Conference Systems
Conference Systems is an event production subsidiary of Encore Global, offering planning and multilingual event services within a parent platform that produces 350,000 events annually across 2,200+ venues in 20+ countries for corporate, gaming, and convention clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1940
- HeadquartersLanham, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Conference Systems does
Conference Systems operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary brand within Encore Group (USA) LLC (formerly PSAV), the global event production entity founded in 1940 and headquartered at 5100 N. River Road, Schiller Park, Illinois. Conference Systems itself is an event production company offering planning, event management, and multilingual event services, and was acquired by PSAV in 2015 before the parent rebranded to Encore in 2019. The Encore platform produces 350,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events annually across 2,200+ venue locations in more than 20 countries, and is structured as the #1 AV provider to hotel chains and the #1 casino/gaming provider globally.
Encore's service stack spans five interlocking revenue streams: Event Technology Services (AV equipment rental, lighting, sound, video, staging); Production Services (full-service staging and logistics); Creative Services (design, content, branding); Design & Fabrication (custom booths, displays, stages, exhibits via the Hargrove division); and Virtual & Hybrid Events (software platforms Chime Go and Chime Live, with subscription/recurring economics). Proprietary technology includes Chime Go (full-service event platform with agenda, maps, Q&A, upvoting, note-taking, sponsor banners, deployable in as little as three days), Chime Live (second-screen hybrid technology with choreographed slides, interactive polls, Q&A, chat, and sentiment emojis), an exclusive Bandwidth Calculator for sizing event connectivity, and licensed Encore Music services. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; self-service tooling includes the Customer Billing Portal and EventNow product selection platform.
The go-to-market combines enterprise field sales with venue-partner distribution: Encore serves corporate event planners, agencies, and staging customers directly while operating as the preferred or exclusive AV provider at hotels, convention centers, and event venues globally. Primary customer segments are Corporate Events, Casino/Gaming, Conventions & Trade Shows, and Hotels & Venues (plus Social Events & Weddings as secondary). Named enterprise customers span Adobe, Caesars, BlackHawk Industrial, Forbes Travel Guide (as Official Solutions Partner), and Sciton Skin. Marketing emphasizes industry thought leadership via the Encore Insider Blog, Planner Pulse quarterly research, LinkedIn and Instagram presence, and active participation in IMEX America, PCMA Convening Leaders, Destinations International, and Event Leaders Exchange. The legal parent, Encore Group (USA) LLC, is a privately held Delaware LLC with wholly-owned regional subsidiaries across North America, EMEA, and APAC.
Conference Systems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Conference Systems
- Legal name
- Encore Group (USA) LLC
- Website
- https://conferencesystems.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1940
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Conference Systems is an event production subsidiary of Encore Global, offering planning and multilingual event services within a parent platform that produces 350,000 events annually across 2,200+ venues in 20+ countries for corporate, gaming, and convention clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Conference Systems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Event Production Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)
- SIC
- Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM), Conference Room & Meeting Services Support (BPABAEAE)
Keywords
Where Conference Systems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lanham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Conference Systems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Event Technology Services: Audio-visual equipment rental, setup, and technical support for events at hotels, venues, and convention centers. Includes lighting, sound, video, and staging solutions.
- Production Services: Full-service event production including staging, production management, and logistical support for complex events.
- Creative Services: Creative design, content creation, and messaging services for events including visuals and consistent branding.
- Design & Fabrication: Custom booth, display, stage, and exhibit construction through Hargrove division.
- Virtual & Hybrid Events: Technology platforms (Chime Go, Chime Live) and production support for virtual and hybrid event formats.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Conference Systems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Conference Systems is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Encore Group (USA) LLC (formerly PSAV) that delivers conference and event technology systems, providing audio-visual equipment rental, setup, and technical support, along with live streaming, hybrid event platforms (Chime Go and Chime Live), and digital engagement tools for corporate events, conventions, and trade shows. Operating as part of the broader Encore portfolio, the unit supports thousands of in-house venue locations worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Event Technology Services Audio-visual equipment rental, setup, and technical support for events at hotels, venues, and convention centers, including lighting, sound, video, and staging solutions for enterprise customers.
- Production Services Full-service event production including staging, production management, and logistical support for complex enterprise events.
- Creative Services Creative design, content creation, and messaging services for events including visuals and consistent branding.
- Design & Fabrication (Hargrove) Custom booth, display, stage, and exhibit construction services for conventions and trade shows through the Hargrove division.
- Virtual & Hybrid Event Platforms (Chime Go and Chime Live) Technology platforms and production support for virtual and hybrid event formats. Chime Go provides agenda management, maps, Q&A submission, upvoting, note-taking, forum participation, and sponsor banners (deployable in as few as three days). Chime Live provides second-screen technology supporting choreographed event design, push slides, pop-up interactive polls, Q&A, and chat with sentiment emojis.
Quantifiable outcome
- 78 percent of businesses using event applications report positive event ROI
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Conference Systems
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Conference Systems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Conference Systems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Destinations InternationalcoreEncore named as 'Preferred Global Event Production Partner' for Destinations International, the world's leading association representing destination organizations and convention visitors bureaus. This expands an existing partnership where Encore has long provided event technology and production services for DI events.
- Event Leaders Exchange (ELX)coreEncore joined as strategic partner for 2025, contributing creative expertise to help ELX deliver world-class experiences. Partnership reflects shared vision for enhancing innovation, experience, and impact across the events industry.
- Event Design CollectiveminorMulti-year partnership for the United States focused on event design collaboration and creative services.
- HargrovecoreDesign & fabrication division of Encore specializing in custom booths, displays, stages and exhibits. Works alongside Encore production teams for complete event fabrication needs.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Conference Systems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GES (Global Experience Specialists): GES provides event and exhibition services including AV, logistics, design, and production for trade shows and corporate events worldwide. Operates as a direct competitor to Encore in the convention/trade show AV and production services space.
- SmartSource Rentals: SmartSource provides AV and technology rentals, staging, and event production services for corporate meetings and events. Directly comparable to Encore's event technology rental and on-site AV service offerings for enterprise customers.
- MC2 (MC2 Event Services): MC2 provides corporate event production, AV, design, and fabrication services for trade shows, conferences, and corporate events. Comparable to Encore/Conference Systems across the full event production stack with similar enterprise customer focus.
- Maritz Global Events: Maritz provides corporate event planning, incentive programs, and meeting production services for enterprise customers. Overlaps with Encore's corporate events segment and competes for similar Fortune 500-level event budgets.
- ITA Group: ITA Group provides corporate event management, incentive travel, and engagement solutions for enterprise customers. Comparable to Encore in the meetings, incentives, and corporate events space with overlapping enterprise buyer relationships.
- Freeman: Freeman is a leading global event production and brand experience company offering AV, staging, design, and exhibition services across corporate events, trade shows, and conventions. Directly comparable to Encore/Conference Systems across both enterprise event production and trade show operations at scale.
Broad incumbents
- Cvent: Cvent is a leading event management software platform offering registration, venue sourcing, and attendee management tools used by corporate event planners. While primarily software, Cvent competes with Encore's Chime platform in the event technology layer and serves overlapping enterprise customers.
- Live Nation Special Events: Live Nation Special Events provides event production, AV, and venue services within Live Nation's broader live entertainment platform. Overlaps with Encore in the production services space but is anchored in a much larger live entertainment portfolio.
Emerging players
- Hopin: Hopin is a virtual and hybrid event platform offering live streaming, networking, and event management capabilities. Represents the pure-play virtual event competitor whose growth could structurally compress traditional AV production budgets that Encore's business depends on.
- Bizzabo: Bizzabo offers an event experience platform with registration, engagement, and analytics features for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events. Competes with Encore's Chime Go and Chime Live in the event technology space, particularly for hybrid and virtual formats.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Conference Systems social profiles
Digital presenceConference Systems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Conference Systems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Conference Systems subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries8 records
Conference Systems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Conference Systems M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Conference Systems
What does Conference Systems do?
Conference Systems is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Encore Group (USA) LLC (formerly PSAV) that delivers conference and event technology systems, providing audio-visual equipment rental, setup, and technical support, along with live streaming, hybrid event platforms (Chime Go and Chime Live), and digital engagement tools for corporate events, conventions, and trade shows. Operating as part of the broader Encore portfolio, the unit supports thousands of in-house venue locations worldwide.
Is Conference Systems a public or private company?
Conference Systems is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Conference Systems founded?
Conference Systems was founded in 1940. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Conference Systems based?
Conference Systems is headquartered in Lanham, United States, in the North America region.
How does Conference Systems make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Event Technology Services are the primary driver. The others are production Services, creative Services, design & Fabrication and virtual & Hybrid Events.
Who are Conference Systems's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GES (Global Experience Specialists), SmartSource Rentals, MC2 (MC2 Event Services), Maritz Global Events, ITA Group and Freeman. Broad incumbents are Cvent and Live Nation Special Events. Emerging players are Hopin and Bizzabo.
Does Conference Systems have an API?
No public API is recorded for Conference Systems.
What industry is Conference Systems in?
Conference Systems's product category is Event Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAGAM, Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics), with a secondary code of THAHACAM, Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management. Its NAICS code is 56192 and its SIC code is 8744.