertising tool, but it doesn’t have to be hard! Learn from our experts on how best to approach the content you put on your socials to attract the exact customer you want to work with.
Speaking Topic
The State of the Wedding Industry: Trends Shaping Today’s Couples
The wedding industry continues to evolve—and so do the couples planning their celebrations. In this session, Tom from The Knot will explore the latest trends shaping today’s couples, including how they plan and spend, what they look for when choosing wedding professionals, and how they prefer to communicate throughout the planning process.
Backed by current industry insights and consumer trends, this session will give you a better understanding of today’s couples and what their changing expectations mean for your business. Most importantly, you’ll walk away with practical ways to adapt your marketing, communication, and sales approach to better connect with the clients you want to reach.
What You’ll Take Away
Understand the State of the Industry
Get a clearer picture of the trends influencing weddings today, including spending, budgets, planning behaviors, and changing consumer expectations.
Know Today’s Couples
Understand what couples value when choosing wedding professionals, how they research their options, and how they want vendors to communicate with them.
Turn Trends Into Opportunity
Discover practical ways to apply these insights to your marketing, communication, and sales strategy so you can better meet today’s couples where they are.
Tom Chelednik - The Knot Worldwide
Tom Chelednik brings more than 25 years of sales, marketing, and business growth experience to the wedding industry, including 18 years dedicated to helping wedding professionals succeed.
From 2008 to 2020, Tom held leadership roles at The Knot, including Regional Director of Sales and Director of Training, where he worked with wedding pros across 20 states and Canada to help grow their visibility, bookings, and businesses. He also served as COO of The Treasury Venue Collection, giving him firsthand experience in the day-to-day realities of running a wedding venue.
In 2022, Tom returned to The Knot Worldwide as Director of Vendor Engagement, where he now travels the country connecting with wedding professionals, learning from them, sharing industry insights, and helping businesses adapt and thrive in an ever-changing wedding landscape. Known for his high-energy presentations, practical sales strategies, and passion for education, Tom loves turning real industry data into actionable ideas wedding pros can actually use.
When he is not speaking at events, visiting wedding businesses, or jumping on another flight, Tom enjoys spending time with his family and making memories with his three grandchildren.
Speaking Topic:
Wedding Insurance 101: Liability and Cancellation Coverage
This general information session will explain the fundamentals of wedding liability and cancellation insurance, including what each type of coverage is designed to protect, who is covered, and when coverage may apply. We will also discuss how insurance affects couples, venues, and wedding professionals, address common areas of confusion, and leave time for audience questions.
BriteCo
BriteCo provides flexible insurance coverage for weddings, special events, and fine jewelry. Through its event insurance program, BriteCo helps couples protect their financial investment, meet venue liability requirements, and navigate the insurance process with greater confidence. BriteCo also works directly with venues and wedding professionals to make insurance simpler for their clients.