This year we have a fantastic schedule of events:
Tuesday, February 17th
5:30 PM to 7:30 PM – Building Epic Venues Workshop Kickoff: Networking & Welcome Reception Sponsored by OpenAire
Join us for an exciting start to the Building Epic Ventures Workshop! After checking-in take this opportunity to meet fellow attendees, industry leaders, operators, and speakers at our very own Vidorra located in Epic Central. Enjoy drinks and light bites while getting excited about the kickoff to our two days of learning, networking, and visioning.
Wednesday, February 18th
8:00 AM to 9:00 AM – Breakfast @ The Warehouse
Warm up and wake up for a catered breakfast and networking event.
9:00 AM to 9:30 AM – Courage to Vision: How Leadership Drives Thriving Cities
A powerful opening session on how bold leadership and willingness to challenge the status quo can transform entire communities. Hear the story of how Grand Prairie sparked one of the country’s most successful public-sector placemaking districts.
9:30 AM to 10:30 AM – From Dream to Splash: How the Epic was Born
A behind-the-scenes look at how public leadership, private operational expertise, and creative financing converged to build the award-winning Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark — a venue that today generates real revenue, not just cost recovery.
10:30 AM to 11:00 AM – Network Break and Refreshments
Refresh and recharge before heading out to tour Epic Waters and The Epic!
11:00 AM to 12:00 PM – The Epic Waters Walking Tour
Go behind the curtain at Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark. Learn from on-site operators and city leadership about operations, staffing, financial performance, and the systems that transformed this venue into a regional economic engine.
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM – Networking Lunch @ The Warehouse
Connect with peers, meet the speakers, and dive into the stories that make the Vision a reality over a catered lunch.
Don’t miss a chance to meet their team, engage in their work, and be inspired by world class designers of memory making aquatic spaces.
1:00 PM to 2:30 PM – Welcome to a new Partnership with Public Entities: Changing the Way Development is Delivered
Learn how cities, tribes, and public entities can deliver revenue-generating development without carrying the financial or operational burden. This session introduces a turnkey approach integrating finance, design, development, construction, and operations for projects of all sizes.
2:30 PM to 3:00 PM – Network Break and Refreshments
Refresh while you digest the incredible opportunities that can be created! Network with speakers and prepare for the rest of the afternoon.
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM – Compete. Eat. Play. Stay. Repeat – How Diversification Hedges Against Risk.
Explore how combining hotels, FECs, sports tourism, aquatics, and food & beverage create sustainable revenue ecosystems that reduce risk and drive consistent visitation.
4:00 PM to 5:00 PM – Good Data Makes for Great Vision – How Homework Makes the Dream Work
Epic Visions grounded in Epic Data. Great developments complete their homework. A deep dive into the real-world data you need before developing hotel demand, sports tourism trends, trade area analysis, market capture, visitor patterns, and more.
6:30 PM to 10:00 PM – Evening Cocktails, Banquet and Splash Party and Epic Waters
After a day of learning, visioning, and networking – enjoy dinner hosted inside the wonderful facility with world class cuisine, branded swag, and a splash party with exclusive access to the waterpark’s slides, lazy river, and surf machine! Pack a suit or pick one up at the event!
Thursday, February 19th
8:00 AM to 9:00 AM – Breakfast @ The Warehouse
Warm up and wake up for a catered breakfast and networking event.
9:00 AM to 10:30 AM – Leadership Roundtable: How Four Different Cities are Building their Vision
Different cities. Different challenges. One shared goal: economic transformation. Hear firsthand how these communities are implementing major public-sector developments.
10:30 AM to 11:00 AM – Network Break and Refreshments
Refresh and recharge before heading out to tour Epic Waters and The Epic!
11:00 AM to 12:00 PM – The Epic! Walking Tour
Successful community centers start with successful programming and operations. Walk through and explore the next generation of community building with podcast studios, teaching kitchens, pottery kilns, fitness, sports, theater, pop-up library, and more. Learn how non-traditional programming expands the reach of the facility as a catalysts to wider placemaking success.
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM – Networking Lunch @ The Warehouse
Connect with peers, meet the speakers, and dive into the stories that make the Vision a reality over a catered lunch.
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM – Finance 101: How to Fund Your Project
Bonds are a powerful resource — but not the only one. This session highlights lease finance as a flexible, low-risk way for cities to build transformative projects without adding debt. We’ll also explore additional financing tools that expand your options and give your city a full toolkit for funding its vision.
2:00 PM to 2:30 PM – Breakeven Wins: How to Make Every Day Civic Assets Financially Sustainable
Learn how cities can use smart design and creative financing to turn necessary civic projects, from police training facilities to recreation centers, into breakeven or revenue-offsetting assets. Panelists share practical tools for delivering value even when budgets and political support are tight.
2:30 PM to 3:00 PM – Network Break and Refreshments
Refresh while you digest the incredible opportunities that can be created! Network with speakers and prepare for the rest of the afternoon.
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM – Capstone Roundtable: From Vision to Master Plan to Reality
A final masterclass on how visions become built environments. Explore real case studies and discuss feasibility, funding, design, programming, workforce strategy, and long-term operations.
4:00 PM to 5:00 PM – Open Session Question & Answer with Refreshments
Refresh while you digest the incredible opportunities that can be created! Review your questions with the speakers and moderators to clarify any last thoughts.
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM – Building Epic Visions Workshop Closeout: Networking & Collaboration
Join us to close out CED2026 over a meal and networking. Share your final thoughts and setup a follow up to work through your Epic Vision.