What Velvet Chainsaw Consulting does

Velvet Chainsaw Consulting (VCC) is a privately held, boutique consulting firm founded in 2006 and headquartered in Aurora, Ohio, that specializes in helping conference and trade show organizers grow or transform large face-to-face programs. The firm targets events attracting 2,000 or more participants and addresses pain points such as flat or declining attendance and revenue, outdated event design, and the need to differentiate through premium learning and networking experiences. Its client base is concentrated in US-based nonprofit, healthcare, scientific, professional, and trade-show associations, with named clients spanning the American Academy of Ophthalmology, AABB, AIA, ASAE, National Association of REALTORS, and AAPEX, among others.

VCC delivers six integrated consulting services: Event Audit & Experience Design, Event Business Model, Event Team Optimization, Emcee & General Session Design, Speaker Coaching, and Strategic Facilitation. The firm does not operate a proprietary software platform; its deliverables are advisory outputs such as event audits, business-model and pricing analyses, KPI frameworks, run-of-show designs, speaker coaching, and facilitation of leadership strategy sessions. AI is used as a delivery and advisory layer — including generative AI for session summaries and infographics, and AI-enabled recommendation engines for personalized attendee agendas — but is not a productized offering.

Commercially, VCC operates on a sales-led, direct-engagement model with custom-priced projects tailored to client scope. Its leadership team is led by Managing Director Dave Lutz, supported by Sarah Michel (VP, Professional Connexity), Lisa Block (EVP, Conference Strategy & Design), David Beckett (VP, Business Model & Performance), Michele Frania (Director, Client Projects & Stories), and Bill MacDonald (VP, Analysis and Insights). The firm generates demand through a long-standing blog, the 'Sticky Conference' newsletter, free eBooks, webinars, YouTube content, and earned media in outlets such as PCMA's Convene, Associations Now, and MeetingsNet. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or acquisition history.

Name

Velvet Chainsaw Consulting

Legal name

Velvet Chainsaw Consulting

Website

https://velvetchainsaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Velvet Chainsaw Consulting is a boutique US advisory firm that helps conference and trade show organizers grow or transform large annual events through six core consulting services, serving nonprofit, healthcare, scientific, and professional associations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Partner, Channel & Vendor Conferences (MPAGAGAL)

Keywords

• Conference consulting services
• Trade show strategy
• Event business model
• Event audit advisory
• Conference education design

Headquarters

HQ city

Aurora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Expert consulting advisory services for conference and trade show improvement including event audits, business model optimization, team development, strategic facilitation, speaker coaching, and emcee services. Projects are custom engagements tailored to each client.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Velvet Chainsaw Consulting provides custom advisory and consulting engagements to conference and trade show organizers to help grow or transform major face-to-face events. Its six core service lines cover event audits and experience design, event business model optimization, event team optimization, emcee and general session design, speaker coaching, and strategic facilitation. Engagements are bespoke, scoping-based projects delivered by a small team of senior industry experts.

Product overview

Velvet Chainsaw Consulting (VCC) is a consulting firm offering a suite of advisory services for conference and trade show organizers, not a unified software platform. The core offering consists of six integrated consulting services: Event Audit & Experience Design (360-degree benchmarking and improvement planning), Event Business Model (revenue growth and KPI development), Event Team Optimization (staff performance and structure), Emcee & General Session Design (Sarah Michel's Content Weaver/Emcee role), Speaker Coaching (speaker training and development), and Strategic Facilitation (committee and leadership strategy sessions). These services work together to help clients improve attendee acquisition, differentiate with premium learning experiences, foster connections and community, and increase exhibit/sponsor sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Event Audit & Experience Design Comprehensive 360-degree audit and benchmarking of annual meetings or trade shows, including advice for designing memorable general sessions, social events, and conference flow, and developing plans for premium education programming, networking differentiation, and registration pricing analysis. Intended for conference and trade show organizers seeking transformation of large face-to-face events.
• Event Business Model Revenue growth consulting for increasing revenue from large annual conferences and trade shows, including sponsorship, exhibit, and advertising performance evaluation, registration fee pricing models, P&L analysis, and KPI development. Intended for conference and trade show organizers.
• Event Team Optimization Recommendations for improved event team performance, structure, and staff development including team member evaluation, staffing plans, job description modernization, recruitment support, leadership coaching, vendor evaluation, and process improvement. Intended for conference and trade show leadership teams.
• Emcee & General Session Design Content Weaver/Emcee services led by Sarah Michel, CSP, including opening/closing general sessions, introducing and interviewing speakers, facilitating audience Q&A, and keeping sessions on-track. Also includes expert advice on general session design, run-of-show creation, and professional speaker recommendations.
• Speaker Coaching Expert training and coaching for industry speakers on designing and delivering engaging education sessions, including interactive speaker training webinars, customizable tip sheets, instructional videos, session-planning calls with speakers and moderators, and one-on-one coaching.
• Strategic Facilitation Design and facilitation of committee, task force, and leadership strategy sessions including advance participant preparation, strategy session agenda development, group exercises, participatory facilitation, and summary documents for continuous improvement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Improved attendee acquisition and loyalty outcomes
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MKG: Experiential marketing and event strategy agency serving brands with conferences, activations, and live experiences — comparable to VCC in conference design and audience engagement focus, though more brand-centric.
• Event Garde: Boutique event design and meeting strategy consultancy focused on association conferences and educational events. Highly comparable to VCC in size, target buyer (association meeting organizers), and service offering (event strategy and design).
• ConferenceDirect: Hospitality sourcing and meeting management firm that also provides event strategy advisory to large association and corporate meeting programs — competes for the same 'large face-to-face event organizer' buyer.
• 360 Live Media: Event strategy and content consultancy serving associations and B2B brands with conference design, audience engagement, and event marketing services — overlapping VCC's core conference-improvement value proposition.
• Sparks: Experience agency specializing in trade shows, conferences, and live events for associations and brands. Similar service mix to VCC (event strategy, sponsorship activation, exhibit design) at a larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Jack Morton Worldwide: Global brand experience agency with significant conference, event, and live experience practices. Competes with VCC for large strategic event engagements from associations and brands, but at much larger scale.
• George P. Johnson (GPJ): Large global experiential marketing agency operating across corporate events, conferences, and brand experiences. Wider portfolio and deeper resources than VCC but overlapping on conference strategy and design for enterprise clients.

Others

• Tagoras: Research and advisory firm focused on the association learning business — referenced as a partner by VCC in blog content. Provides market research that influences VCC's buyer base (association conference organizers).
• PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association): Industry association for meeting and event professionals that confers the Visionary Awards given to VCC's founder. Not a competitor, but shapes buyer demand and serves as the primary community in which VCC competes.
• Cvent: Event management technology platform serving the same association and corporate conference buyer as VCC. Not a direct competitor (technology vs. advisory) but a complementary ecosystem participant whose growth affects VCC's buyer budgets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/VelvetChainsawConsulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Velvet Chainsaw Consulting