How hosted buyer programmes at travel trade shows work: who qualifies, what ITB Asia, OTM, IT&CM Asia, ATF and IMEX pay for, the meeting rules and fake invitations.
Cover image: A destination stand at IMEX in Frankfurt (2019 file photo) — photo by Toerisme Vlaanderen, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
A hosted buyer programme is a trade show's offer to pay for some or all of a vetted buyer's trip, usually an economy flight, hotel nights on show dates and local transfers, in return for a minimum number of pre-scheduled meetings with exhibitors. At ITB Asia 2026 in Singapore, for example, fully hosted buyers committed to 24 appointments in return for a reimbursable economy flight and three or four hotel nights, and still paid a SGD 325 registration fee.
Travel marts such as ATF TRAVEX and PHITEX use the model, as do meetings-industry shows such as IMEX, but the deals differ. Some organisers pay the airfare, some cap it and some cover only the hotel. Several keep part or all of a buyer's fee if the meetings don't happen.
Last checked: 1 November 2026.
How does a hosted buyer programme work?
Most programmes run in tiers. ITB Asia's 2026 terms had three: fully hosted, partially hosted and trade buyer. OTM in Mumbai, which returns on 1 to 3 February 2027, offers fully hosted, semi-hosted and self-hosted packages. The lower the tier, the less the organiser pays, and often the fewer meetings the buyer owes.
The meetings are the core of the deal. Before the show, buyers usually pick the exhibitors they want to meet and the organiser schedules the diary. At PHITEX 2026 in Manila, buyers picked sellers first, sellers then picked buyers, and each pre-arranged meeting lasted 15 minutes.
Some hosted buyers come through exhibitors. IMEX says around 300 of its exhibitors, which it calls "intermediaries", invite key clients with an invitation code; buyers can also apply direct.
Who qualifies as a hosted buyer?
Three tests recur: authority to buy, volume of business and a record of sending business abroad. ITB Asia looks for the decision maker at a company with "significant procurement volume" of travel services and a "noticeable procurement track record internationally". It prefers end-user buyers and accepts intermediaries and third-party contracting managers only as trade (non-hosted) buyers. It hosts one person per company.
The evidence demanded is specific. IT&CM Asia in Bangkok asks MICE buyers for at least three supplier references and evidence of past and future outbound MICE business. IMEX wants buyers responsible for international events, with three confirmed or planned events in the next three years. ATF's 2027 international buyer form asks for an annual budget for groups and events, the number organised each year, the last three groups taken to ASEAN and three confirmed or potential groups for the next 24 months.
Seniority counts too. PHITEX 2026 required a manager or assistant director title or higher, and said past buyers who had produced no bookings would not be considered.
What do organisers pay for?
Terms are as each organiser published them on 1 November 2026; where a show had not posted its next edition's terms, the latest are shown.
| Programme (terms shown) | What the top tier covers | Minimum appointments | Buyer fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| ITB Asia, Singapore (2026) | Reimbursable economy flight; 4- or 5-star hotel, 3 nights if based in Asia, 4 if based elsewhere | 24 fully hosted; 15 partially hosted; 10 trade buyer | SGD 325 fully hosted; SGD 234 partially hosted; trade buyers free |
| OTM, Mumbai (2027) | Return airfare support and hotel; semi-hosted buyers get hotel support | Not published (OTM cites 55-plus meetings per hosted buyer) | Not disclosed |
| IT&CM Asia, Bangkok (2026, MICE buyers) | Air tickets reimbursed at a capped rate; 4 nights at official hotels; hotel-venue transfers | 24 fully and semi-hosted; 10 trade; plus 2 brand showcase presentations | USD 300 fully hosted (USD 150 refundable); USD 250 semi-hosted (USD 125); USD 200 trade |
| ATF TRAVEX, Singapore (2027) | Economy return ticket reimbursed at a capped rate; up to 3 nights; airport and venue transport allowances | 28 fully and semi-hosted; 14 trade | US$350 fully hosted; US$250 semi-hosted and international trade; non-refundable |
| IMEX Frankfurt (2027) | Free flights and accommodation | 6 to 8 meetings a day | Free; no cancellation fees or fines |
| PHITEX, Manila (2026) | Airfare reimbursed up to a cap (fully hosted only); hotel for the event; transfers; meals during the business sessions | 40 scheduled over 2 days; 24 concluded, on a sheet submitted with the airfare claim | None stated for buyers |
ATF's TRAVEX page lists the tiered fees above, but its international buyer form states US$350 for all approved buyers, so check before paying.
"Reimbursable" usually means the buyer pays for the flight and claims the money back. PHITEX's 2026 rules, the most detailed we found, show how that works:
- The buyer books with any airline or agent and is repaid the actual fare or a cap, whichever is lower. The cap was set from the average economy fare from the buyer's country of origin.
- A ticket bought with frequent-flyer miles is repaid at the capped amount.
- Travel insurance, excess baggage and airport-authority fees are excluded.
- Buyers handed in an appointment sheet showing at least 24 concluded meetings and an evaluation form at the reimbursement counter, and were paid on the last business day, 9 September 2026.
So a buyer whose fare exceeds the cap pays the difference, and one who misses the paperwork risks losing the reimbursement. Extra nights and anything beyond room and breakfast went on the buyer's own account.
What does a hosted buyer owe, and what if they don't deliver?
Attendance comes first. ITB Asia mandated daily attendance on all three show days for hosted buyers and recommended at least eight appointments a day. IMEX asks hosted buyers to book six to eight meetings a day, to stay for each full day and says it regularly checks that meetings are booked and attended.
Penalties are mostly financial. IT&CM Asia's fully hosted MICE buyers paid USD 300 and got USD 150 back only if they met the minimum appointments, attended at least two brand showcase presentations and joined every compulsory or RSVP-confirmed event. At ATF TRAVEX, the commitment fee is non-refundable. For no-shows, PHITEX's organiser, TPB, said it would "demand whatever reasonable cost" to cover the charges.
IMEX is the outlier. It says there are no cancellation fees or fines.
How and when do you apply?
The sequence is similar everywhere. OTM lists five steps: application, qualification review, confirmation, scheduling meetings on its Snapcard platform, then the show. ATF says plainly that an application "is not a confirmation of hosting". Approval rests with the TRAVEX Secretariat and Host Committee, and the commitment fee is payable once a buyer is approved.
Deadlines fall well before the show. PHITEX 2026 closed buyer registration on 21 July 2026, seven weeks before its 8 to 9 September business sessions. IT&CM Asia offered a 20 per cent discount on confirmation fees to buyers who confirmed by 31 May 2026, about 16 weeks before its 22 to 24 September show.
As of 1 November 2026, ATF's international buyer application form for TRAVEX, which runs on 20 to 21 January 2027 in Singapore, was open. ITB Asia's hosted buyer page still showed its 2026 terms; the next edition runs on 20 to 22 October 2027.
Corporate buyers worried about compliance rules can, at IMEX, pay their own flights and hotel and keep the other hosted buyer benefits.
How do you spot a fake hosted buyer invitation?
ATF and IT&CM Asia charge their fees only to approved or confirmed buyers. An unsolicited promise of guaranteed full hosting, a fee requested to a personal account, or an event missing from the organiser's own website are reasons to stop.
Fake marts do happen. In February 2017, TTG Asia reported that 34 registered sellers lost some 400 million rupiah (US$30,769) to a fraudulent "ASEAN Travel Mart" promoted for Jakarta, with victims from Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia. The promoter had promised around 80 sellers and twice as many buyers. One victim told TTG Asia he grew suspicious when no buyer list arrived; the website then went offline, and the hotel had not been paid.
Before accepting, check the show against the organiser's website or our travel trade shows calendar, confirm the invitation with the buyer team listed on the organiser's own buyer page, and pay only through the registration system linked from it. An IMEX invitation from an exhibitor comes with a link and a code that joins that exhibitor's hosted buyer group.
Frequently asked questions
Is a hosted buyer programme free for buyers?
Not always. IMEX covers flights and accommodation for qualifying hosted buyers and charges no cancellation fees or fines. Others charge: ITB Asia's fully hosted buyers paid SGD 325 in 2026, IT&CM Asia's fully hosted MICE buyers paid USD 300 with USD 150 refundable, and ATF's 2027 commitment fee is non-refundable.
What is the difference between a fully hosted and a semi-hosted buyer?
A fully hosted buyer normally gets an airfare, often capped, plus hotel nights on show dates. A semi-hosted buyer usually gets the hotel but pays for the flight. At ATF TRAVEX 2027 both tiers owe at least 28 appointments; ITB Asia's 2026 partially hosted tier instead got SGD 1,000 towards the flight and no hotel.
Can travel agents and tour operators become hosted buyers?
Yes, if they buy for clients and can prove it. ITB Asia names travel agents among the decision makers it validates, and ATF lists travel agents, tour operators and wholesalers as eligible TRAVEX buyers. Expect to show buying authority, annual volume and recent groups. ITB Asia accepts intermediaries only as non-hosted trade buyers.
What happens if a hosted buyer misses appointments?
It usually costs money. IT&CM Asia refunds half the confirmation fee only to hosted buyers who meet the minimum appointments, showcase presentations and compulsory events. PHITEX 2026 tied airfare reimbursement to an appointment sheet showing at least 24 concluded meetings and an evaluation form. ITB Asia also rates returning buyers on past participation.
Sources
- ITB Asia, hosted buyer information
- OTM, hosted buyer packages and criteria
- IT&CM Asia and CTW Asia-Pacific, buyer fees and entitlements
- ASEAN Tourism Forum 2027, TRAVEX buyer entitlements
- ATF 2027, international buyer application form
- IMEX Frankfurt, hosted buyer program 2027
- PHITEX 2026, participation guidelines
- TTG Asia, event scammers con trade over bogus ASEAN tradeshow (2017)
