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
Brett Baur – Vice President, Corporate & Premium Partnership Sales; Pittsburgh
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.”
Pirates
“The meetings were great to expose us to new vendors and opportunities that we normally
Kevin Hilton – Vice President, Corporate Partnerships; San Francisco 49ers
wouldn’t consider. The virtual format was convenient, as I didn’t have to travel out of the
office to make my meetings.”
“I definitely had some productive conversations and will be working through some internal
Chris Wack – Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships; Baltimore Ravens
conversations to connect some of the vendors with other members of the Ravens
organization that I think would find their services valuable.”