Speakers 2027
The education opportunities at Cater+Event feature presentations from more than 100 industry luminaries who have been there, done that, and are armed with content that’s trendy, thought-provoking, and always influential.
Jon-Paul Brown, Owner, Elope Asheville
Jon-Paul Brown is the founder and owner of Elope Asheville, one of the leading independently owned elopement brands in the United States. Since launching the company in 2010, he has helped more than 5,000 couples get married through simple, beautiful, highly organized wedding experiences built around ease, clarity, and emotional meaning. Over the past 16 years, Jon-Paul has grown Elope Asheville from a small local idea into a multi-million-dollar event business by identifying a major shift in the wedding market: many couples still wanted a meaningful, professional, memorable wedding, but they no longer wanted the cost, stress, complexity, and pressure of the traditional planning process. His company was built to meet that demand directly. He has expanded his brand by copying his time-tested business model in various cities throughout the southeastern US and in Ireland. Jon-Paul's work combines entrepreneurship, marketing, operations, ceremony design, client psychology, and event logistics. He has developed systems for packaging, pricing, communication, venue relationships, photography coordination, ceremony flow, and customer experience that allow small weddings to feel personal while remaining efficient and scalable behind the scenes. Before founding Elope Asheville, Jon-Paul had a long career in radio and television, as well as serving in the United States Air Force as an aviation meteorologist. Those experiences shaped his approach to communication, timing, preparation, and audience awareness. As a speaker, he brings a practical, story-driven perspective rooted in real-world business ownership rather than theory. His presentations focus on helping event professionals see the hidden dynamics inside their own markets, simplify the client experience, build trust through clarity, and create businesses that are easier for clients to buy and easier for owners to operate.