What Makes a Hosted-Buyer Program Work?

The Power of Connecting

Connect Marketplace brought 3,000 buyers and suppliers together in Milwaukee for one-on-one appointments. Here’s just one of the rows ready for hosted buyers to meet with potential partners.

The Power in Numbers

By the end of day three, 38,000 one-on-one buyer-seller appointments were in the books.

One-on-One in the Media Booth

Along with the editors of other Connect Meetings-aligned media brands at the show—BizBash, Trade Show News Network, and Corporate Event News—MeetingsNet’s content director, Sue Hatch, (left) scheduled a series of meetings with experienced meeting professionals, such as Erika Speed, director of live programming at Forbes.

The Power of Place

Milwaukee’s sparkling new Baird Center—notable for its natural light, prominent artwork, and 31,928-square-foot ballroom with a dramatic 34-foot ceiling—hosted Connect Marketplace.

The Power of Place, Part 2

Connect Marketplace made the Baird Center its own with colorful graphics and snappy signage.

The Power of Partnerships

Milwaukee pulled out the stops for Connect, with a revved-up event at the Harley Davidson Museum and grounds, complete with games, a band, and a drone show by Pixis to cap it off.

The Power of Light

The impressive 500-drone lightshow by Pixis created images of motorcycles, beer mugs, a baseball player, and more in the sky over the Harley Davidson Museum. For the Connect Meetings team, the logo of their parent company Informa was a surprise.

The Power of Education

Headliners on the Connect Marketplace education stage included Ken Holsinger, senior vice president, strategy at Freeman (above); Michael Dominguez, president and CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International; and Julius Solaris, founder of Boldpush.

The Power of Fun

Connect’s 200 exhibitors were ready for business, but the show floor was also the place for smiles—ice cream scooped by the Branson, Mo., team; fox-written poems (above) at the Durham, N.C., booth; and puppies courtesy of Reno-Tahoe, among other fun activations.

The Power of Fun, Part 2

There was a strong turnout for Connect’s 5K fun run on the final morning of the show. And at the end that day, Deer Park outside Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum was buzzing with food trucks and sporty entertainment.

The Power of Music

For the final night celebration of Connect Marketplace, rapper and DJ Lil Jon lit up the Baird Center ballroom with both his breakout hits and an eclectic mix of sing-along anthems. Are mainstream conferences ready for rap? Oh, yea.