Movies are at the heart of the cinematic experience. They’re the reason the industry exists and has commanded such cultural relevancy for more than a century. Movie ticket sales are not, however, what keeps the lights on at your local cinema. Movie theaters wouldn’t exist without films to show, but any exhibitor knows that it’s food and beverage sales that allow cinemas to operate on a daily basis. The food side of the business is at the center of the Dine-In Cinema Summit 2025, enjoying its seventh year from February 3-6 in Austin, Texas. The summit schedule doesn’t feature studio presentations or screenings; what it is rich on is ample opportunities for attendees to gain insights that can help their companies thrive in the ever-evolving cinema scene.
The Dine-In Cinema Summit is the brainchild of longtime cinema technology vendors Matt and Amy Mader of Venue Valet. The pair have represented Venue Valet and its flagship product—Call-Connect, which combines a call button with digital signage and venue management systems for dine-in cinemas at trade shows around the country, from CinemaCon to smaller, regional shows. By attending those conferences, taking part in those all-important postprogramming conversations at the bar, talking to managers of the 400-plus locations in their CallConnect system, and hosting a weekly online happy hour since March 2020, the Maders have developed a bird’s-eye view of the dine-in sector as a whole. This has allowed them to craft each year’s Dine-In Cinema Summit programming to provide practical, actionable insights into how the dine-in space can be improved for exhibitors, vendors, and, ultimately, customers.
This year, things are a little different at the Dine-In Cinema Summit. In response to feedback from previous attendees, the schedule has been adjusted to allow guests more free time for dealmaking. Attendees will still get their money’s worth regarding cinema tours and nitty-gritty conversations about running a dine-in, as the summit has expanded from three days to four, with a site visit from three days to four: Summit Flix Brewhouse in Round Rock on Tuesday; one of Cinépolis’ two Austin Moviehouse & Eatery locations on Wednesday; and Film Alley in Georgetown on Thursday. After last year’s FEC Day, family entertainment centers have officially entered the Dine-In Cinema Summit fold, with various events related to FECs taking place throughout this year’s conference. This year’s schedule also sees an increase in the Summit’s popular “Party With…” presentations, question-and-answer sessions where “theater owners act as live case studies for attendees,” says Amy Mader.
But one thing remains the same: a focus on conversation and collaboration. At the Dine-In Cinema Summit, Amy Mader explains, attendees don’t hold their cards close to their chest—even if they’re speaking to competitors. “I am a firm believer that competition is healthy,” she says, reflecting on a conversation she witnessed between two attendees—each from a different theater chain that operates in the same Texas city—discussing potential challenges for Company A to look out for when moving into a market that Company B already had a presence in. “To me, that’s the nature of what this thing is about,” says Mader. “We have our three words: gather, collaborate, and inspire. I believe you can learn from other people. If you think you’re the smartest person in the room, then go someplace else.” The Summit caps attendance at 250, with two decision-makers per company allowed. This is to “better allow our attendees to have raw conversations [about successes and failures],” Mader says, “allowing them to grow their business.”
At the conference, you can expect to see the Maders circulating, facilitating connections between attendees and making sure that everyone’s satisfied with the experience. The pair is responsible for the bulk of the operational work that keeps the show going, which means “there are no parameters of what we can talk about and not talk about,” says Mader, as long as the conversations involve productive problem-solving rather than venting and negativity.
The Dine-In Cinema Summit’s spirit of camaraderie extends to its funding. Says Mader, “We don’t take any money from the sponsors that come in. It all goes 100 percent back into the Summit.” Just as the Maders see the Dine-In Cinema Summit as their service to the industry, they acknowledge that it’s also the choice of companies like Spotlight Cinema Networks to invest in the future of the cinema community, whether through events like the Dine-In Cinema Summit or publications like Boxoffice Pro. Mader recalls Spotlight Cinema Networks President Michael Sakin approaching them after the first Summit and asking, “‘How can we be a bigger part of this?’” Six years later, and Spotlight has been the presenting sponsor at five of the seven total Dine-In Cinema Summits.
That first Summit was planned in 60 days on a shoestring budget. “We just hoped for the best,” recalls Mader. “We had a set amount of [money to work with]. I said, ‘Alright. I’ll see if it works. And if it doesn’t work, we’re not going to do it again.’” Now the show is bigger than ever, and if the show charges more for a badge than it did that first year (a whopping zero dollars), the Maders are conscious of keeping the event affordable. The unofficial theme of last year’s show, says Mader, was “diversify or die.” Those who were willing to listen to others and approach problems with a new set of eyes came out on top, and those people “are now willing to offer suggestions, to talk about problems that they have and things that need to be fixed. We just lean into that.” For more information on the Dine-In Cinema Summit, visit dineincinemasummit.com
Share this post