Elena Bauer
Hosted Buyer · Procurement @ Nordwind Retail
For organizers of hosted buyer programs
Hosted buyers with a
guaranteed agenda.
You invite top buyers, Converve makes sure they arrive with a full, relevant meeting agenda. From the curated invitation through guaranteed quotas to travel logistics.
- Guaranteed meeting quotas
- Curated invitations
- Travel & hotel predictably linked
May 12 · 09:40
- Direct flight confirmed
- Hotel booked
6 / 6 meetings confirmed
- 10:00 Maschinenbau Nord AG
- 11:15 Hansa Components GmbH
- 13:30 Aurora Robotics
- 15:00 VeltTech Systems
Fully assembled, before arrival.
Trusted by leading trade show & hosted buyer organizers
The challenge
Invited isn't matched.
Hosted buyers cost travel, hotel and effort, and still end up with a half-empty agenda. Converve makes the program predictable: curated buyers, guaranteed meetings, seamless logistics.
Curated buyer selection
You decide which buyers get invited. Application, approval and profile review all run in one system.
Guaranteed meeting quotas
Every hosted buyer arrives with a firmly committed number of relevant 1:1 meetings, planned in advance instead of left to chance.
Travel & hotel logistics
Invitation management, travel and hotel booking, budgets and reimbursement, all linked to the meeting agenda.
ROI for organizers
Meeting counts, attendance rate and satisfaction in one report, the proof that the program pays off.
6 / 6 meetings confirmed
- 10:00 Maschinenbau Nord AG
- 11:15 Hansa Components GmbH
- 13:30 Aurora Robotics
- 15:00 VeltTech Systems
Fully assembled, before arrival.
How it works
A full agenda before the buyer lands.
Buyers apply or get invited, you approve and brief them. Converve matches them with the right providers, schedules guaranteed 1:1 meetings and links travel & hotel to the agenda, all set before arrival.
- Application & approval workflow for buyers
- Guaranteed meeting quotas per buyer
- Linked travel, hotel & budget management
- Complete agenda before arrival + reporting
Application & approval
You decide who arrives.
A hosted buyer program lives and dies by selection: who gets invited decides the quality of every single meeting. Converve maps the entire journey, application or targeted invitation, profile review, approval and briefing. Only then does matching open up. That way you make sure every sponsored seat goes to a buyer who is genuinely relevant to your exhibitors.
- Application flow with required fields & supporting documents
- Targeted invitations with prefilled links
- Profile review & approval by your team
- Commitments & briefing transparently on record
“Converve is our central matchmaking tool, intuitive for buyers and suppliers alike, with a match quality that genuinely delivers.” — Jan Badur, CEO, Nordic Marketing
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The process
A dependable hosted buyer program in three steps.
From the first invitation to the post-event report, that's how your program runs with Converve.
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Invite & approve
Buyers apply through a dedicated flow or get invited directly with prefilled links. Your team reviews profiles and approves, and only then does matching open up. That way no travel costs arise for the wrong guests.
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Match & secure quotas
Converve matches approved buyers with the right exhibitors. Both sides request meetings and can also decline requests, the guaranteed quotas secure the volume, the matching secures the relevance. No forced meetings.
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Arrive with a ready agenda
Travel and hotel data are linked to the meeting agenda; the full agenda is set before departure. After the event, the reporting documents meetings, attendance rates and satisfaction, per buyer, per exhibitor, for the whole program.
The classic pitfalls
Why hosted buyer programs fail in practice, and how Converve avoids it.
Hosted buyer programs have a mixed reputation, mostly because of avoidable mistakes in selection, software and logistics. The six most common ones:
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Forced meetings ruin the reputation
When the software won't let people decline requests, you get forced conversations with no substance, the most common complaint about the format. With Converve, both sides confirm every meeting; quotas secure the volume, matching the relevance.
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The wrong buyers arrive
Without curation you sponsor sightseeing instead of business. An application flow, profile review and approval workflow filter before travel costs arise, so every sponsored seat goes to a relevant decision-maker.
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Half-empty agendas despite full costs
Flight and hotel are paid for, but half the slots stay empty. Guaranteed meeting quotas per buyer and follow-up through open requests make sure the agenda is full before arrival.
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Travel, hotel and agenda run separately
The invitation in the inbox, flights in Excel, meetings in a third system. Converve links invitation management, travel and hotel data, budgets and reimbursement directly to the meeting agenda.
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Exhibitors doubt the program's value
Anyone helping cover the costs wants to see proof. The reporting shows meetings, attendance rates and satisfaction per exhibitor, the proof that the shared cost translates into guaranteed decision-maker conversations.
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No-shows without consequences
Commitments are transparently on record in the platform, reminders go out automatically, and attendance at every meeting is tracked. Whoever doesn't show is documented, the data basis for next year's invitation.
What is a hosted buyer program?
In a hosted buyer program, a trade show or event organizer specifically invites selected top buyers and covers their travel and hotel costs. In return, the hosted buyer commits to attending a set number of 1:1 meetings with exhibitors. The costs are often passed on to the participating exhibitors, who in turn get guaranteed conversations with qualified decision-makers, a win for all three parties. Software like Converve bundles invitation, curation, matching, scheduling and travel logistics into one system.
Frequently asked questions
How many meetings can I guarantee per hosted buyer?
You set the quota yourself, matched to meeting duration, breaks and event length. Converve fills the quotas through matching and mutual requests and shows at any time which buyers have reached their target, so you can steer specifically before arrivals begin.
Who covers the costs of a hosted buyer program?
Usually the organizer covers the invited buyers' travel and hotel costs and passes them on, fully or partly, to the participating exhibitors. In return, exhibitors get guaranteed 1:1 meetings with qualified decision-makers, the model pays off when curation and matching are right.
How do I avoid forced meetings in the program?
Through mutual confirmation: with Converve, a meeting only happens when both sides agree, and requests can also be declined. The guaranteed meeting count comes from good matching and follow-up, not from forced assignment. That's exactly what sets a good program apart from a bad one.
Can I handle travel and hotel logistics through Converve?
Yes. Invitation management, travel and hotel data, budgets and reimbursements are linked directly to the meeting agenda. Buyers see arrival, accommodation and meetings in one place, and your team manages logistics and program in one system instead of three.
How do I select the right hosted buyers?
Through an application flow with required fields and supporting documents, or through targeted invitations. Your team reviews each profile and approves it before matching and travel booking start. Criteria like purchasing volume, product range or source market are mapped through freely definable profile fields.
What happens if a hosted buyer cancels at short notice?
Their confirmed slots free up and can be reassigned immediately, and affected exhibitors are notified automatically. The agenda stays adjustable until the last minute, and on site the info desk tool supports your team with rescheduling.
Is a hosted buyer program worth it for my event?
If exhibitor ROI is your bottleneck, usually yes: guaranteed conversations with invited decision-makers are the strongest argument in exhibitor acquisition. What matters is the execution, curation, mutual confirmation and reporting that proves the program's value per exhibitor.
Is Converve GDPR-compliant, and where is the data hosted?
Converve is a German company, ISO/IEC 27001-certified and GDPR-compliant; a data processing agreement (DPA) is available on request. Hosting takes place entirely in Germany on request, especially relevant for international buyer data including travel and reimbursement information.
Planning a hosted buyer program?
Let's talk about your program, we'll show you how Converve bundles invitation, matching and logistics into one system. Free and no obligation.