Strategic Events Solutions

What Strategic Events Solutions does

Strategic Events Solutions (SES) is a privately held, founder-owned event planning and conference management firm founded in 2001 by Twyler L. Jenkins and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company provides full-lifecycle planning and execution services for live, virtual, and hybrid meetings and events, organized around a proprietary "three-phase" methodology covering pre-event development (venue selection, program development, budgeting, marketing, registration), on-site implementation (vendor coordination, logistics, registration facilitation), and post-event finalization (financial and marketing data reporting and reconciliation). Its primary customer segments are nonprofit organizations and corporate clients, served locally, nationally, and internationally.

The company's core offerings span Client Services (administrative coordination, status reports, agendas, timelines), Brand Development (theme and invitation design, program books, decor, photo/video documentation), Venue Management (site selection, contract negotiations, menu management), and Virtual Production. In response to COVID-19 in 2020, SES pivoted to virtual event production, building a 10-step methodology and leveraging third-party virtual meeting and registration platforms to deliver registration, fundraising, exhibit halls, golf outings, workshops, and seminars. The firm does not build proprietary software; its "technology" is the application of commercially available virtual meeting and registration platforms.

SES operates a professional-services revenue model, earning fees from planning and executing events for corporate and nonprofit clients via a direct, relationship-led sales motion with no intermediaries. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The business is bootstrapped with no disclosed venture, private equity, or external funding, and ownership is concentrated with the founder, who also operates a sub-brand, the "I Am That Woman" Movement & Retreat. Named clients include the University of Chicago and its affiliates, McDonald's, ComEd/Exelon, and multiple Chicago-area nonprofits.

Name

Strategic Events Solutions

Legal name

Strategic Events Solutions

Website

https://strategiceventssolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Strategic Events Solutions is a Chicago-based, founder-owned firm providing full-lifecycle planning and execution of live, virtual, and hybrid meetings and events for corporate and nonprofit clients, using a structured three-phase methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Planning Services: Professional services revenue from planning and executing live and virtual meetings and events for corporate and nonprofit clients. Services include conference management, special event planning, and registration facilitation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Strategic Events Solutions provides end-to-end virtual and live event planning services for corporate and nonprofit clients, including conference management, special event planning, and registration facilitation. The company delivers its services through a structured three-phase planning process (Before, During, After) that covers venue selection, budgeting, marketing, registration, vendor coordination, and post-event reporting. Following COVID-19, it expanded offerings to include a 10-step virtual production methodology supporting registration, fundraising, exhibit halls, workshops, and seminars.

Product overview

Strategic Events Solutions offers a unified event management platform that combines virtual and live event planning services through a structured three-phase methodology. The core offering includes Client Services (administrative support and coordination), Brand Development (creative branding services), Venue Management (site selection and logistics), and Virtual Production (comprehensive virtual event execution). The three-phase process encompasses conference/event development, implementation, and finalization, providing end-to-end planning, execution, and post-event assessment for corporate and nonprofit clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• I Am That Woman Movement & Retreat: Founded by Twyler L. Jenkins, the I Am That Woman (IATW) Movement & Retreat is an intimate retreat program for powerful women focused on economic, social, intellectual, political, and personal development.

Products and services

• Three-Phase Event Planning Process End-to-end event management methodology consisting of Phase I (Conference/Event Development - planning and preparation covering venue selection, program development, budgeting, marketing, registration, and accommodations), Phase II (Conference/Event Implementation - on-site execution covering vendor coordination, registration, and run-of-show), and Phase III (Conference/Event Finalization - post-event reporting, financial reconciliation, and marketing data interpretation). Offered to corporate and nonprofit clients.
• Client Services Administrative and coordination support service providing weekly status reports, meeting agenda creation, team meeting coordination, meeting notes, and event timeline management. Designed for clients needing structured event administration and on-going project coordination.
• Brand Development Creative services for event branding including theme development, invitation design, program book development, event decor, and photo/video documentation. Targeted at corporate and nonprofit clients seeking cohesive event brand identity.
• Venue Management Venue management service handling site selection, logistics coordination, space specifications, contract negotiations, and menu management for live events. Designed for clients needing expert venue sourcing and contract negotiation support.
• Virtual Production End-to-end virtual event production service using a 10-step methodology covering strategy, platform selection, event programming, production, fundraising strategy, registration, marketing, sponsorship, rehearsal, and live execution. Supports virtual meetings for registration, fundraising, exhibit halls, golf outings, workshops, and seminars. Targeted at organizations pivoting events from in-person to virtual or hybrid formats.

Named customers13 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Eventbrite: Self-service event ticketing and registration platform. Tangentially comparable to SES for event registration and ticketing functions, but targets a much smaller, self-service customer profile versus SES's full-service agency model.
• Cvent: Event management platform providing registration, virtual event, and venue sourcing technology. Overlaps with SES's virtual production and registration facilitation services, but delivers primarily via software rather than human-led planning.

Direct peers

• Sparks: Experience marketing agency specializing in corporate events, exhibits, and brand experiences. Comparable to SES in corporate event production, venue management, and brand development services, with stronger emphasis on experiential design.
• PRA (now part of PCMA): Corporate events and business travel management firm serving association and corporate clients. Comparable to SES in conference and event planning services, with greater emphasis on association events and a wider geographic footprint.
• HelmsBriscoe: Meetings sourcing and event management firm with deep association and nonprofit client base. Directly comparable to SES in meeting procurement, venue sourcing, and registration support, but operates a global franchise model versus SES's local Chicago delivery.
• ConferenceDirect: Meetings sourcing and planning company that negotiates hotel, venue, and event logistics for corporate clients. Directly comparable to SES in core meeting planning and venue management, with similar nonprofit and association vertical exposure.

Broad incumbents

• BCD Meetings & Events: Large global meetings and events management company providing strategic meetings management, event production, and registration services. Directly comparable service lines to SES's conference management and registration facilitation, but with multinational footprint and corporate buyer programs.
• Maritz Global Events: Global meetings, incentives, and events agency serving enterprise and association clients. Comparable to SES as a corporate meeting and event planning firm, but operates at significantly larger scale with broader service portfolio and international delivery.
• George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: Large experience marketing agency producing corporate events, conferences, and brand activations. Comparable to SES in corporate meeting planning and brand development, but with agency-scale creative and production capabilities.

Regional players

• RSVP Events (Chicago): Boutique Chicago-based event planning firm serving corporate and nonprofit clients in the Midwest. Directly comparable to SES in service mix and Chicago market focus, representing the closest head-to-head competitor for local engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/strategiceventssolutions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/strategic-events-solutions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Strategic Events Solutions