THE VAULT INVITATIONAL · Competition Brief
The national pole and movement championship. Produced by The Walker Group. Owned by VAULT IP LLC. Traveling: different city each year.
Not a gym event. A broadcast-scale entertainment property with sponsorship, streaming, artist performances, and category-defining stakes.
The concept in one sentence
Twelve of the world’s best pole and movement athletes travel to a different global city each year, compete for a $250K purse under concert-scale production, with world-class musical performances between rounds, streamed and broadcast for a Hennessy-sponsored, Hot 97-covered, TWG-produced championship weekend.
Why traveling
Static events (annual conference, single city) plateau. Traveling championships (X Games, VMAs, UFC, Formula 1 races) compound. Each year in a new host city means:
- Fresh media each year. Host-city press cycle amplifies national coverage.
- Sponsor + venue economics improve. Cities compete to host. Venues offer subsidies.
- Regional franchisee pull. Once VAULT franchises exist (Y3+), host city awarding correlates with franchise unit strength in that market. Compelling story for franchisee prospects.
- Athlete + audience travel builds cultural gravity. Members follow the tour. Alumni watch remotely. Global brand is built on movement.
- Repeat-city option preserved. After 3-4 unique cities, VAULT can rotate back with each city getting refreshed programming.
Charlotte hosts Y1 (home + control). Then it travels.
Founding tour route
| Year | Host city | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Y1 (2028) | Charlotte | Home. Full TWG control. Prove the format. |
| Y2 (2029) | New York City | Hot 97 media leverage. Wall Street + fashion sponsor unlock. Iconic venue (Kings Theatre, Manhattan Center). |
| Y3 (2030) | Miami | Latin dance culture. Bass/Ultra music adjacency. Winter tourism. |
| Y4 (2031) | Atlanta | Hip hop industry base. Trill’s home. State Farm Arena or Coca-Cola Roxy. |
| Y5 (2032) | Los Angeles | Hollywood + choreography industry. Emmy consideration for streaming special. |
| Y6 (2033) | London | First international. Trill’s Beyoncé/global tour credibility travels. |
| Y7 (2034) | Dubai | Second international. Ultra-luxury audience + sponsor. |
| Y8+ | Rotation back or new markets (Tokyo, Berlin, São Paulo, Mexico City) | Category-defining global property. |
Each year’s city announced at the closing of the prior year’s event. Anticipation is the flywheel.
Format
Duration: 3 days (Friday night gala, Saturday preliminaries, Sunday championship).
Athletes: 12 invited elite pole + movement athletes. Global selection. Discipline mix: pole sport, pole art, movement/floor choreography, aerial (silks/hoop). Judges + Head of Programming curate the invited list.
Judging panel: 5 judges. Rotating panel drawn from: - Cirque du Soleil creative directors - Vegas headline choreographers - Film + video choreographers (Fatima Robinson, Sean Bankhead, Parris Goebel) - Beyoncé/Latto/Doja/Rihanna tour choreographers (Trill’s connections) - Global pole federation reps (IPSF, POSA, FISAF) - One rotating “creative wild card” (visual artist, filmmaker, fashion designer)
Rounds: - Friday Gala (2 hours): open ceremony, sponsor + press activation, Hennessy-hosted VIP reception, warm-up performances (2-3 musical acts, DJ set) - Saturday Prelims (4 hours): 12 athletes compete in 3 disciplines. Cut to top 6. - Sunday Championship (3 hours): Top 6 finals + halftime performance + winner ceremony
Purse: - 1st place: $100,000 - 2nd place: $50,000 - 3rd place: $25,000 - Discipline specialty awards (pole sport, pole art, aerial, movement): $15,000 each = $60,000 - Choreography award: $15,000 - Total purse: $250,000
Music + performance
Not decorative. Central to the event.
Between-round performances (Sunday): - 2-3 major artists perform sets between competition rounds - Sourced from Trill’s dance world + Taj’s Team Hennessy sponsor pull (Hennessy roster) + The Walker Group’s music industry network - Y1 target performance lineup: 1 headline artist (arena-tier), 1 co-headline (mid-tier), 1 emerging (rising artist) - Live band + timecode-locked lighting/video produced by TWG — this is Trill’s playbook
DJ program: - Live DJ throughout Sunday championship - Y1 target: Hot 97 talent (Funk Flex, DJ Camilo, or similar), or Hennessy Team affiliate DJ - Friday gala DJ separate booking
Halftime performance (Sunday): - 20-minute performance during scoring break - Marquee artist. Y1 target: Latto, GloRilla, Doechii, or Teyana Taylor (all Trill-adjacent)
Broadcast + streaming
Y1 (Charlotte): - Live stream on YouTube Live (VAULT-branded channel) - Highlight package distributed post-event to Hot 97 platforms + partner networks - Behind-the-scenes docuseries distributed on IG + TikTok + VAULT Digital Membership
Y2 (NYC): - Streaming partner deal negotiation: Prime Video, YouTube Premium, or Peacock live rights - Hot 97 radio + digital coverage locked (Taj’s plug activated at scale) - Post-event 60-minute broadcast special
Y3+ (Miami, ATL, LA): - Multi-year streaming rights deal target: Prime Video, Netflix, or ESPN+ - Streaming rights = new revenue line ($500K-$2M+ per year post-Y3) - Docuseries option (behind-the-athletes, VAULT INVITATIONAL: The Road, 8-10 episodes annually)
International (Y6+): - Sky Sports UK, BeIN Middle East, DAZN global — regional broadcast rights fragmented
Sponsorship stack
Y1 anchor sponsor tier: - Hennessy — Presenting Sponsor (Taj’s Team Hennessy plug). $250K-$500K presenting deal. Hospitality lounge, VIP experience, custom cocktail activation. - Hot 97 (NY/NJ) — Media Partner. Not a paid sponsor but a media-value trade partner. Coverage, promotion, on-air interviews with athletes and Trill.
Y1 category sponsors ($75K-$200K each): - Athleisure/apparel brand (Alo Yoga, Bandier, or VAULT owned promotion) - Automotive luxury (Genesis, Cadillac, Range Rover) - Financial services (Chase Sapphire, American Express) - Wellness/beverage (JUST Water, Athletic Brewing zero-proof)
Y2+ scale up: - Add headline sponsor (Y2 target: Nike, Lululemon, or streaming platform primary sponsor) - Add category sponsors up to 8-10 total - Corporate hospitality tiers (per-corp $50K-$150K for private hospitality suites)
Total sponsorship revenue targets: - Y1: $750K-$1.2M - Y2: $1.5M-$2.5M - Y3: $2.5M-$4M - Y5+ (international traveling): $5M-$8M/yr
Ticketing
Charlotte Y1 flagship venue = VAULT main studio in broadcast mode (150-200 seats). Sold out invitational, VIP pricing: - General admission: $250 (Friday), $350 (Saturday), $500 (Sunday championship) - Championship weekend all-access pass: $1,200 - VIP hospitality (with Hennessy lounge access, backstage): $2,500 - Corporate hospitality suite (10 seats, private area): $25,000
Y1 ticketing target: $250K-$400K gross
Y2 (NYC) uses larger venue (Kings Theatre 3,200 capacity, or Manhattan Center 3,500): - Same tier structure, scaled to venue - Y2 ticketing target: $1.5M-$2.5M gross
Y3+ Miami/ATL/LA: 4,000-8,000 capacity venues. Ticketing $3M-$6M gross annually.
The economics (Y1 Charlotte)
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sponsorship revenue | $750K to $1.2M |
| Ticketing revenue | $250K to $400K |
| Streaming/media rights | $0 (Y1 live stream is free) |
| Athlete entry fees | $50K ($4,167 x 12 athletes) |
| Merchandise + VAULT apparel drop | $50K to $100K |
| Total gross revenue | $1.1M to $1.75M |
| Production cost (TWG-produced) | ($550K to $700K) |
| Athlete purse | ($250K) |
| Venue + hospitality | ($100K to $150K) |
| Marketing + PR | ($100K to $150K) |
| Total costs | ($1.0M to $1.25M) |
| Y1 net EBITDA to VAULT IP LLC | $100K to $500K |
Y1 target: break-even to modestly positive. Y1 is about IP establishment, not profit.
Y2 (NYC) target: $500K to $1.5M net EBITDA.
Y5+ (mature, streaming rights): $2M-$4M net EBITDA/yr.
The Walker Group production role
TWG is the exclusive producer. Contracted by VAULT IP LLC for 5-year renewable term.
TWG production fee: 12% of gross event revenue OR flat $500K, whichever is higher. Y1 estimated: $500K to $600K to TWG.
TWG scope: - Show direction, music direction, playback engineering (Trill’s core) - Concert-scale production design (lighting, video, sound) - Live music + DJ program curation and booking - Talent booking (performance artists, DJs) - Rehearsal + tech schedule - Broadcast production (multi-cam, control, streaming rack) - Post-production highlight package and docuseries content
Marketing + press
Owned by Tia (Marketing Director) + TWG PR partner.
Y1 campaign arcs: - 6 months out: Athlete lineup announcement, ticket presale to VAULT members - 3 months out: Judge announcement, sponsor announcement, general ticket on-sale - 1 month out: Weekly athlete profiles (IG + TikTok content), Hot 97 promotional runs - Week of: Countdown content, press day, red-carpet Friday gala - Post-event: highlight edits, athlete post-interviews, Y2 city reveal
Athletes + selection
Pool: Global. Top 40-60 athletes in movement/pole competition circuit. Y1 target invitation ratio: 12 total invitees. Diversity of discipline + geography + culture. Selection panel: Head of Programming (VAULT) + 2 rotating judges + Trill. Athlete compensation: - $10K appearance fee per invitee (regardless of finish) - Travel + accommodations covered - Purse on top for placement
Y1 athlete budget: $120K appearance fees + $60K travel/lodging = $180K. Included in production budget above.
Risk register (event-specific, expanded in 00_FOUNDATION/05)
- Sponsor drops out late. Mitigation: 30% of sponsor deals locked with 50% non-refundable deposit.
- Athlete injury or withdrawal. Mitigation: 2 alternates on standby.
- Weather/venue crisis. Mitigation: full event insurance rider + backup venue Y1.
- Streaming outage. Mitigation: dual streaming pipeline, TWG production redundancy.
- PR crisis (athlete controversy, sponsor conflict). Mitigation: 24-hour crisis comms retainer.
What VAULT INVITATIONAL is not
- Not a hobbyist regional event
- Not a franchisee-hosted event (VAULT IP LLC owns and produces exclusively)
- Not a women-only event (gender-neutral positioning)
- Not free (paid athlete purse, paid tickets, paid sponsors, aspirational not populist)
- Not amateur (top-tier only, invitational selection)
Sub-docs in this section
- 01_BROADCAST_PRODUCTION — TWG production spec, technical brief
- 02_TWG_PRODUCTION_ROLE — the contractual + economic role of The Walker Group
- 03_SPONSORSHIP_PACKAGE — sponsor tier structure and sell sheet
- 04_JUDGES_TALENT — judge invite process and athlete selection
- 05_ECONOMICS — full financial model per year, per city
THE VAULT INVITATIONAL is the flywheel that makes VAULT a national and international brand instead of a Charlotte club. Every dollar spent on it in Y1 buys years of enterprise value.