How to run a large-scale pole dance event

February 5, 2026
Start a Business

These recommendations are from Colleen Jolly’s webinar ”Learn how to run a large pole event with Colleen Jolly” held on May 17, 2023. Members can view the entire webinar at this link.

Colleen’s talk is based on lessons learned running PoleCon, the largest continually running convention style event in the pole industry, since 2015.

This information is best for someone looking to run a large-scale (250-1500+ people) event such as a convention, competition, or large showcase in a hotel or convention center type venue.

Some History

Colleen is not the founder of PoleCon. PoleCon was founded in 2010 and the first event ran in 2011. In 2014, PoleCon’s founder decided to sell the convention, which Colleen purchased. The first PoleCon under Colleen’s leadership was held in 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Colleen’s goal with PoleCon has always been to make PoleCon as diverse and inclusive as possible—that means holding panels for marginalised groups, special showcases, and a wide variety of workshops of varying levels.

Words of Wisdom

Running large events will always take more time and money than you expect.

Colleen had experience running large events from her previous career working with trade associations running annual events. When an event only happens once a year, it means you only have one chance to make it right.

Despite your best efforts and “disaster proofing,” something will always go wrong. The only thing you can control is how you respond to it. We aren’t saying you shouldn’t plan for disasters because something unexpected will happen anyway—we are saying be as prepared as you can be, but be ready to fix things you didn’t expect. For example, PoleCon 2021 had to stop half way through the weekend due to a natural disaster.

Ensure You’re Insured

The only reason PoleCon didn’t go bankrupt from canceling PoleCon 2021 due to natural disaster is because the event was insured with cancellation insurance. This type of insurance (which allowed for partial cancellations, such as in this case) allowed for refunds as well as still paying all the bills without bankrupting the convention.

Having event liability insurance for your event and requiring all your vendors and workshop leaders to have their own liability insurance keeps everyone protected in case something goes wrong. Make sure you read all additional riders included with the insurance package as riders will sometimes include exceptions and may void a part of the insurance you really need.

Building Your Budget

Your budget should not be based on your best-case scenario.

IPIA members can check out this budget template for events for free.

Best-case doesn’t happen often and you need to make sure one event won’t break the bank. Think about where your funds are coming from:

Revenue
- Comes from marketing and sales.
Sponsorship
- Be specific about what they get as a sponsor.
- Consider this secondary income, there is no guarantee people will want to sponsor you.
Advertising
- Sell ad slots in a newsletter or on social media (if you have a large enough following). Get creative!
Attendees
- Attendee ticket sales will be the bulk of your income.
Performers/competitors
- If you are running a competition that has a fee to enter and/or a fee to compete, this will be a primary source of income.
Additional options
- Anything else you can think of for raising funds. Get creative!

When running an event, discounts can be a great way to get people in, but beware of doing too many discounts or too frequent discounts—this could make people lose faith in the brand or think they are getting a watered down experience.

Expect Your Expenses

The primary (not only) expenses you need to consider are:

Location/venue
Insurance
Equipment
Staff

Location:

If you are a small event, large venues might not call you back when you are asking about hosting your event with them. You can work with companies that specialize in being third parties connecting you to venues. These companies get paid by the venue so you don’t pay them, which is great for a small business or first time event!

Insurance:

It’s so important we had to mention it twice. Insurance seems like “a scam” until you need to cash in on that policy. Insurance is non-negotiable.

Equipment:

After the initial cost of the equipment which is likely a doozy, remember you need to store and maintain that equipment (if you don’t rent it) which also costs money.

Staff:

People should be paid for their time but that is not always possible early on in an event. If you can’t afford to pay people, volunteers can help things run smoothly. Volunteers should be offered some kind of compensation—either a discount, small stipend, or some kind of special privilege. People should always be compensated for their time. Be clear and always have a contract that sets expectations!

If You Don’t Know Where to Start: ASK!

Taking on a large scale pole event is no easy feat.

There are plenty of resources on the IPIA website to help you get started. Reach out to your network and see who you have in your corner that can help you get started.