Sales Kickoff Planning

You Run the Strategy.
We Run the Operation.

We plug in alongside your events team to handle every operational detail — hotel sourcing, vendor management, registration, guest comms, on-site execution — so you can focus on content and programming.

Chris, founder, speaking at SKO

Behind Every Standing Ovation

They'll remember the keynote. The dinner on the rooftop. The energy when the whole team is finally in one room.

They won't think about the 10,000 details that made it all feel effortless.

That's where we come in.

Full team at the ClickUp SKO

Full Service

The Operational Lift We Take Off Your Plate

From the first site visit to the last departure shuttle, we handle the logistics so your team stays focused on strategy.

Hotel Sourcing & Negotiation80–100 hotels contacted

Full contract negotiation on rooms, conference space, F&B, A/V, upgrades, and comps. Site visits coordinated for leadership.

Rooming & Guest Management300+ room changes handled

We become the single point of contact between the hotel and every traveler. Early arrivals, late departures, special requests.

Dinner & Excursion Sourcing40+ restaurants contacted

Custom menus, dietary accommodations, and transportation for each venue, all coordinated.

Travel & Transportation14 countries coordinated

Flight budgeting, airport transfers, group transport. Conditional instructions for locals vs. out-of-towners.

Registration & PlatformFull platform deployed

Registration, itinerary, dietary and room preferences, conditional visibility by team assignment. Mobile-first.

Budget ManagementNever exceeded a budget

Approval gates, variance tracking, full financial reconciliation post-event.

Itinerary & Agenda5-day program designed

Breakout room maps, session timing, venue transitions, attire guidance. We make sure it runs clean.

On-Site OperationsFull on-site team

Pre-con, run-of-show, vendor management, guest issue resolution. Your leadership stays on stage.

Guest Communications100% of comms delegated

Daily updates, individual outreach, real-time support. Slack, Teams, WhatsApp — whatever works.

Case Spotlight

What a Recent Engagement Looked Like

ClickUp SKO FY27 in San Diego. 370 team members. 14 countries. 5 days. A full hotel takeover at The Westin Gaslamp Quarter, custom branding on every surface, and a private sunset cruise on San Diego Bay.

  • 01

    Global Destination Search

    We evaluated over 80 properties across the United States, Dublin, and Australia before landing on San Diego’s Westin Gaslamp Quarter—the best fit for dates, rates, and conference infrastructure.

  • 02

    Aggressive Contract Negotiation

    Negotiated rooms, meeting space, F&B, A/V, upgrades, and comp structures. ClickUp’s CFO said he “couldn’t believe” the rate we secured. We also coordinated an overflow hotel on top of the main block.

  • 03

    5 Private Team Dinners

    We contacted over 40 restaurants to find 5 that hit every requirement: Allegro, Coco Maya, Il Sogno, Miguel’s Portside Pier, and Queenstown. We handled contracting, custom menus, dietary accommodations, and logistics to get everyone there.

  • 04

    Admiral Hornblower Sunset Cruise

    A private evening cruise on San Diego Bay. Premium buffet, live music, casino floor, and a fully branded experience with vinyl decals, uplighting, a DJ, and captain hats for the crew.

  • 05

    Executive Experience & Site Visit

    Coordinated the leadership site visit, created a curated executive break room experience, arranged welcome gifts for key individuals, and managed multiple rounds of budget revisions with the team.

Team photo from the Hornblower cruise
Award acceptance at closing night ceremony

Full Hotel Takeover

We Made It Feel Like ClickUp Owned the Place

A three-screen main stage that felt truly world-class. Custom branding on every surface. The kind of details that make 370 people feel like they showed up to something special.

Custom BadgesHotel KeycardsBranded PillowsStep & RepeatsVinyl DecalsDouble-Sided FlagsCustom Ring BuoyCaptain HatsStair ClingsSignage3-Screen Main StageSwingset BrandingGlow-Up Night SwingsFoliage InstallationsVIP LoungeDJ BoothUplightingRed Carpet80" Welcome Screen

See It In Action

ClickUp SKO FY27 — San Diego

Our guests were thrilled with the experience. Execution was terrific, and we spent a lot less per head than last year.

Ed Calnan · Founder & Revenue Leader

How We Work

We're Not a Vendor.
We're an Extension of Your Team.

Most SKO planning companies hand you a proposal and wait for approvals. We join your Slack, attend your planning calls, and operate as if we work for you — because for the duration of the engagement, we do.

  • We embed with your team — Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, whatever you use

  • Single point of contact for every vendor, hotel, and guest

  • We attend your planning calls and weekly syncs

  • Your leadership never touches logistics — we own the operational runway

  • Post-event, we deliver full financial reconciliation and next-year recs

Why CFOs Love Us

Transparent, Predictable, Under Budget

Operated by a former investment banker. Clean budgets, no hidden fees, and a track record of coming in under budget on every program.

$0

budget overages across
all programs. Ever.

We’ve Never Exceeded a Budget

Delivering above expectation while staying under budget. These are the KPIs we live by.

Transparent 10% Fee

If your budget is $500K, our fee is $50K. The entire trip comes in at or under $500K, net of our fee. No surprises.

Weekly Budget Updates

Live tracking, approval gates, and variance reporting so you always know exactly where you stand.

Incredible Speed

We turn requests around in hours and hotel bids in days. We can fast-track a full SKO in as little as 10 weeks.

Expansive Hotel Search

We contact every hotel within your requirements to find the best deal, not just the ones we have existing relationships with.

Our Fee Often Pays for Itself

In hotel negotiation and date pattern optimization alone, we frequently save more than our fee costs.

Our Process

From First Call to Final Breakfast

How we take your SKO from concept to execution, together.

4 to 6 months out

01

Discovery & Destination

Objectives, budget, team size. We model destinations, analyze flight costs, and run a global hotel search.

3 to 4 months out

02

Negotiate & Build

Contract negotiation, site visits, itinerary planning, dinner sourcing, vendor procurement, platform setup.

1 to 2 months out

03

Coordinate & Refine

Registration launch, guest communications, flight intake, room list management, branding production.

Event week

04

Execute On-Site

Full on-site team. Pre-con, run-of-show, vendor management, exec support, guest issue resolution.

1 week after

05

Wrap & Report

Financial reconciliation, attendee feedback, photo delivery, itemized wrap-up, next-year recommendations.

Ready to Build an SKO
Your Team Won't Forget?

We'll scope your event in a 20-minute call. Timelines, budget, destination options, and what “great” looks like for your team.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions