Attendance Promotion: Getting People to the Show

Hosted-buyer programs are more common than most show organizers think, particularly abroad — and they're gaining popularity in the United States, with firms like M|C Communications, Richmond Events and Gartner demonstrating their profitability.

But if you're thinking of jumping on the hosted-buyer program bandwagon, take heed: Those with experience say that, while they draw high-quality crowds, these labor-intensive attendance initiatives are not for everybody.

Hosted-buyer programs take many shapes, but generally involve a show providing for highly qualified attendees to come to a meeting. The organizer and/or sponsors can pay for any combination of travel, accommodation and per diem expenses — or all of the above — as well as meeting registration fees.

For instance, IFP Group's Rebuild Iraq 2005, April 4–7 in Amman, Jordan, offered to cover 50 percent of accommodation fees for qualified Iraqi buyers who wanted to attend the show, and to negotiate special airfare on their behalf. Indian Express Group provided four days' accommodations and free intra-city transportation for hosted-buyers at its TravelWorld 2005 exhibition, Feb. 24–27 in Mumbai, India.

The expense of a hosted-buyer program can be covered by participating company sponsorships or, simply, higher space rates charged to exhibitors.

IMEX, the annual Frankfurt, Germany-based spring tradeshow for the meetings and travel business, covers all the costs of its 2,500-plus hosted-buyers — from airfare, to hotel, to meals — and IMEX exhibitors said they didn't mind paying more than usual for exhibit space if it contributed to delivering that many promising prospects.

The meetings, incentive, convention and event (or MICE) business favors the hosted-buyer model. The industry's comfort with fam' trips makes it an easy leap to apply the concept to exhibitions. Besides TravelWorld and IMEX, MICE-industry shows in the Czech Republic, Spain, India and Australia host their buyers.

But the MICE industry doesn't corner the market. Reed Exhibitions uses hosted-buyer programs at several of its events, including Nepcon China/EMT China, next scheduled April 4–7 in Shanghai, China.

And hosted-buyer programs aren't just for overseas shows, either. They're gaining traction here at home.

"It's a great vehicle for us to recruit audiences that wouldn't typically go to Gartner conferences and symposia," said Alwyn Dawkins, group vice president for Gartner Worldwide Events, referring to the company's Vision Events division, which is responsible for eight brands, many produced in multiple locations.

Dawkins said traditional audiences for Gartner Worldwide Events are large, billion-dollar-plus enterprises. Events for companies below that billion-dollar threshold fall under the jurisdiction of Vision, which uses the hosted model exclusively for its attendance.

"The Vision Events business accounts for about 25 percent of our overall events business revenue," Dawkins said. "If you think about that, it means 25 percent of our revenue comes from the hosted-buyer model."

Vision Events are profitable, Dawkins said, because of the symbiotic relationship between high-quality content and high-quality attendees. Gartner can deliver powerful buyers, in part, by offering seminars on its cutting-edge research and networking in five-star hotels.

Although it's not-for-profit, the Natl. Marine Manufacturers Assn. has been equally successful with its hosted-buyer program at MAATS (formerly the Marine Aftermarket Accessories Trade Show), an annual event in Las Vegas.

Much of that success has to do with experience. The show's manager, Kathleen Clickett, said the hosted-buyer program actually came first, and the exhibition — now 50 years old — was added later.

The program is a lot of work. Project coordinator Melissa Skomedal and her team scheduled 1,370 meetings between manufacturers and hosted-buyers at this year's show.

Dawkins agreed that managing a hosted-buyer program is complicated. He advised anyone considering doing one to think it over.

"Exhibitors might say, 'I wish there were more CIOs here.' But just inviting them isn't enough. You might have to change your value proposition," he said.

Finding, culling and qualifying buyers can be time-consuming (Gartner has a whole recruitment team dedicated to the task). Prospects often don't have time or aren't interested in being a captive audience. And once they're signed on, organizers are faced with the process of scheduling their travel and appointments.

Clickett added that hosted-buyer programs work best for small groups, or well-defined portions of large groups. "Somebody like (Intl.) CES probably couldn't pull it off," she said. "You really need an intimate atmosphere for the meetings."