Every year, thousands of small nonprofits and associations plan conferences, retreats, and annual meetings. The process is time-consuming and expensive, often handled by people whose actual job is something else entirely.
For most small organizations, large event-planning firms are simply not interested. They are focused on larger clients, larger contracts, and larger commissions. Small groups get left to figure things out on their own, or pay too much to planners who are not really working for them.
That is the gap Robert Kraus identified, a gap he now fills.
Kraus is the founder of SmallConferences.com, a Miami-based event planning firm built specifically for smaller associations, nonprofits, and organizations that need real, hands-on support without the bloated costs.
Kraus is a Certified Event Planning Specialist (CEPS), a Certified Contract and Negotiation Specialist (CNS) through Meeting Professionals International, and a Certified Medical Meeting Professional (MMP). He is also a VISIT FLORIDA Certified Cruise Extension Specialist.
In 2019, the Association of Meeting Professionals named him Planner of the Year. In 2025, Insider Weekly recognized him as the Most Influential Nonprofit Event Planner. His work has been covered in USA Today, Hotels Magazine, Meetings Outlook, and on The Today Show.
The Problem With How Event Planning Actually Works
The event planning industry has a transparency problem. Most planners earn commissions from venues and vendors, often between 10% and 15% of total revenue. Some earn more through undisclosed “side agreements” with preferred partners, adding another 5% or more on top.
To cover these commission arrangements, venues often increase their rates to absorb the added administrative cost. That markup is passed to the client, so organizations end up paying significantly more than the actual market rate for their event space without ever knowing why.
For nonprofits operating on tight budgets, this is not a minor inconvenience. It directly affects what they can do with limited resources.
How Robert Kraus Does It Differently
Kraus built SmallConferences.com around this principle: work for the client, not the venue.
The firm operates on a fee-based model. There are no commissions, no side agreements, and no preferred partner lists where vendors pay to be recommended. This matters because it removes a fundamental conflict of interest. When a planner earns a commission from the venue, they have a financial reason to steer clients toward certain options. But when they work for the client, that disappears.
Kraus has used this model, combined with more than 20 years of direct relationships with venue management and ownership, to consistently deliver savings of up to 38% compared to other event planners. He has also secured meaningful concessions (upgraded A/V, food and beverage credits, complimentary sleeping rooms) that commission-based planners often leave on the table because they negotiate on the venue’s behalf as much as the client’s.
What SmallConferences.com Actually Offers
The full suite of services at SmallConferences.com goes beyond venue sourcing. The firm also offers:
- Event Budget Development (financial planning built around the client’s actual resources).
- Food & Beverage Planning (Customized menus negotiated with the client’s budget in mind).
- Audio/Visual Arrangement (full A/V coordination without the typical hotel markups).
- Event Website Creation (a dedicated event site built for the client’s audience).
- Travel Management (logistics for attendee transportation and accommodations).
- Marketing & Registration (outreach strategy and on-site registration support).
- Activities & Team Building (curated programming for conference attendees).
- Decor (event design tailored to the client’s brand and goals).
For organizations planning in Miami specifically, the firm also operates Meet in Miami, a dedicated service covering the greater Miami and South Florida region. And for brands or organizations exploring short-term activations, PopUpsByDesign.com handles pop-up store, gallery, and event venue sourcing on a commission-free basis.
Getting Started With $0 Down
SmallConferences.com currently offers a special entry offer designed to lower the barrier for new clients:
- 50% off the first venue search.
- No deposit or upfront payment required.
- Payment only after a venue contract is signed.
Your Next Event
In the small conference space, organizations get left out of serious planning support, or they pay for it without realizing how much of that cost is inflated by hidden commissions and conflicts of interest. Robert Kraus spent over two decades building a practice that changes that through a fee-based, transparent model.
Nonprofits and small associations ready to plan their next event can find unparalleled support with SmallConferences.com.
