WHAT IS THE VIRTUAL HOSTED BUYER EXPO?

The National Sports Forum (NSF) was proud to present the 3rd-annual Virtual Hosted Buyer Expo, July 17th-21st, 2023! The NSF provided a platform to connect vendors/service suppliers with our network of sports teams, leagues, and property executives in North America. This included Managers, Directors, VPs, & C-level execs in Sponsorship, Marketing, Ticket Sales, Special Events, Technology, Innovation, etc.

During the Virtual Hosted Buyer Expo, individuals had the chance to meet with these team-side executives for 20-minute meetings and discuss how products can bring a valuable impact to their organization. These meetings took place virtually and were scheduled based on availability. All execs were invited based on their titles (decision-makers) and matched using AI technology based on specific products and current challenges/projects. They also had the chance to select preferences on which executives they met in the weeks leading up to the event!

AS A THIRD-PARTY VENDOR, INDIVIDUALS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE THESE MEETINGS IN BUNDLES OF 5 OR MORE. WE ALSO CREATED CUSTOM PACKAGES BASED ON DESIRED NUMBER OF MEETINGS!

Starting Prices

5 meetings$3,000 ($600/meeting)
10 meetings$5,000 ($500/meeting)
15 meetings$6,000 ($400/meeting)
20 meetings$8,000 ($400/meeting)

HOW DOES THIS PROCESS WORK?

PLATFORM & LOGISTICS:

All meetings took place virtually on our Hosted Buyer platform, Grip. You can see the full list of team-side execs, send messages, and request meetings through this all-in-one platform. As a vendor, you can also have a “company profile” visible to all attendees on the platform.

MATCHMAKING PROCESS:

Grip has an AI Matchmaking solution that helped set meetings between our team-side buyers and our solutions providers. Each team-side buyer filled out a questionnaire before the event with what types of solutions they’re looking for, their budget, etc. Each vendor filled out a similar questionnaire with what kind of solutions you provide, whom you’re looking to work with, etc.

Based on everyone’s responses and availability, the platform suggested which team-side buyers they should have met with. They then went through the full list of team-side buyers and selected their preferences “Must Meet,” “Meet,” & “No Thanks.” The platform used its AI Scoring Matrix to deliver the most optimal schedule based on everyone’s feedback. With our expertise, we used the questionnaire feedback and AI matching-making technology to curate a meeting schedule that best fit you!

Testimonials:

“There have been some really interesting companies and conversations out of this. A
Couple that I think really have legs. I imagine the Expo will become a staple for the NSF
moving forward. I’m trying to figure out how we can sell a similar concept with our B2B
partners.”

Brett Baur – Vice President, Corporate & Premium Partnership Sales; Pittsburgh
Pirates

“The meetings were great to expose us to new vendors and opportunities that we normally
wouldn’t consider. The virtual format was convenient, as I didn’t have to travel out of the
office to make my meetings.”

Kevin Hilton – Vice President, Corporate Partnerships; San Francisco 49ers

“I definitely had some productive conversations and will be working through some internal
conversations to connect some of the vendors with other members of the Ravens
organization that I think would find their services valuable.”

Chris Wack – Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships; Baltimore Ravens

What teams participate?