Dine In Cinema + FEC Summit

The Dine In Cinema Summit was started by Matt and Amy Mader of Venue Valet, a supplier of call-button and service systems for dine-in cinemas. The summit is about running a dine-in operation, not about films: Boxoffice Pro noted that it has no studio presentations or screenings. Family entertainment centres (FECs) have been part of it since 2024, and it is now billed as the Dine In Cinema + FEC Summit.

The 2025 edition, the seventh, ran four days in Austin. It included site visits to dine-in cinemas around Austin, sessions where theatre owners act as live case studies, and time set aside for deal-making. The organisers say sponsor money goes back into the event.

Attendance is deliberately limited. Boxoffice Pro reported a cap of 250 attendees with two decision-makers per company. The organisers' 2027 rules say exhibitor and venue attendees must be decision-makers, vendors must be sponsors, and there are no walk-up registrations. A first-time vendor can attend once without sponsoring for $895, one registration per company. Off-site meetings that pull attendees away from summit events are discouraged.

That makes it a good fit for owners and senior managers of dine-in cinemas or FECs who want frank conversations with peers. It is not designed for large teams or for vendors looking for a cheap stand.

The ninth summit, DICS9, runs 1–4 February 2027 in the Domain area of Austin, Texas. The hotel block is at the Aloft Austin at the Domain at $255 per night plus taxes and fees, with the discounted rate available until 1 January 2027 or until the block fills. Registration for 2027 is open on the summit's website. The exhibitor registration price was not shown in text on the pages we checked.