Tired of Chasing Cold Hospitality Leads? Here’s a Smarter Way to Reach Tourism & Event Buyers & Influencers

Reaching meeting and event planners, concierges, social media influencers, media, and hospitality professionals is harder than ever. Businesses spend months—sometimes years—trying to get in front of the right decision-makers, only to face low response rates, wasted marketing dollars, and frustrating delays in the sales cycle.

But what if you could meet hundreds of high-value buyers and influencers in a single day—without spending months on outreach, digital ads, and networking events?

That’s exactly what the Hospitality & Tourism Summit, aka The Summit, delivers. While traditional methods like digital advertising, PR efforts, and networking events all have their place in a well-rounded marketing strategy, The Summit offers a proven, faster, and more efficient way to connect with decision-makers in a single day. Here’s why exhibiting at The Summit is the most time-effective and impactful way to build relationships and generate business this year.

The Hidden Cost of Finding, Reaching & Converting Prospects

Many businesses don’t realize how much time, effort, and money goes into getting the attention of decision-makers. Even if you know who you need to reach, how do you actually get them to engage?

Finding the Right Audience

• Businesses spend months researching contacts, investing in PR activities, attending networking events, and buying lists, just to identify the right planners, concierges, influencers, and media.

• Even after all that effort, there’s no guarantee you’re reaching the right people or making meaningful connections.

Getting Their Attention

• Digital advertising in hospitality and events is challenging—while our Planner Digital Advertising Program builds awareness with planners, there simply aren’t many options available. Targeting concierges and influencers digitally is even more limited.

• Cold calls and emails often get ignored, blocked, or deleted because the recipient doesn’t know or trust your brand yet.

• Even with an introduction, most decision-makers are busy and selective about who they engage with and when.

Building Trust & Reducing Risk

• Buyers don’t book a venue, hire an event service, or partner with a hospitality brand based on an ad or email alone. They need social proof, industry credibility, and a relationship before making a decision.

• Without a strong first impression, convincing a prospect to trust your business takes time—often stretching out sales cycles for months.

Following Up & Closing the Sale

• Even after a promising conversation, many deals stall out due to lack of urgency or momentum.

• On average, businesses spend $20,000+ (not including time, travel, or other expenses) chasing these audiences with no guarantee of results.

How The Summit Eliminates These Inefficiencies & Speeds Up Sales Instant Credibility

By exhibiting at The Summit, your brand is positioned alongside highly respected industry leaders. Buyers see exhibitors as established, vetted businesses—giving you instant trust before a conversation even begins.See the list of current exhibitors & sponsors

Stronger Opening Conversations

Instead of forcing a cold sales pitch, exhibitors meet buyers in an environment where both sides are actively looking to connect and build relationships. Conversations flow naturally because attendees expect to find new business partners and solutions.

Face-to-Face Engagement Lowers Perceived Risk

Meeting a planner, concierge, or influencer in person instantly builds rapport and reduces hesitation. Prospects can see, hear, and trust your business in real-time—making it much easier to move forward.

The Summit Provides Warm Leads—Not Cold Ones

Every exhibitor walks away with real, engaged prospects, not random contacts pulled from an email list. Businesses that staff their booth and work the room regularly collect hundreds of leads in a single day—leads that actually turn into business.

A Year’s Worth of Prospecting in One Day

Instead of spending months chasing leads, exhibitors meet hundreds of pre-qualified buyers and influencers in one productive, high-impact event.

The Urgency Factor: You Only Get One Chance Per Year

Unlike other marketing efforts that can be adjusted or restarted, The Summit only happens once per year. If you miss it, you have to wait an entire year to get this kind of direct access again.

What happens if you don’t exhibit?

• Your competitors make the industry connections you needed.

• You continue spending thousands on ads, PR, and outreach with no guarantee of ROI.

• You miss out on hundreds of warm leads that could fuel your sales pipeline for the next year.

What’s the Smarter Business Move?

If you’re still on the fence about exhibiting, ask yourself:

• How much time and money am I currently spending trying to reach these audiences?

• Wouldn’t it be easier to meet them face-to-face in a setting designed for business connections?

• What would my sales funnel look like if I walked away from The Summit with hundreds of warm leads?

• Is waiting another year worth the lost opportunities?

There’s a reason The Summit has been the go-to event for 24 years—because it works. Businesses leave with real leads, real connections, and real results.

📅 April 15, 2025

📍 West Loop: Morgan Manufacturing, Recess, & The City Hall

🎟️ Reserve your exhibitor spot today

Stop chasing cold leads. Get in front of the right prospects, all in one place, at The Hospitality & Tourism Summit.