From MVP to SPOA: Thank you for an incredible week

What a week it was!

Recently, we had the chance to catch up with hundreds of studio owners, operators, and industry leaders, first at MVP in Raleigh and then at the School Photographers of America (SPOA) Summit.

If you joined us at either event, thank you.

Whether we met during a session, chatted over coffee, worked through a product question together, or simply said hello in the hallway, it was great to spend time with so many people who care deeply about this industry.

Events like these are always a reminder that while technology continues to evolve, the thing that makes this industry special is still the people.

Every session at MVP was built around one simple question:

How can we help studios have their best season yet?

Throughout the day, we explored smarter workflows, stronger ecommerce strategies, practical ways to improve profitability, new product innovations, and ideas for simplifying everyday operations.

But if you asked anyone on the Captura team what they'd remember most, I don't think the first answer would be a presentation.

It would be the conversations.

The studio owner is comparing notes with another customer over lunch. The questions that carried on long after a session had finished. The moments when someone discovered a feature they hadn't used before because another customer showed them how it fit into their workflow.

Those are the moments that stay with you.

Rolling up our sleeves together

One of the biggest highlights from MVP was the afternoon product workshops.

Instead of sitting through another presentation, customers had the chance to sit down with our Product, Customer Success, and Marketing teams to work through real scenarios together.

Every table was busy.

People were asking questions, sharing how they approached different challenges, testing new features, and swapping ideas with other studios facing similar situations.

Whether they were exploring Workflow, Commerce, Marketing, Designer, AI Image Editing or Yearbooks, the goal wasn't simply to demonstrate new functionality. It was to help customers leave with practical ideas they could put into practice as soon as they got home.

And when the workshops wrapped up, nobody seemed ready to stop talking.

The conversations continued at the Captura office before everyone headed to East Bower Cider Company, where customers and the Captura team had the chance to relax, catch up, and continue sharing ideas in a much more informal setting.

Continuing the conversation at the SPOA Summit

The very next day, many of those conversations continued at the School Photographers of America (SPOA) Summit.

Across the conference, our team joined industry panels and educational sessions covering many of the topics studios are thinking about right now, from workflow software and AI to profitability, security, yearbooks and the future of school photography.

One of the highlights for us was sharing the latest School Photography Industry Report with attendees.

Built from feedback gathered from parents, schools and studios across North America, the report provides a snapshot of where our industry is today and where it's heading next. The discussions it sparked were just as valuable as the data itself, with studio owners sharing their own experiences and comparing how the findings reflected what they're seeing in their own businesses.

Another session that generated plenty of discussion was Margin is the New Market Share, exploring how studios can improve profitability through smarter operations, better ecommerce experiences and thoughtful automation, not simply by working harder.

We also had some fantastic conversations around protecting student data, the growing role of AI, the future of workflow software, and why yearbooks continue to be one of the most meaningful products our industry creates.

While every session focused on something different, the same message kept coming up.

Studios aren't looking for more software.

They're looking for practical ideas, trusted partners, and technology that helps them spend less time managing systems and more time focusing on their customers.

Highlight: 2026 School Photography Industry Report

One of the best things about attending events like SPOA is hearing what's happening across the industry, not just within your own business.

That's exactly why we created the 2026 School Photography Industry Report.

Drawing on insights from parents, schools and studios, the report explores changing customer expectations, emerging industry trends and the opportunities shaping the future of school photography.

Whether you're planning for the season ahead or simply curious about what others are seeing across the industry, we hope you'll find it a valuable resource.

Explore the 2026 School Photography Industry Report:
https://industryreport.captura.io/

Built for studios. Powered by partnership.

Looking back across both events, the biggest takeaway wasn't a product announcement or a keynote slide.

It was seeing what happens when people who genuinely care about this industry come together. Some of the best ideas weren't planned. They happened when two studio owners found themselves discussing the same challenge over lunch.

When someone stayed behind after a workshop to ask one more question.

When a customer shared a workflow that saved another studio hours of work.

That's exactly what we hope to create.

Not just software.

Not just events.

But opportunities for studios to learn from one another, share ideas, and grow together.

That's what we mean when we say Built for studios. Powered by partnership.

Thank you!

One of our favourite parts of both MVP and SPOA was seeing just how willing people were to share.

Whether it was a new workflow, a lesson learned from peak season, an idea for improving customer communication, or simply an honest conversation about the challenges studios are facing, people weren't just listening; they were helping each other.

That's something we're incredibly proud to be part of.

So, thank you to everyone who joined us over the past couple of weeks.

Thank you for your questions. Thank you for your ideas. And thank you for continuing to make this such a welcoming, collaborative industry.

We hope you left with a few new ideas, a few new connections, and plenty of inspiration for the season ahead.

We certainly did!