Trusted Advisors know that every deal starts with a connection. A handshake becomes a conversation. That conversation turns into a relationship.
That’s the kind of fire Special Forces Summit was designed to spark, and SFS26 delivered! Our post-event survey results are in, so let’s look at the math on our week in Dallas.
21.8K Connections
Our interactive badges handled some serious heavy lifting this year, and by the time Nelly was lighting up the stage at Gilley’s, our attendees had logged 21.8K connections!
Those connections counted, too. Over three quarters of our survey respondents credited the badges with helping them make new connections, with an overall average of 14 connections per attendee during the event. Many said the badges greatly enhanced their experience and made it easier to connect, and that these networking opportunities were engaging and fun.
“I’m glad the rivalry turned into real connections,” one attendee posted on LinkedIn after we gamified the badges for some friendly competition. “There’s something special about connecting face-to-face that just hits different,” another attendee said.
2,000+ Registrations, 80+ Sessions
Great connections happen when you get the right people in the same room. This year, we had over 2,000 registrations for SFS, and over 80 Main Stage and Breakout sessions to choose from.
The Owners Track gave TA business owners big-picture strategies for scalable growth, with one Advisor declaring it “unlike anything I get anywhere else.” Plus, the AI Track was the first time we dedicated a full afternoon to an emerging technology, and the program was capped by Mike Wolfington’s inspiring AI Gold Rush talk straight from the Main Stage.
4.8 Out of 5!
Our Trusted Advisors scored SFS26 at an incredible 4.8 out of 5 overall, including 81% giving it a perfect five stars.
AVANT leadership keynotes from Drew Lydecker and Ian Kieninger earned the top Main Stage scores each day, including one commenter on LinkedIn who referred to “knowledge bombs” being dropped on stage. Ian and Drew were lauded for bringing a sense of substance amid such a large and colorful production. “The strongest tech strategies aren’t built around hype; they’re built around outcomes,” one commenter said on LinkedIn.
88.5 TA NPS
Our Trusted Advisor Net Promoter Score (how likely attendees are to recommend the event) climbed to 88.5 this year, and 94% of TAs expect to be back for SFS27! Considering our industry’s average event NPS hovers around 35, we’re so pleased our attendees had such a memorable experience.
#1 Channel Event
Trusted Advisors and vendors both ranked SFS the #1 channel event of the year, with 10 times as many first-place votes as any other event. The reasons stated in our feedback included better quality of content and education, channel-forward energy and a sense of momentum, getting the right connections together in one room, and highlighting investments being made by AVANT to move the channel and Trusted Advisor movement forward.
Where The Connections Go Next
Dallas may be in the rearview, but those 21.8K connections are just getting started. Nearly three in four Trusted Advisors expect the business they put through AVANT to grow after SFS26, and new vendor relationships topped the list of drivers.
The channel’s best network isn’t online. It’s the people who showed up, and we can’t wait to connect with you again at SFS27!
Save the date: October 4-7, 2027 | Denver