If running a successful academy is on your list of goals, the 2026 ProMAC International Conference was built for you. Hosted by Hanshi Dave Kovar and the Kovar Systems team, this two-day event takes place on May 15-16, 2026, in Sacramento, CA.

ProMAC brings together school owners, instructors, and program directors for two straight days of on-mat training, business seminars, and real conversations with industry experts and other academy owners.

Why Academy Owners Should Attend ProMAC International Conference

How often do you get to be in the room (or on a mat) with other people who understand the world of martial arts academy ownership? If you’ve ever felt like you’re trying to reinvent the wheel on retention, enrollment, or instructor development, spending two days around people who have already figured it out is worth the trip.

​Kovar, who recently led a Wodify webinar on growth tactics for martial arts schools, has been building and teaching in this industry for decades. The Kovar Systems model is one of the most recognized in martial arts school development. When they put together a speaker lineup and seminar schedule, you can be sure it’s not filler content. It’s the kind of material that comes from people who have actually run schools at scale.

The ProMAC International Conference covers two distinct areas:

  1. On the mat, you’ll get training sessions led by martial arts legends and experienced instructors. These aren’t demo performances, but instead, actual training opportunities, which is something that gets harder to find as owners get further from the mat and deeper into operations.
  2. On the business side, seminars will cover the things that move the needle for your school: growing your active student count, retaining the students you already have, managing and developing staff, sharpening your instructor teaching skills, and improving your marketing and enrollment process.
Business seminars cover the info you need to run and grow a successful academy.

Beyond the formal sessions, the conference gives you time with vendors and peers in the industry. Sometimes, the ideas and connections that come from hallway conversations end up being among the most useful things to grow your martial arts academy.

The 2026 ProMAC International Conference Agenda

The conference runs May 15-16, 2026 at Kovar’s Satori Academy (7520 Fair Oaks Blvd in Carmichael, CA), located just outside Sacramento, CA.

Friday, May 15th

  • ​8AM: Registration / Check-in
  • 9AM: Opening Ceremony/ Keynote
  • 10AM to 12PM: Business and Training Sessions
  • 12PM: Lunch
  • 1PM: Business and Training Sessions
  • 4:30 PM: Train with the Masters

Saturday, May 16th

  • ​8:30AM: Registration / Check-in
  • 9AM to 12PM: Business and Training Sessions
  • 12PM: Lunch
  • 1PM to 3PM: Business and Training Sessions
  • 3PM: Closing Session

While you’re there, be sure to catch “The Art of Retention: How to Maximize Lifetime Value and Loyalty,” presented by Wodify team members Chris Mierzwiak and Ben Timm. If you’re tired of watching students quit in their first year, this is for you. We’re breaking down the exact retention strategies top academies are using to keep students longer, spend less time on admin, and build the kind of community people never want to leave.

The rest of the speaker lineup for ProMAC International Conference is still being finalized, so keep an eye on the ProMAC site for updates as they’re announced.

Sign up today: Registration is open now at promacconference.com, and space is limited.

ProMAC is unique with sessions focused on both the business side and martial arts training.

Catch Up With Wodify at 2026 ProMAC

Academy owners who consistently grow their schools are the ones who invest the time and effort in learning the systems and strategies to get them there. And they don’t do it alone.​

​If you’ve been running on the same systems for a while, or you feel like growth has stalled, or maybe you just want to be around people who are serious about building something real in this industry, the ProMAC International Conference is for you.

The Wodify team wants to meet you there! Stop by our booth anytime during the event to grab your free first aid kit. And if you’re looking for a better way to run and grow your school, Wodify is here to help. Book a demo with our team today to learn more.