The Summit 2026 - CFWA's 9th Annual Education Conference

Each year, the CFWA hosts a highly anticipated two-day educational and networking summit. This conference, now nine years running, was created by wedding pros for wedding pros to promote and encourage ethical business practices, industry wide collaboration, and lifelong learning. We source well-respected and regarded industry leaders across the nation to share their high level of expertise through engaging and actionable presentations, roundtables, breakout sessions, and one-on-ones.

The annual CFWA Summit welcomes in-person attendees comprised of wedding and event professionals and hospitality students. There are a wide range of professions within the wedding industry in attendance including event planners, photographers/videographers/live steamers, DJ / MCs, venues, florists, caterers, bakers, rental companies, stationers, hair and makeup artists, and more!

With an impressive team of sponsors, the Summit is not to be missed! In addition to the wealth of knowledge provided by our speakers, tickets include lunch, afternoon snack, an all-day beverage station, happy hour, the best swag around, and virtual access post event to view any content you might have missed.

If you are looking to grow your network, make lasting connections, gain inside industry information, improve your business, and up your game this is the event for you!

Hotel Room Block Link @ Waldorf Astoria Orlando

Book by July 23, 2026

Info: This interactive workshop takes attendees inside the sales process from first inquiry to booked client. Through a mix of live coaching, real-time examples, and guided role-play, participants will explore how to lead consultations with confidence, build genuine connection, and convert more inquiries into “yes” decisions. With a focus on both visibility and sales, this session highlights how the way you show up—online and in the room—directly impacts your ability to book. Designed to be practical and experiential, attendees will leave with tools they can immediately apply to their own process.

Info: In this presentation, Susan shares the real story of staying relevant in an industry defined by generational turnover, shifting expectations, and unpredictable challenges. Through the breakthroughs that propelled her forward, the reckonings that forced her to evolve, and the reinventions that kept her company alive, she offers a candid roadmap for owners who want their business to last — not just survive.

Info: Sponsored by:

Info: Stress in wedding businesses rarely comes from volume — it comes from lack of structure. In this session, you’ll learn how to build streamlined systems that support creativity, protect your time, and scale sustainably. When your workflows are clear, your confidence and profitability rise with them.

Info: DJ, Lighting, Photobooth | Florist | Catering, Dessert, Bar | Hair & Makeup | Live Entertainment | Officiants | Photo + Video | Planners | Rentals | Specialty Services | Venues

Info: Sponsored by:

Info: Wedding trends by color, style, fit, and accessories. Complete style guide when it comes to Suiting or finding the perfect wedding suit, as well as what details to look out for (Do's and Don’ts).

Info: Modern marketing has shifted - how do you ensure you wedding business can stand out, survive and thrive in this new marketing themepark world. It's not a simple marketing route from A-B, it's noisy, it's overwhelming - and you need to navigate it! In this session, you will understand modern marketing, what shifts to make to succeed in your strategy, & where you should focus your marketing time and effort right now.

Info: For experienced wedding professionals, social media should function as a client-qualification system, not a promotional obligation. This session explores how intentional content can set expectations, filter out misaligned inquiries, and reinforce value before a consultation ever happens, reducing sales friction and wasted time. Attendees will learn how to restructure their social media presence to support smarter inquiries, faster decisions, and more efficient operations without increasing posting volume.

Info: Sponsored by:

Info: This session shows, live and in real time, how AI can build actual business tools, websites, and dashboards in minutes, not weeks. You’ll see the clear, real-world differences between AI tools, AI assistants, and true AI agents, explained in plain English with practical examples you can apply immediately. Nothing is prebuilt or staged, you’ll watch systems come to life from scratch at a speed that fundamentally changes what’s possible for your business.

Info: Business owners meticulously prioritize revenue, sales, marketing, AI, teams and systems, yet they fail to prioritize the one variable that can quietly dismantle it all: Chaos. It hides in miscommunication, tolerated tension, unclear expectations and constant reactivity, draining time and energy until even the most successful companies collapse. This session changes how you see your business, exposes where chaos has been hiding (you'll be surprised!), and leaves you able to confront and correct it before it costs you any more time, energy and profit.

Info: In a competitive and ever-changing wedding market, being booked isn’t the same as being built to last. This session dives into how wedding professionals can create systems, pricing, and client experiences that support long-term growth without burnout.

Info: Networking is often misunderstood as transactional, awkward, or reserved for extroverts. In reality, meaningful networking is one of the most powerful tools a wedding professional can use to grow a sustainable, fulfilling business.
In this interactive session, attendees will learn how to approach networking with intention, turning everyday connections into long-term professional relationships and real opportunities.
This session is designed to feel approachable and immediately applicable, encouraging everyone to build genuine connections without sales tactics.

Info: Most seasoned wedding pros want to move into the next level, and know the next step might be raising their prices. But the real question is how to do it without feeling out of integrity or scaring off the right clients. I walk through the 5 PRICE Archetypes (Profit, Relationship, Impact, Capacity, External) to unpack the psychology behind your pricing style and connect it to hard numbers: capacity, profit goals, and the cost of staying “stuck.” Attendees will identify where their rates need to grow to fund next-level moves like outsourcing marketing, hiring support, and creating more spacious, sustainable businesses.

Info: Sponsored by:

Info: You've built a solid business, and the vendors sitting next to you right now are your biggest untapped referral source. This session gives you a concrete framework to audit how you show up in professional relationships, identify what's quietly costing you word-of-mouth revenue, and walk out with actions you can implement before your next event, because skill gets you hired, but how you show up is what gets you recommended.

Info: See you next year for our 10th Summit Celebration!

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Host or Publisher Central Florida Wedding Association