Centennial, Colorado (March 29-30, 2026)
Best Practices for Ice, Arena Operations & Revenue Growth

Host Arena: Family Sports Ice Arena


Audience: Ice rink owners, GMs, operations managers, ice technicians


Vendors: mechanical engineering, ice resurfacer manufactures, scheduling/booking software, asset management / operations software

Capacity: 100 Participants

OFFICIAL PRACTICE FACILITY OF THE COLORADO AVALANCHE

Join us for a 2 Day session to share best practice with operator roundtables, guest presentations and vendor spotlight sessions.

POWERED BY

AGENDA

Day 1

 3:00 – 3:30 PM | Welcome & Kickoff

  • Introductions

  • Summit goals & key themes

  • What great ice operations look like in 2026

3:30 – 4:30 PM | Facility Tour

  • Behind-the-scenes tour of a Denver-area multi-sheet ice facility

    • Ice plant & refrigeration room

    • Mechanical spaces & BAS overview

    • Ice resurfacer bay

    • Avalanche Practice Locker room & Premium Area Tour

4:30 – 5:00 PM | Vendor & Technology Showcase

Short, high-value presentations

  • SUB-ZERO – Ice analytics, digital logs & benchmarking

  • WM Technics - Ice resurfacers & electric fleets Or Olympia

  • FinnlySports - Scheduling / booking / CRM platforms

  • iENG - Building automation & refrigeration

  • All American - Dasherboards

 5:15 – 5:45 PM | Operator Roundtable

Open Discussion

  • What’s working

  • What’s broken

  • Staffing pain points

  • Capital planning challenges

  • Technology adoption resistance

  • “If you were rebuilding your rink today…”

6:00 - 7:00 PM | On-Ice Demo

  • Live Demo of SUB-ZERO

    • Ice Measurements

    • Surface Temps

    • Ice Density

    • Dasherboard Inspection

  • Live Demo of WM Technics Machine

    • Mammoth

    • Snip (Edger)

7:00 – 8:00 PM | Dinner, Cocktails and Round Table

VIP Avalanche Kitchen – Meal by Avalanche Chefs

Day 2

9:30 – 10:00 AM | Review / Refresher / Welcome Back

Free Continental Breakfast 

10:00 – 11:15 AM | Ice & Maintenance Best Practices

  • Ice thickness standards & measurement consistency

  • Surface temperature vs hardness vs energy use

  • Flood quality, cut depth, blade management

  • Preventative maintenance schedules that actually reduce downtime

11:15 AM – 12:00 PM | Mechanical & Energy Optimization

  • Refrigeration plant efficiency

  • Compressor runtime optimization

  • Heat reclaim & dehumidification strategies

  • BAS integration for alarms, trends & alerts

  • Energy savings benchmarks (what’s realistic)

12:00 – 1:00PM (Lunch Break - Meal Provided)

1:00 – 2:00 PM | Revenue Generation & Scheduling

Ice-Driven Revenue

  • Ice allocation strategy (prime vs off-prime)

  • Programming mix: youth, adult, tournaments, figure skating

  • Dynamic pricing models

Off-Ice Revenue

  • Birthday parties & private rentals

  • Camps, clinics, off-season usage

  • Sponsorships, Advertising & local partnerships

 2:00 – 2:45 PM | Food, Beverage & Customer Experience

  • Concessions vs full kitchen vs hybrid models

  • Margins, inventory control & staffing

  • Guest experience touchpoints

  • What actually moves satisfaction scores

2:45 – 3:00 PM | Break

3:00 – 3:30 PM | Operational Efficiency & Cost Control

  • Labor efficiency benchmarks / Staffing

  • Water, power & gas cost reduction

  • Consumables & vendor contracts

  • Tracking ROI on upgrades

3:15 – 4:00 PM | Capital Projects & Future-Proofing

  • New builds vs retrofits

  • Ice plant upgrades

  • Dashers, glass & LED conversions

  • Designing for flexibility & revenue

  • Sustainability expectations moving forward

4:00 – 5:00 PM | Closing Discussion , Round Table & Takeaways

  • Key lessons learned

  • Peer contact exchange

  • Next-steps & follow-up resources

NHL Experience (Monday March 30th, 2026)

Evening | Networking + NHL Game

6:30 PM – Arena Doors Open
7:30 PM – NHL Game Night (Suite / Group Tickets)

  • Game: Colorado Avalanche Home Game

  • Suite access with hosted food & beverage

  • Informal networking with peers and vendors

  • Ticket distribution via Organizer (Family Sports)

We Are Excited To See You!

“We all have something valuable to offer one another. There’s no better way to learn than by listening to experts discuss the latest technologies while sharing real-world experiences around the table. After more than 30 years in the industry, I’m still learning—and I also have many experiences to share. I invite you to join me in Denver in late March for this unique opportunity at the Colorado Avalanche Practice Facility, where we can exchange knowledge, insights, tour the locker room, and share ice knowledge.”

Bill Dobbs, General Manager Ice - South Suburban Parks & Recreation

“I believe it’s essential that we create spaces where managers, owners, and operators can step away from daily operations and focus on forward-thinking, education, and collaboration. When we connect, learn, and exchange experiences, we elevate not just our individual facilities but the ice sports industry as a whole. Networking and education are the foundation of long-term success.”

Liz Mangelsdorf, Managing Director - Ice Sports Industry

A raffle at the end of the event will take place for a signed Colorado Avalanche jersey.

Attendee Ticket

$99.99 (USD)

REGISTER NOW

Travel and accommodations are not included.

Interested in being a sponsor?

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ELEVATE YOUR ICE