Insomniac and Amsterdam Dance Event are building a home for the business side of rave in the United States. The two announced Map Point Summit on October 22, a new three day electronic music conference that debuts in May 2027 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, slotted between the two weekends of EDC Las Vegas. The organizers call it an exclusive North American partnership for ADE, and it puts a dedicated industry gathering inside the busiest week on the American dance calendar.

Map Point Summit: the key facts

• What: a three day conference for electronic music and rave culture, produced by Insomniac with Amsterdam Dance Event
• Where: Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Nevada
• When: May 2027, between EDC Las Vegas Dusk (May 14 to 16) and Dawn (May 21 to 23). The exact three days have not been published yet.
• Who it is for: independent promoters, emerging artists, entrepreneurs, students and established industry professionals
• Tickets: pass options for professionals and students are still to be announced; the official site says registration opens in 2027

Unveiled on stage at ADE’s 30th edition

Insomniac founder and CEO Pasquale Rotella revealed the project during his keynote conversation at the 30th Amsterdam Dance Event, a session titled “The Future of Rave Culture and Why It Needs Its Own Industry.” Billboard Dance Director Katie Bain moderated. According to the official announcement and reports from EDM.com and EDMTunes, Rotella used the talk to describe the pressure on independent promoters and to argue that rave culture needs a sturdier, more self reliant business ecosystem if it is going to last.

“Rave culture was built by ravers, for ravers,” Rotella said in the announcement. “As our scene has grown, I believe it’s become increasingly important to protect what made it special in the first place.” He added that the scene needs to “support independent promoters, share knowledge, create opportunities for the next generation, and work together to build an industry that allows rave culture to thrive on its own terms.”

The name comes straight out of early underground rave practice. Party locations were often kept secret, so ravers would first drive to a designated meeting spot, the map point, where they got directions to the actual venue. Insomniac frames the summit the same way: a starting point for people trying to find their way into the industry.

What ADE brings to Las Vegas

ADE is the reference point for this kind of event. The Amsterdam gathering now runs more than 1,200 events across close to 300 venues, and its 2025 edition drew a record 600,000 visitors, figures reported by both EDMTunes and That Eric Alper. Its daytime conference arm, ADE Pro, plus the ADE Lab program for newcomers, is where much of the European industry meets each October. We covered the scale of this year’s edition in our look at the ADE 2026 programme.

Under the deal, ADE will bring curated ADE Pro and ADE Lab sessions, talent development initiatives and its international network to Map Point Summit. The official site describes it as an exclusive North American partnership, giving the US an ADE backed conference attached to its biggest festival.

Inside the program: Summit, Expo and Marketplace

No speakers have been confirmed, but the summit’s website already outlines the shape of the event. It is split into three main areas:

• The Summit: keynotes, conversations, workshops and smaller sessions
• The Expo: a hands on music tech floor for gear, software and immersive technology
• The Marketplace: independent makers from the rave community selling fashion, art, records and collectibles

Planned talk themes include the state of the dance business in 2027, what AI tools mean for artists, labels and events, touring and booking economics, marketing in a crowded media landscape, scouting new scenes, and safe spaces for marginalized communities. There is also a session pencilled in with curators and featured artists from the Beyond The Rave exhibition. Workshops will cover publishing and sync, distribution, booking agents, production, stage design, lighting and festival branding.

Why it matters for the US dance industry

EDC week already brings a huge share of the dance industry to Las Vegas, from artists and agents to label staff and brand partners. Insomniac now brands the stretch between the two weekends as the 12 Days of EDC, and our report on EDC Las Vegas 2027’s new experiences showed how much programming is being packed into that window. Adding a conference turns that downtime into deal making time, and gives Insomniac a business platform to match its festival footprint.

The independent promoter angle is the notable part. Rotella runs one of the biggest festival brands in North America, yet the pitch for Map Point Summit is about protecting smaller operators and giving newcomers a route in. How much of the program actually serves that audience, and how accessible the student and emerging talent passes turn out to be, will decide whether the summit lands as a community gathering or another corporate trade show.

What happens next

Insomniac says speakers, additional programming and ticket details will follow in the coming months. Exhibitors, brands and would be speakers can already submit interest through the official Map Point Summit website, where the team is also collecting registrations for updates. The site invites session proposals with a clear brief: bring a format, not a panel.

For now, Map Point Summit is a framework rather than a lineup. But with ADE’s three decades of conference experience behind it and EDC week as its stage, it is a serious attempt to give American rave culture an industry meeting of its own.

FAQ

What is Map Point Summit?

Map Point Summit is a three day electronic music and rave culture conference created by Insomniac in partnership with Amsterdam Dance Event, featuring talks, workshops, a music tech expo and a marketplace.

When and where is Map Point Summit 2027?

It debuts in May 2027 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, between the EDC Las Vegas Dusk weekend (May 14 to 16) and Dawn weekend (May 21 to 23). The exact dates have not been announced.

How do I get tickets for Map Point Summit?

Ticket prices and pass types have not been released. Interested attendees can register for updates at mappointsummit.com, and the organizers say pass options will include industry professional and student tiers.

Who are the Map Point Summit speakers?

No speakers have been announced yet. Insomniac says the full lineup will be revealed closer to the event.