At ASCEND, every session, every moment, and every partnership is rooted in intention. We are working hard behind the scenes to put together the best line up of industry speakers in unique and immersive formats that you won't get anywhere else! This is a tentative schedule, so check back often as new things are always being added.

SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2026 

1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
ASCEND Registration
Location:  Lobby of The Perry Lane Hotel

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Gather, Grow, Elevate (Hallway Conversations & Peer Circles)
Settle in and join your fellow attendees in curated, informal spaces for meaningful peer-to-peer connection. Bring your challenges, questions, and goals, and leave with energy, perspective, and a few new friends before the conference officially begins.
Location:  Easy Street A & B, Moon River A & B

6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Welcome Reception
Kick off ASCEND with elevated bites, cocktails, and a vibrant gathering of industry trailblazers and fresh thinkers. Expect surprises, introductions, and the start of something remarkable.
Location:  Peregrin at The Perry Lane Hotel

MONDAY, JULY 20, 2026

7:30 AM 
Guided Morning Wellness
Start the day with a guided experience designed to align body and mind.  Think: breath-work, movement, grounding intention, led by facilitators who understand hospitality rhythms.  This is not a workout. It’s a reset for leaders who serve.
Location:  Pool Deck

Sponsored by: Nuphoriq

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Breakfast and Membership Meeting
Fuel up with locally inspired bites and fresh coffee.
Location:  Emporium Kitchen

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Opening General Session:  Rewired Hospitality
Presented by:  Preston Lee, founder of Thirty Percent and author of The Hospitality Handbook
With more than 20 years in hospitality, he has helped scale over 300 restaurants worldwide and still works with leadership teams to build cultures rooted in accountability, clarity, and consistent performance.  At ASCEND, Preston will deliver a high-energy session focused on what separates good hospitality from great hospitality. Not amenities. Not budgets. Not staffing levels. Culture, leadership, and accountability are what drive results.  In this session, Preston will explore:

• Why employees quietly disengage
• How to protect and retain your A-players
• Practical tools leaders can use to build a client-first culture
• Accountability frameworks and the 10-out-of-10 standard that drive real results

Your team already knows how to deliver exceptional hospitality. This session is about connecting the dots and giving leaders the tools and motivation to make it consistent.
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom 
SERVE

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM           
Coffee Break for All Attendees
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom Foyer

Sponsored by: Atlanta Party Rentals

10:45 AM – 11:45 AM
Pillar Sessions: Imagine. Build. Serve. Become.

The Healing Table: Using Food Intentionally to Support Energy, Balance, and Well-Being
Presented by: Paul Seaman, The Culinary Alchemist      
This immersive lab explores how food can be used with greater intention to support energy, balance, and overall well-being. Attendees will explore the natural properties of foods, herbs, spices, teas, and tinctures, and learn practical ways these elements can be incorporated into menus and guest experiences. The session includes a hands-on sensory component where attendees will taste, smell, and interact directly with ingredients while discussing their functional and supportive qualities. 
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom
IMAGINE      

Hospitality With Boundaries: Why Clear Legal Strategy Creates Better Client Experiences
Presented by: Kunbi Odubogun    
The best client relationships are built on clarity. Attendees will learn how strategic legal frameworks can enhance hospitality rather than complicate it. When boundaries are clear and processes are documented, clients feel more confident, teams operate more smoothly, and ambitious projects become easier to execute. Attendees will leave with practical ways to strengthen communication, create cleaner systems, and say yes to growth with greater confidence.  
Location:  Easy Street 
BUILD       

Running the Room: The Leader’s Guide to Effective Meetings 
Presented by:  Dan Rose    
Most leaders spend a significant portion of their time in meetings, yet few are ever taught how to lead them well. Attendees will step directly into a live meeting environment where each participant plays a role and experiences the dynamics in real time. Dan will break down the framework behind effective meetings: preparation, structure, navigating personalities, encouraging honest dialogue, and keeping the room focused on outcomes.   
Location:  Moon River 
BUILD 

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch
Location:  Emporium Kitchen

Sponsored by:  GROW: A Catering Educational Foundation

1:00 PM – 1:45 PM
Pillar Sessions Continue

Leading Through Change: Evolving While Business Keeps Moving-
Presented by: Marcus Nucci, Jeff Ware, Abi Haggerty + Hallie Pratt
In hospitality, there is no pause button. This session focuses on how leaders implement change while the business is actively operating, from new systems and processes to shifting team behaviors. The conversation will center on practical leadership: how to communicate change clearly, manage resistance in real time, and keep teams aligned without losing momentum.
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom
BECOME

Sponsored by: Galley

You’ve Peaked the Summit. You Got to the Top. Now What?
Presented by: Mary Crafts 
This guided leadership roundtable is designed for leaders who have achieved what they once worked tirelessly toward and now find themselves asking a different set of questions. Questions about fulfillment, reinvention, relevance, legacy, rest, and what the next season of leadership is meant to look like. Rather than a traditional presentation, this experience is built as an intimate, facilitated dialogue. Through personal perspective, thoughtful prompts, and honest conversation, attendees will explore the emotional and strategic realities that often emerge once success has been achieved. This session creates space for leaders to reflect on:

• What success looks like now
• How identity shifts over time
• What it means to continue growing after reaching major milestones
• How to lead with intention in the next chapter of life and business

The power of this experience comes from the conversation itself and from creating a room where leaders can openly discuss what often goes unspoken at the top.
Location:  Easy Street 
BECOME

The Caterease User Group: Smarter Systems and What’s Next
Presented by: Caterease
This interactive user group session brings Caterease leaders and users together for a focused conversation on how to work more effectively within your systems. Led by Chris (VP of Sales & Training) and Andrew (VP of Growth), the session will highlight new features and upcoming enhancements while grounding the discussion in real-world applications. Designed as a collaborative exchange through guided discussion and practical examples, Caterease leadership creates space to learn what’s new, understand what’s possible, and walk away with ideas you can immediately implement in your business.
Location:  Moon River 
BUILD

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

From Kudos to Culture; Building High Performing Teams through Recognition
Presented by: Carrie Campbell 
The way leaders recognize people shapes the way teams show up. Recognition is one of the most underused tools in hospitality leadership and one of the most powerful in building cultures where people choose to stay, grow, and bring their best work forward. In this masterclass, Carrie Campbell shares what she has learned leading high-performing teams inside one of the most iconic organizations in sports. She brings a perspective sharpened by championship culture, the Boston Red Sox, and the daily work of leading people toward excellence with consistency and care. Attendees will walk away with practical frameworks for moving recognition from a ""nice to have"" into a leadership discipline that strengthens performance, deepens loyalty, and shapes culture from the inside out. This session is for any leader who wants their team to feel truly seen and fully alive in the work they do together.
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom
SERVE

Reinvention in Real Time: The Advantage of Experience
Presented by: Margaret Carciobolo 
Experience is more than time in the business. It is about pattern recognition, decision-making, and the ability to move with confidence when opportunities emerge. In this masterclass, Margaret Carciobolo shares how four decades of building and evolving Nicole’s Catering have created a competitive advantage in speed, execution, and innovation. From early-stage improvisation to large-scale operations, she will walk through how experience sharpens instinct, allowing leaders to identify trends sooner, act decisively, and deliver with precision. Attendees will gain practical insight into how to streamline operations, empower teams, and build systems that support both creativity and scale. The focus is on how to use experience as a tool so leaders can move faster, make smarter decisions, and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.
Location:  Easy Street 
BUILD

Feeding Identity: The Art of Identity-Driven Menus
Presented by:   Chris Taylor 
Food is a mirror of identity.  In today’s event landscape, the most impactful experiences are not built around trends, but around who the client is and how they want to be seen and felt through food.  This session introduces five key client archetypes—The Lovers, The Parents, The Traveler, The Family, and The Corporate Client—and explores how each identity shapes menu development, service style, and overall guest experience.
Location:  Moon River 
SERVE

3:00 PM – 3:15 PM           
Afternoon Break for All Attendees
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom Foyer

Sponsored by: Compass Executive Group

3:15 PM – 4:15 PM
Pillar Sessions Continue

7:00 PM – 9:00PM
Lowcountry Boil
Rooted in the coastal traditions of the South, a Lowcountry Boil is a communal dining experience that celebrates fresh seafood, bold seasoning, and shared connection. Steaming pots of shrimp, smoked sausage, sweet corn, and red potatoes are slow-cooked together with Old Bay–style spices, then poured family-style onto tables for guests to enjoy.

Set against the charm and history of Savannah, this classic Southern feast creates a relaxed, festive atmosphere that encourages conversation and camaraderie. Casual yet memorable, a Lowcountry Boil reflects the spirit of the region—welcoming, flavorful, and best enjoyed together.
Location:  Offsite

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2026

7:30 AM 
Guided Morning Wellness
Ease into the day with a practice designed to restore balance and build presence. This guided offering may include yoga, sound, or breath, always gentle, always intentional. Step away from the noise and into a rhythm that supports focus, flow, and leadership from within.
Location:  Pool Deck 

Sponsored by:  Curate

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Breakfast
Fuel up with locally inspired bites and fresh coffee.
Location:  Emporium Kitchen

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Educational Session

10:00 AM – 10:15 AM           
Coffee Break for All Attendees
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom Foyer

Sponsored by:  American Metalcraft 

10:15 AM – 11:15 AM
Pillar Sessions

Creativity Under Pressure: When to Push, When to Pull Back
Presented by:  Carla Ruben
In high-stakes environments, creativity isn’t just about big ideas it’s about judgment. When do you take the risk, push the envelope, and challenge expectations? And when do you rein it in to protect the outcome? In this session, I will take a candid look at building a brand on bold creative decisions; what worked, what didn’t, and what it actually takes to recover when something misses. Through real-world examples, I’ll break down how to navigate the tension between imagination and responsibility, and how to make smarter creative calls under pressure.
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom
IMAGINE

Leading the Exit: How to Let Someone Go with Clarity and Respect
Presented by:  Dan Rose 
Letting someone go is one of the most difficult responsibilities of leadership, yet it is rarely taught. In this masterclass, Dan Rose explores how leaders can approach termination conversations with clarity, dignity, and accountability. Attendees will learn how to prepare for the moment, communicate directly without causing unnecessary harm, and protect the integrity of their team and culture throughout the process. This session focuses on the practical and human side of leadership, offering guidance on how to handle one of the hardest decisions in business with professionalism, empathy, and resolve.
Location:  Easy Street 
BUILD

The Modern Southern Renaissance: California Meets Alabama
Presented by: Chris Taylor
Southern cuisine is rooted in history, culture, and deep emotional connection—but today’s luxury clientele is seeking more than tradition alone. They want refinement, seasonality, and elevated storytelling. In this dynamic live demo, Chef Christopher Evans re-imagines Southern heritage through a California lens, blending the bold, soulful flavors of his lineage Alabama with the freshness, innovation, and ingredient-driven philosophy of the West Coast. This session explores how to honor cultural authenticity while evolving technique, presentation, and sourcing to meet the expectations of modern weddings, corporate events, and high-end social gatherings. Through a series of thoughtfully composed dishes, attendees will see how familiar Southern staples can be transformed into refined, visually striking, and premium culinary experiences.
Location:  Moon River 
IMAGINE

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Lunch
Location:  Emporium Kitchen

Sponsored by:  GROW: A Catering Educational Foundation

1:45 PM – 2:45 PM
General Session | Beyond the Burnout with The Burnt Chef Project
Presented by: The Burnt Chef Project
Hospitality leaders are often expected to hold everything together while navigating pressure, change, crisis, and the emotional weight carried by the people around them. This moderated main stage conversation with The Burnt Chef Project creates space for the conversations many leaders are already having quietly, but rarely together. Through real stories, leadership experiences, and practical discussion, this panel will explore how to support teams through burnout, sobriety and recovery, mental health challenges, women’s health conversations, team disruption, and high-pressure environments where emotional strain is often normalized. More importantly, this session focuses on the “how.”

• How to recognize when someone is struggling.
• How to approach difficult conversations with care and clarity.
• How leadership behavior impacts team culture.

And how to create healthier, more human-centered hospitality environments without losing operational excellence. Attendees will leave with practical tools, language, and leadership frameworks they can immediately bring back to their teams.
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom
SERVE

3:00 PM - 4:00PM
Pillar Sessions Continue

Social Media Out Loud: The 4 Content Pillars of Modern Hospitality
Presented by: Shannon McKinstrie
In this masterclass, attendees will learn a practical leadership framework for defining and communicating their brand voice with clarity and consistency. Rather than chasing trends or posting reactively, leaders will identify four foundational pillars that anchor their message to who they are, what they stand for, and how they lead. Participants will walk away with a clear weekly communication structure that supports business growth, team alignment, and personal authority.
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom
IMAGINE

Energy Management, Not Time Management
Presented by:  Charessa Sawyer 
The most effective leaders in hospitality have learned a quiet truth. Calendars stay full. To-do lists keep moving. But focus, creativity, patience, and presence are the resources that actually determine how well they lead. The question is no longer how to fit more in. It is how to lead well with the energy they actually have. In this masterclass, Charessa Sawyer reframes leadership performance through the lens of energy. Attendees will explore where their energy goes each day, what quietly drains it, and how to protect the focus and clarity their teams depend on. The conversation moves from theory into practice, offering tools and frameworks leaders can apply immediately to make smarter decisions about how they spend themselves. This session is for any leader who has felt the difference between busy and effective. Attendees will leave with a more honest understanding of their own energy patterns, and a sustainable way to lead with both power and longevity.
Location:  Easy Street 
BECOME

Continue the Converation with the Burnt Chef Project
Presented by:  The Burnt Chef Project 
This interactive workshop creates an open, guided environment where attendees can bring real leadership challenges into the room and explore them together through honest conversation, facilitated discussion, and practical problem-solving. Building directly from the main stage panel, this session allows leaders to ask the questions they do not always have space to ask. Through anonymous prompts, audience participation, and shared experiences, attendees will explore topics such as burnout, mental health, sobriety, team disruption, emotional recovery after high-pressure events, and how to lead people with both accountability and care. This is not a lecture. It is a space for reflection, conversation, and real-world application. Attendees will leave with:

• Practical approaches for difficult leadership conversations
• Tools for supporting teams through stress and change
• Language that builds trust, clarity, and psychological safety
• A deeper understanding that they are not navigating these challenges alone

Location:  Moon River 
SERVE

4:00 PM – 4:15 PM           
Beverage Break for All Attendees
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom Foyer

Sponsored by:  Sterno

4:15 PM - 5:15 PM
Pillar Sessions Continue

Creating High-Impact Video That Reflects Your Authority: Leadership in Motion
Presented by: Shannon McKinstrie
The way leaders show up on video is shaping the way they show up in business. Visibility has become one of the clearest signals of authority, trust, and expertise, and the leaders who learn how to communicate well on camera are the ones building the strongest reputations and the most engaged audiences. In this immersive lab, Shannon McKinstrie leads attendees through a hands-on leadership visibility workshop. Participants will translate lived experience, leadership perspective, and real business scenarios into short-form video content that builds trust and authority. Using footage already on their phones, they will craft and refine high-performing Reels in real time, supported by guided prompts, audio resources, and strategic messaging frameworks. Attendees will leave with a refined on-camera leadership presence, one to two ready-to-publish video assets, and a repeatable framework for ongoing visibility. This session is built around clarity, confidence, and positioning, giving leaders the tools to communicate who they are and what they stand for in a way that is both polished and unmistakably human.
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom
BECOME

How to Keep a Shining Star
Presented by:  Brandon Avant 
Hiring great people is one challenge. Keeping them engaged, growing, and committed long term is another. In this masterclass, Brandon will share firsthand perspective from both sides of leadership: what it felt like to be a high-performing employee searching for mentorship, opportunity, and purpose, and what he now intentionally creates as a leader building and retaining a strong team culture. This session will explore what today’s top talent, especially emerging Gen Z professionals, are truly looking for from leadership beyond compensation. Through real experiences, practical examples, and honest reflection, attendees will gain insight into how communication, trust, growth opportunities, recognition, and workplace culture directly impact retention and team performance.
Location:  Easy Street 
BUILD

Digital Marketing Roundtable - PhotoHub
Presented by:  Julie Novack 
In a digital landscape where visual content drives almost every first impression, the brands that stand out are the ones treating photography as strategy. They are building intentional visual libraries, telling consistent stories across platforms, and using imagery as a powerful tool for trust, conversion, and brand growth. In this ASCEND roundtable, Julie Novack leads a collaborative conversation about how catering and event leaders can elevate the way they capture, curate, and deploy their visual content. Attendees will explore how to build a stronger photo strategy, how to use platforms like PartySlate's PhotoHub to extend the reach of every image, and how to think about photography as a long-term business asset rather than a one-time expense.
Location:  Moon River 
IMAGINE

7:00 PM - 9:00PM
Southern Splendor
Put on your finest and step inside The Olde Pink House, a storied Savannah mansion and beloved restaurant, renowned for its charm, history, and quintessential Southern hospitality.  This evening unfolds across candlelit rooms, rich with character and cuisine. Immersive food stations meet surprise-and-delight moments in a setting that embodies the soul of Savannah. Expect elegance, indulgence, and a few whispered secrets behind every door.
Location:  The Olde Pink House

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2026

7:30 AM
Guided Morning Wellness
As we prepare to close ASCEND, this morning session offers space to breathe, move, and ground. Led by facilitators attuned to the pace of hospitality, it’s a chance to pause, listen inward, and connect to what’s next, with clarity and calm.
Location:  Pool Deck

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Morning Beverage Service
Grab coffee, recap your favorite takeaways, and ease into the final sessions of the week.
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom Foyer

Sponsored by:  Caterease

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Keynote Speaker
Think Bigger: When Being the Most Reliable Leader Becomes a Liability
Presented By:  Luis Velasquez
Hospitality leaders are often rewarded for being highly capable, responsive, and operationally indispensable. Over time, however, organizations can quietly begin to depend too heavily on those same leaders, creating bottlenecks, burnout, and systems that cannot function without constant intervention. In this powerful keynote, Harvard Business Review author and executive coach Luis Velasquez challenges the belief that great leadership means carrying the most pressure, solving every problem, and always being the one who steps in. Instead, he introduces a different leadership question: How do you build an organization that performs consistently without requiring you to hold everything together personally? Through practical frameworks, real-world examples, and leadership insight, attendees will learn how over-functioning leaders unintentionally become both the solution and the limitation inside their organizations, and what it takes to shift from reactive leadership to scalable leadership.
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom
BECOME

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Becoming: Living the Intention: Creative Brain, Creative Leadership
Presented by: Adam Morgan
Creativity is no longer reserved for marketing departments or design teams. It is one of the most powerful business tools leaders have to drive growth, build trust, strengthen culture, and create memorable customer experiences. In this main stage masterclass, Adam Morgan explores how modern leaders can use creativity strategically across branding, sales, communication, and leadership. Drawing from global work at the intersection of creativity, data, and business performance, this session challenges attendees to think differently about how ideas are built, communicated, and valued inside organizations.
Location:  Rooftop Ballroom
BECOME

10:45 AM - 12:00 PM
Closing Meal Together
Enjoy a farewell meal with fellow attendees. 
Location:  Emporium Kitchen

Sponsored by:  GROW: A Catering Educational Foundation

11:45 AM - 1:30 PM           
ICA Board of Directors Meeting
Location:  Moon River