Hosted Buyer Experience
The Industry-Leading Hosted Buyer Experience
Meet pre-qualified suppliers, secure real partners, and accomplish months of sourcing in just three days.
The Connect Marketplace Hosted Buyer Experience is a hosted-buyer-first program designed to fast-track event sourcing through curated one-on-one meetings with the best event suppliers in the industry. In just three days, you’ll accomplish more sourcing, partnership-building, and deal-making than most buyers do in a month. If you’re looking for the gold standard of event industry hosted buyer programs, you've found it here.
More than Meetings. Way More.
Our Hosted Buyer Experience was built for far more than a packed meeting schedule. It was designed to help buyers level up across the board — sourcing smarter, networking bigger, and walking away with real momentum.
✅ High-energy networking experiences you won’t find anywhere else
✅ Education sessions that cover what buyers are actually talking about
✅ 10+ hours of curated networking
✅ 14+ hours of industry-forward education
✅ Exclusive hosted buyer perks and VIP spaces
You’ll leave Tampa Bay with fresh ideas, actionable insights, expanded connections, new vendor partnerships, and signed RFPs.
This isn’t about sitting in meetings all day.It’s about compressing months of event sourcing into three dynamic, high-value days — and having a great time while you do it.
The Total Package
A $3,000+ event experience—covered. Hosted Buyers get complimentary travel, hotel, meals, and premium access throughout the event. It’s buyer-first, stress-free, and built to hit different. Here's the full package:
Airfare & Accommodations
Flights, hotel, and meals covered—so you can focus on sourcing, not logistics.
Intentional Connections
AI-matched meetings with suppliers aligned to your actual event needs.
Top-Notch Networking
Build relationships with partners at networking events you'll actually enjoy.
Innovative Education
Walk away with strategies and over 14 CMP credit hours.
Easy to apply. Easy to attend.
Our Hosted Buyer Experience is designed to be clear, guided, and stress-free — with fast approval, personal support, and a meeting schedule built for efficiency.
How it Works
You show up ready. We handle the rest.
The Connect Marketplace Hosted Buyer Experience is fully designed around you.
We cover your event badge, airfare or travel, hotel accommodations, and meals — so you can focus on what actually matters: event sourcing and building real partnerships. In exchange, you’ll participate in up to 45 curated 9-minute one-on-one meetings with participating suppliers who are matched to your specific sourcing needs.
Your commitment is simple: show up, be present, and attend your pre-scheduled meetings. When you complete your assigned appointments, your $200 deposit is fully refunded. If meetings are missed, the deposit is forfeited.
It’s a professional exchange built on mutual respect — we invest in you, and you invest your time.
Simple. Clear. Worth it.
How to Qualify
10 minutes. One application.
If you’re actively sourcing for upcoming events and have real buying power, this program was built for you.
Here’s how it works:
1️⃣ Complete the Hosted Buyer application (it takes less than 10 minutes).
2️⃣ Submit a refundable $200 deposit to secure your spot.
3️⃣ Our Hosted Buyer Experience Team reviews your application.
If approved for our fully hosted program, you’ll be paired with a dedicated Hosted Buyer Experience Team member — your personal point of contact from start to finish. They’ll coordinate your travel, confirm your hotel stay, answer questions, and keep you in the loop about exclusive onsite perks.
And that $200 deposit?
You’ll receive it back once you complete your scheduled meetings.
No hoops. No hidden steps. Just a clear, guided path to Hosted Buyer status.
Connect Marketplace Hosted Buyer Qualifications
You may be eligible to attend Connect Spring Marketplace as a Hosted Buyer if you meet one or more of the following criteria:
Association Hosted Buyers
- Must be an association meeting planner that is representing a nonprofit or membership-based company
- Must generate 50+ rooms on peak
- Must have the ability to rotate nationally
- Must demonstrate a solid 2-year event history with reference
Corporate Hosted Buyers
- Must be a corporate meeting planner that is representing a for-profit company
- Must generate 50+ rooms on peak
- Must have the ability to rotate nationally
- Must demonstrate a solid 2-year event history with reference
International Hosted Buyers
- Must be booking international inbound travel to the US and/or Canada
- Must be looking to add new/exciting suppliers to packages
- Must have a website to review
Specialty Hosted Buyers
- Must be a planner of social, military, or fraternal groups
- Must generate 50+ rooms on peak
- Must have the ability to rotate nationally
- Must demonstrate a solid 2-year event history
Sports Hosted Buyers
- Must be a planner of competitive sporting events or sports-themed meetings
- Must generate 50+ rooms on peak
- Must have the ability to rotate nationally
- Must demonstrate a solid 2-year event history with reference
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I qualify as a Hosted Buyer?
Each Connect event has unique criteria that must be met in order to qualify as a Hosted Buyer. Most events require the ability to rotate nationally and have at least 50 room nights on peak.
What is expected from a Hosted Buyer?
Upon completion of your Hosted Buyer registration, a member of our Hosted Buyer Experience team will contact you to confirm your spot as a Hosted Buyer. Once you are confirmed, we will finalize your accommodations and travel plans.
Approximately two weeks prior to the event, you will be asked to enter the event portal where you will request appointments with your choice of CVBs, hotels, resorts, and service providers. Shortly after that, we will finalize and confirm your appointment schedule and you'll be provided with a schedule of pre-set appointments.
Please come to the event with business in hand, honor your appointment schedule, and stay for the entire event.
How much does it cost?
When you apply for a Connect event, you’ll be asked to place a registration deposit (typically between $99 – $200, depending on the show that you registered for). If approved, we’ll provide your flight, hotel accommodations, and your registration at no cost. Upon the successful completion of your pre-scheduled one-on-one appointments, your registration fee will be refunded.
What happens if I can't attend all of my scheduled meetings?
No worries! If you already know that there are times you will not be able to take marketplace meetings, please let your hosted buyer representative know. Notifying our team ahead of time will eliminate any problems on site and ensure you have a smooth experience.
Can I bring my team?
Our Connect Group Registration allows you to bring members of your team to participate in our tradeshow, education, and networking experiences. Please contact your Hosted Buyer representative to learn more about our group rates.
What if I don't want to take meetings?
If you want to attend a Connect event without committing to pre-scheduled Marketplace Appointments, we invite you to attend as a non-hosted buyer. As a Connect Buyer you will be responsible for securing your own flights and hotels.
Your registration will include:
✅ 2-Day access to our dynamic marketplace
✅ Entrance to Connect Spring Marketplace networking events
✅ 10+ hours of educational content
✅ Special non-hosted buyer programming
Still have questions?
If you have any questions about our Hosted Buyer Experience please reach out to a member of our team.