RFP: Event Design & Production Partner

About Social Venture Network

Social Venture Network (SVN) is a community of business leaders using enterprise as a tool for systemic change. For nearly four decades, SVN has convened entrepreneurs, investors, and executives committed to building a just, regenerative, and human-centered economy. Our work centers on peer exchange, trust-based relationships, and collective action.

Position Summary

SVN seeks an Event Design & Production Partner to collaborate with SVN leadership to design, plan, and execute the 2026 Annual Gathering.

The 2026 SVN Annual Gathering is a strategic moment of renewal for the organization. This gathering is not intended to resemble a traditional conference. It is designed as an immersive, relational, and participatory experience that reflects who SVN is becoming and how its members lead.

This is a remote position with a candidate located in North America preferred.

We are looking for a partner who can:

• Translate vision into experience

• Balance structure with emergence

• Create space for authentic connection, peer learning, and renewal

• Execute with operational excellence and calm authority

Event Overview

• Event Type: Annual Gathering (not a traditional conference)

• Audience Size: ~200-300 participants

• Participants: Mission-driven entrepreneurs, investors, business owners, ecosystem leaders

• Duration: ~3 days

• Timing: June 17th - June 19th, 2026

• Location: Sante Fe, New Mexico

Guiding Design Principles

The 2026 SVN Annual Gathering should be non-performative, favoring fewer stages and more circles; participatory, with members engaging as contributors rather than passive audiences; relational, intentionally designed to foster trust, depth, and peer exchange; place-based, allowing the location itself to shape the experience; human-scaled, intimate rather than sprawling; and operationally elegant, with a simple, seamless, and well-run execution.

Scope of Work

The selected partner will be responsible for end-to-end event delivery, including:

1. Experience & Program Design

• Co-design the overall event flow and arc with SVN leadership

• Translate high-level intentions into a coherent experience

• Help avoid default conference formats (panels, podiums, passive listening)

• Integrate curated content, peer exchange, wellness, and informal connection

• Support integration of local culture, businesses, and community

2. Location & Venue Coordination

• Support final site selection aligned with SVN’s criteria

• Coordinate with multiple venues (not a single hotel ballroom)

• Ensure accessibility, safety, and flow between locations

3. Operations & Logistics

• Run-of-show and production timeline

• Vendor sourcing and coordination (AV, catering, rentals, transportation)

• Budget tracking and cost control

• Registration flow and on-site participant experience

• On-site leadership during the event

4. Staffing & Facilitation Support

• Serve as the operational backbone during the event

• Coordinate volunteers, contractors, and SVN staff

• Ensure transitions are smooth and energy is well held

5. Post-Event Wrap

• Debrief with SVN leadership

• Capture learnings and recommendations for future gatherings

Ideal Partner Profile

• Demonstrated experience designing non-traditional, values-driven gatherings

• Comfortable with ambiguity and co-creation

• Strong operational discipline and attention to detail

• Ability to manage complexity without over-engineering

• Calm, grounded presence under pressure

• Experience working with senior leaders, founders, and investors

• Alignment with SVN’s mission and culture

What We Are Not Looking For

• A standard conference planning individual and or firm that relies on:

  • Back-to-back panels

  • Over-programming

  • Large stages and speaker-heavy agendas

  • A partner who requires rigid templates that limit emergence

  • A partner who expects SVN board or volunteers to manage execution

Proposal Requirements

Please include:

• Firm or Individual Overview

• Relevant Experience

  • 2–3 examples of similar gatherings (especially non-traditional formats)

• Approach

  • How you design experiences like this

  • How you balance structure and emergence

• Team

  • Describe your team composition, if applicable

• Proposed Budget Structure

  • Fee model (flat fee preferred; ranges acceptable)

• Availability

  • Capacity to support planning and on-site execution

• References

  • 2 relevant professional references

Timeline

• Position Published: February 5, 2026

• Applications Due (EXTENDED): March 5th, 2026

• Interviews: March 8th – March 12th, 2026

• Contractor Selected: March 15th, 2026

Submission Instructions

Please send your proposal including requirements to: admin@svn.org with the subject line: “SVN - Event Design and Production Partner Proposal” by (EXTENDED) March 5th, 2026