Earlier this year Circle City Servers has signed on as a sponsor of HostingDiscussion for CloudFest Americas 2026, and its owner, Jason Canady (in the community known as OnTheCloud.co), will attend in person. He has gone to CloudFest before, but this year he paid for his own ticket, and he says that choice reflects where the company wants to go next.
In his own words, the change comes down to ambition. “The last few years I had free tickets, but we’re really looking to grow and expand Circle City Servers, so I paid for a ticket and I’m excited to return in person again,” Canady said.
His history with the event helps explain the move. Canady first met HostingDiscussion’s publisher Artashes Toumanov at CloudFest 2024 in Austin, then again at the 2025 event in Miami. This year’s edition takes place at the same venue as the Miami show. Canady describes working with Artashes as a great experience, both online and in person.
That relationship led directly to the sponsorship. “I wanted the opportunity to support HostingDiscussion and receive some spotlight from HD at CloudFest this year,” he said.
Canady also has a message he hopes the sponsorship sends. “I’m hoping that our sponsorship shows that we are committed to supporting the hosting community and can gain some recognition of our brand from this method,” he said. In other words, he sees the sponsorship as two things at once: a show of support for peers and a way to get the company noticed.
The step up matters. Attending on a free pass makes someone a guest. Paying for a ticket and backing a community project makes them a participant, and that shift can signal a company that wants to be known. Canady did not share the size of the sponsorship or any specific growth targets, so the details of the plan remain his to explain later.
Still, the motives he describes are plain. Face-to-face events let smaller companies meet the people they work with online, and his own account shows how that works. A connection made in Austin turned into a sponsorship two events later.
Back in Miami for another @CloudFestUSA 🥳 Excited to cover as much of #CloudFestAmericas as possible. If you see me, come introduce yourself 🎤 and your company to HostingDiscussion! 📈
Can’t wait to hit the ground! #CloudFest https://t.co/Vmm5efQLSr
— HostingDiscussion (@HDforum) November 11, 2026
