From Zoom Calls to Kansas City: How the Summit Grew Into Something Bigger
We Started on Zoom — Now We’re in Kansas City
🔄 From Zoom Calls to Kansas City: How the Summit Grew Into Something Bigger
What started as a virtual gathering has become a movement — here’s how we got here.
In 2022, the Player Development Summit began as an idea — a Zoom link and a belief:
That professionals serving athletes off the field deserved a space to connect, grow, and be seen.
We didn’t have a big team. We didn’t have corporate sponsors.
What we had was a vision… and a community hungry for something real.
Fast forward to today:
The Summit is now a multi-day, in-person experience hosted in Kansas City, May 29–31, 2025 — with speakers from across the NFL, NBA, NCAA, WNBA, MLS, and more.
But the why hasn’t changed.
Only the way we gather has.
💻 The Virtual Beginning
We started with virtual panels, open conversations, and breakout rooms that turned into breakthroughs.
It worked.
It really worked.
We reached people in different time zones, different levels, different organizations.
We made it easy to show up.
We created access for those who rarely get invited into the room.
But over time, something became clear…
🤝 Virtual Created Reach — But In-Person Creates Depth
Zoom made it possible.
But in-person makes it powerful.
There’s just something different about:
The energy of a shared space
The unplanned hallway conversations
The sidebars that turn into strategic partnerships
The eye contact, the laughter, the nod of “I get it too”
As the community grew, so did the call to go deeper — and that meant leaving the screen behind and building something more immersive.
📍 Why Kansas City?
It’s not random. It’s not a placeholder.
Kansas City is intentional:
Central location = accessible from across the country
Sports-centered culture with heart and history
A community feel that supports the connection we’re trying to build
This Summit needed a place that reflects its purpose.
Kansas City is that place.
📈 The Evolution Was Never About Size — It Was About Impact
We didn’t “go big” for the sake of going big.
We went in-person because the field of player development is evolving.
And we needed a space that evolved with it.
Because player development is no longer an afterthought.
It’s becoming one of the most essential roles in sports.
And that role deserves a gathering worthy of the work.
🧠 The Mission Has Stayed the Same
From day one, this Summit has been about:
Equipping professionals with tools that actually work
Creating community for people who usually work in isolation
Elevating the visibility of roles that change lives beyond the game
Whether you joined us on Zoom in 2022, attended virtually in 2023 or 2024, or you’re planning to join us in Kansas City this year — this is still your Summit.
🎟️ Come Be Part of What It’s Becoming
The 2025 Player Development Summit
📍 Kansas City, MO
🗓️ May 29–31, 2025
🎟️ CLICK TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKET
We’ve come a long way from that first Zoom room.
But we’re just getting started.
Let’s build together — face to face, purpose to purpose, story to story.
The Player Development Pod
I discuss this process in more detail here.