Connect Winter Marketplace
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About this event
Connect Winter Marketplace (18–20 November 2026 | Palm Beach, FL)
Connect Winter Marketplace is an all-in-one business event designed specifically for professionals in the MICE industry (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions). Held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in Palm Beach, Florida, United States on 18–20 November 2026, the event brings together corporate and association event professionals with destinations, suppliers, and hospitality partners for three days of highly curated engagement.
The event is positioned as a reverse-style trade experience—meaning the emphasis is on structured, pre-arranged conversations and meaningful face-to-face meetings rather than informal browsing. Attendees are brought together with the goal of creating lasting relationships and generating fresh opportunities for the year ahead.
1) Who attends (BUYERS / ATTENDEES)
The primary attendance groups are event buyers and planning decision-makers as well as event industry suppliers. The official event framing highlights “corporate and association event professionals” participating in a marketplace format where they can connect directly with the organizations and partners that support planning, production, destination management, and hospitality services.
Buyer-side attendees typically include:
- Corporate event professionals (planning leaders who organize internal/external programs, conferences, and meetings).
- Association event professionals (professionals from membership organizations who plan conferences and events for their communities).
- Decision-makers involved in venue, destination, and partner selection—the people who benefit most from curated one-on-one appointments and supplier discovery.
Supplier-side attendees typically include:
- Destinations and tourism/hospitality partners representing regions that host meetings and conferences.
- Event suppliers that support event production and planning needs.
- Hospitality partners that contribute lodging and visitor experience components.
The event’s structure suggests that attendees show up with intent—buyers are there to meet partners and identify actionable options for upcoming programming, while suppliers are there to engage with the specific planners and decision-makers best aligned to their offerings.
2) Where the show is happening + attendee geographic origin
Venue: Palm Beach County Convention Center
City/State: Palm Beach, Florida
Country: United States
Dates: 18–20 November 2026
The official event description references a cross-region planner presence, highlighting that participants join “in the nation’s capital” alongside top planners from Washington, D.C. and New York. While the venue is in Palm Beach, the event narrative strongly indicates buyer and industry representation across major U.S. markets—especially the East Coast planning communities that are active in MICE planning and event procurement.
What this typically means for geographic targeting:
- Strong likelihood of attendee representation from major metro regions where corporate and association event planning is concentrated.
- Particularly relevant for outreach to planners based in Washington, D.C. and New York, given the event’s stated emphasis on those planner communities.
- Buyers are likely traveling to Palm Beach for the event’s curated meeting format, suggesting a multi-region draw rather than a purely local audience.
3) Audience reach (Local / National / Global)
Connect Winter Marketplace is best characterized as a national-focused MICE industry event with meaningful multi-market representation across the United States. The event language emphasizes the “where events business gets done” positioning and highlights participation from major planning hubs. While the event is held in a single location (Palm Beach), the buyer and supplier community is structured to support broader industry engagement beyond the host city.
It is also an event where the participation is not only local or regional: the marketplace model and the curated appointment format are typically designed to concentrate high-value meetings that can result in planning decisions and partnerships that extend throughout the industry calendar.
4) Sample buyer company names (BUYERS ONLY) + Websites
The provided official website content describes attendee categories (corporate and association event professionals, hosted buyers, and suppliers), but it does not list specific buyer organizations by name. Therefore, any company-name list here would not be verifiably grounded in the provided source text.
If you share your client’s website, we can align buyer selections more precisely to your client’s offering and produce a buyer-target list that fits the event’s hosted-buyer and planner audience segments.
| Priority | Company | Website | Best Title to Target | Why This is a Good Buyer Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buyer company names are not available in the supplied official website text. Please provide either (a) your client website or (b) any example target buyer list you already have, and we will generate verified buyer-only samples accordingly. | ||||
5) Job profiles, industries & event type
Connect Winter Marketplace is explicitly positioned for the MICE industry and is structured around the needs of event planners and event business operators. Based on the event description, the event type includes: reverse-style marketplace appointments, curated networking, and industry education sessions (case studies, panels, and keynotes).
Target job profiles (buyers) to prioritize include:
- Corporate Event Planners and event strategy professionals responsible for programming decisions.
- Association Conference Planners who manage annual conferences, events, and member-facing gatherings.
- Event Procurement / Vendor Selection decision-makers who choose destinations and suppliers.
- Event Operations & Program Leaders who manage execution planning and partner coordination.
Industries connected to the event (buyer context):
- Meetings & Conferences
- Incentives and corporate event programs
- Association events
- Destination management and hospitality
- Event services and event supplier ecosystems
6) Estimated attendance (expected total footfall)
The supplied official website content confirms dates and venue, and it describes the event format (hosted buyers, one-on-one appointments, networking, education), but it does not provide a numeric attendance estimate or footfall figure. For accuracy, this section cannot introduce an attendance number without a reliable source from your materials.
If you share any additional event media, exhibitor prospectus, past attendance benchmarks, or marketing materials your team has access to, we can estimate attendance more reliably and translate it into buyer density expectations for marketplace-style engagement.
7) Key focus areas & buyer engagement
The event’s key focus is clear: it is built around meaningful, highly-curated connections between buyers and industry partners. The official description emphasizes that attendees should “skip the small talk” and “dive straight into conversations that drive action.”
Key focus areas likely shaping buyer engagement:
- One-on-One Appointments: structured face-to-face meetings that connect event professionals with decision-ready partners.
- Education and Insight: panels, keynotes, and case studies designed to deliver actionable strategies for event planning and industry best practices.
- High-Impact Networking: multiple networking formats intended to produce real relationships and collaboration opportunities.
- Business Development for the year ahead: the event is positioned to create fresh opportunities, supporting planning cycles and partnership building for upcoming events.
From a buyer-engagement perspective, Connect Winter Marketplace is not about broad awareness; it is about meeting the right people, fast, in a format that supports procurement conversations and planning decisions.
8) Buyer-list relevance based on your client product (request)
To identify the best buyers for attendee-list or hosted-buyer targeting, we need to review your client’s requirements against the event’s buyer categories.
Please share:
- Your client website URL
- A short description of your client’s product/service (what it does and who it serves)
- Any preferred buyer types (corporate vs association planners; destination vs supplier focus)
Once we have the client website, we will map your client to the most relevant buyer segments from the event context (corporate event professionals, association event professionals, hosted buyers) and produce prioritized buyer matches aligned to the event’s marketplace and meeting-driven format.
9) Suggested industry targeting (using an Apollo-style industry logic)
Based on the event being a MICE/meetings-and-conferences marketplace, the most relevant industry targeting typically includes event services, hospitality, and related professional services. While the official page is MICE-centric (and does not enumerate industry taxonomies), we can suggest the best-fit buyer industry filters using an Apollo-style approach from your provided list.
Strong industry selections to test for buyer targeting:
- Events Services
- Hospitality
- Leisure, Travel & Tourism
- Marketing & Advertising (where corporate event teams intersect with brand and experiential marketing)
- Program Development (where associations structure programs/conferences)
- Management Consulting (for firms that advise on events and engagement strategies)
- Professional Training & Coaching (when conferences include education tracks and training content)
Event positioning summary (what makes Connect Winter Marketplace valuable)
Connect Winter Marketplace is built to accelerate event-business outcomes. The event combines:
- Hosted buyers and curated one-on-one meetings
- Cutting-edge education (case studies, panels, keynotes)
- High-impact networking designed to move beyond surface interactions
- A marketplace format that concentrates relevant conversations during a fixed, focused window
For any solution designed to support meeting planning, venue/destination selection, hospitality partnership development, or event service delivery, this event format is especially relevant because buyer engagement is structured and appointment-driven from day one.
Quick event facts (from official site content)
- Event name: Connect Winter Marketplace
- Dates: 18–20 November 2026
- Venue: Palm Beach County Convention Center
- Location: Palm Beach, Florida, United States
- Format themes: curated one-on-one appointments, high-impact networking, and cutting-edge education
- Audience framing: corporate and association event professionals (hosted buyers) and event industry suppliers/destinations/hospitality partners
Next step
Please share your client website so we can: (1) identify the most relevant hosted-buyer segments for your offering, (2) produce buyer-only company targets with priority ranking, (3) map best titles to target for appointment-driven engagement, and (4) recommend the best-fit industry filters aligned to your Apollo-style industry list.
Data sheet
| Event Name | Connect Winter Marketplace |
| Event Date | 18–20 November 2026 |
| Event Status | Upcoming |
| Venue | Palm Beach County Convention Center |
| City | Palm Beach |
| State / Region | Florida |
| Country | United States |
| Organizer | Informa Connect Division of Informa PLC |
| Official Event Website | informaconnect.com/connect-winter-marketplace/ |
| Event Type | Hosted buyer / marketplace / reverse-style trade show for the meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) sector |
| Primary Category | Hospitality |
| Secondary Applicable Categories | Business Services; Travel & Tourism; Events Services |
| Audience Reach | National with selective international supplier participation |
| Estimated Attendance / Expected Footfall | Attendance figure not publicly confirmed by the organizer. |
| Attendance Data Reliability | Low to Medium; official site confirms format, audience type, and meeting model, but not a public attendance total. |
| Main Purpose of Event | To connect event planners and suppliers through curated one-on-one meetings, networking, and education so business partnerships and sourcing discussions can move quickly from introduction to action. |
Connect Winter Marketplace is a hosted-buyer marketplace for the meetings and events industry, built around curated one-on-one appointments, networking, and educational sessions. The official site positions the event as a place where corporate and association event professionals can meet destinations, suppliers, and hospitality partners in a business-first format designed to accelerate relationship building and sourcing conversations.
From a B2B perspective, the event matters because it concentrates decision-makers and solution providers in a high-intent environment where buyers are actively evaluating venues, destinations, services, and event support partners. The strongest participant groups are event planners, procurement-influenced corporate and association stakeholders, destination marketing teams, hospitality suppliers, and service providers serving meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions.
| Buyer / Attendee Segment | Typical Organizations | Buying Role or Influence | Relevance to Exhibitors / Suppliers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate event planners | Enterprise brands, corporate travel/event teams, internal communications groups | Direct specification and vendor selection | High-value source of venue, AV, DMC, destination, and production leads |
| Association meeting professionals | Trade associations, professional societies, membership organizations | Meeting sourcing and supplier evaluation | Strong for destination marketing, hotels, and event services |
| Hosted buyers | Qualified buyers invited by the organizer | High-intent appointment setting and procurement influence | Primary revenue target for suppliers participating in the marketplace |
| Destination and venue buyers | DMOs, CVBs, convention centers, hotel groups | Sourcing, contracting, and partnership decisions | Relevant for hotels, venues, transportation, and visitor services suppliers |
| Procurement-influenced stakeholders | Corporate procurement, category management, sourcing teams | Commercial approval and vendor governance | Important for suppliers selling event technology, logistics, and managed services |
| Hospitality buyers | Hotels, resorts, conference properties, hospitality groups | Supplier and partnership evaluation | Key for destination sales, technology, catering, and service vendors |
| Event agencies and production teams | Event agencies, creative production firms, AV/production companies | Project execution and subcontractor selection | Strong fit for tech, staging, logistics, and staffing suppliers |
| Industry consultants and advisors | Meeting consultants, event strategists, procurement advisors | Influence on supplier shortlists and recommendations | Valuable for account-based marketing and referral-based selling |
| Media and trade press | Event industry publications, business media, association media | Awareness generation and market credibility | Useful for PR, brand visibility, and thought leadership |
| Geographic Area | Likely Attendee Origin | Buyer Concentration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Beach / South Florida host market | Local hospitality, venue, and destination stakeholders | Medium | Convenient access to regional suppliers and hotel partners |
| Florida | Statewide event planners, destinations, hotels, agencies | High | Florida is a major events and hospitality market with strong supplier density |
| Southeastern United States | Regional corporate and association buyers | High | Short-haul travel supports efficient appointment-driven attendance |
| Northeast / Mid-Atlantic business hubs | New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia corridor buyers | High | Official site specifically references DC and New York planners |
| National U.S. reach | Association and corporate buyers from major metro areas | High | Hosted-buyer format typically attracts qualified buyers from across the country |
| International supplier reach | Destination suppliers, hospitality brands, services firms | Medium | Likely more supplier-heavy than buyer-heavy beyond the U.S. |
| Reach Level | Assessment | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| National | Primary classification | The event is positioned for U.S. event professionals, hosted buyers, and suppliers, with official references to DC and New York planners. |
| Regional overlay | Secondary | Florida and the Southeast are likely strong feeder markets due to travel convenience and hospitality concentration. |
| Buyer Company / Organization | Buyer Type | Why It Is Relevant | Website | Best Job Titles to Target | Evidence Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlayaCare | Healthcare / corporate event stakeholder | Official site testimonial indicates prior participation and strong event relevance. | alayacare.com | Events Manager, Marketing Director, Partnerships Lead | Prior-Year Participation Evidence |
| Allied Production Group | Event production / service buyer | Official site testimonial indicates event attendance and active supplier evaluation. | alliedproductiongroup.com | Producer, Operations Director, Account Director | Prior-Year Participation Evidence |
| Global Management Partners | Association / event management buyer | Official site testimonial suggests direct marketplace value for event professionals. | gmpartners.com | Meeting Planner, Managing Director, Event Strategy Lead | Prior-Year Participation Evidence |
| Maritz | Events / incentive travel / meetings | Large enterprise events firm; strong fit for hosted buyer and supplier marketplace format. | maritz.com | VP Events, Director of Meetings, Sourcing Manager | Strong Market Fit, Attendance Not Confirmed |
| BCD Meetings & Events | Global meetings management | Frequent buyer of venues, destinations, and event services. | bcdme.com | Program Manager, Account Director, Sourcing Lead | Strong Market Fit, Attendance Not Confirmed |
| CWT Meetings & Events | Meetings and travel management | Decision-makers evaluate destination, venue, and event technology partners. | meetingsandevents.cwt.com | Director of Events, Procurement Manager, Operations Lead | Strong Market Fit, Attendance Not Confirmed |
| Freeman | Event services / production | A major stakeholder in event sourcing, production, and activation. | freeman.com | Business Development Director, Producer, Event Ops Director | Strong Market Fit, Attendance Not Confirmed |
| Encore | Event production / AV / staging | Relevant for planners seeking production, technical, and AV partners. | encoreglobal.com | Director of Production, Sales Manager, Technical Director | Strong Market Fit, Attendance Not Confirmed |
| Cvent | Event technology | Strong relevance for hosted buyer meetings, registration, and event tech workflows. | cvent.com | VP Sales, Partnerships Manager, Customer Success Director | Strong Market Fit, Attendance Not Confirmed |
| Marriott International | Hotel / venue buyer and supplier | Key partner for meetings inventory, group sales, and destination sourcing. | marriott.com | Director of Sales, Revenue Manager, Group Sales Manager | Strong Market Fit, Attendance Not Confirmed |
| Hilton | Hotel / resort buyer and supplier | Likely venue and hospitality sourcing counterpart for event planners. | hilton.com | Sales Director, Convention Services Manager, Regional VP Sales | Strong Market Fit, Attendance Not Confirmed |
| Hyatt | Hotel / meeting venue buyer and supplier | Relevant for hosted meetings, incentive travel, and group event sourcing. | hyatt.com | Group Sales Director, Event Services Manager, Partnerships Director | Strong Market Fit, Attendance Not Confirmed |
| Priority | Job Title / Function | Department | Seniority Level | Why This Role Matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Director of Events / Event Director | Events / Marketing | Director | Owns event strategy, supplier selection, and attendee experience decisions. |
| 2 | Meeting Planner / Conference Planner | Events / Operations | Manager to Director | Directly sources venues, destinations, and service vendors. |
| 3 | VP Meetings & Events | Executive / Events | VP | High-level budget authority and preferred supplier oversight. |
| 4 | Procurement Manager / Sourcing Manager | Procurement / Supply Chain | Manager | Evaluates commercial terms, supplier risk, and contract compliance. |
| 5 | Strategic Sourcing Manager | Procurement | Manager / Senior Manager | Important for supplier discovery and category-based buying decisions. |
| 6 | Director of Hospitality / Venue Sales | Sales / Hospitality | Director | Decision-maker for destination, hotel, and convention business partnerships. |
| 7 | Partnerships Director / Business Development Director | Partnerships / Sales | Director | Builds commercial relationships with suppliers, sponsors, and service partners. |
| 8 | Operations Director / Facilities Director | Operations / Facilities | Director | Influences on-site execution, event logistics, and service provider selection. |
| 9 | CIO / CTO / IT Director | IT / Digital | Director to C-level | Relevant where event technology, registration, analytics, and workflow tools are evaluated. |
| 10 | Association Executive / Executive Director | Executive Office | C-level / Executive | Approves strategic event partnerships and annual meeting investments. |
| Priority | Apollo Industry | Why It Fits the Event | Best Buyer Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Events Services | Core industry for planners, suppliers, and event operators. | Event services, production, registration, staffing, and activation selling |
| 2 | Hospitality | Venue, hotel, resort, and convention demand is central to the event. | Hotels, resorts, convention centers, destination marketing |
| 3 | Leisure, Travel & Tourism | Travel destination and attendee movement are essential to marketplace economics. | Destination sales, travel services, visitor experiences |
| 4 | Business Supplies & Equipment | Relevant for event operations, signage, logistics, and workplace support. | Operational procurement and event infrastructure |
| 5 | Management Consulting | Event strategy, sourcing, and procurement advisory use cases align well. | Advisory, transformation, sourcing strategy |
| 6 | Marketing & Advertising | Brand activations, experiential marketing, and event promotion are relevant. | Brand partnerships and event sponsorship selling |
| 7 | Information Technology & Services | Event tech, registration, analytics, CRM, and virtual tools are important. | Event software, data, and workflow automation |
| 8 | Retail | Retail brands may attend for corporate meetings, events, and partner activation. | Corporate event programs and brand experiences |
| 9 | Food & Beverages | Catering, hospitality, and event F&B experiences matter to planners. | Catering, beverage service, event hospitality |
| 10 | Consumer Services | Corporate service buyers and customer experience teams often source events and experiences. | Experience design and outsourced service solutions |
| Metric | Figure | Status | Source / Basis | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated total footfall | Not publicly confirmed | Confirmed absence of public figure | Official website content reviewed | Attendance figure not publicly confirmed by the organizer. |
| Exhibitor count | Not publicly confirmed | Unconfirmed | Official website content reviewed | Supplier registration is promoted, but no public exhibitor total was provided. |
| Buyer count | Not publicly confirmed | Unconfirmed | Official website content reviewed | Hosted-buyer model strongly suggests qualified buyers, but no total is published. |
| Speaker count | Not publicly confirmed | Unconfirmed | Official website content reviewed | Agenda exists, but speaker totals were not visible in the supplied text. |
| Sponsor count | Not publicly confirmed | Unconfirmed | Official website content reviewed | Sponsorship is referenced, but count is not disclosed. |
| Historical attendance | Prior-year attendance not confirmed in supplied source text | Unavailable | Official website testimonial content only | Use only as qualitative evidence of engagement, not as a numerical estimate. |
| Focus Area | Typical Buyer Need | Buyer Engagement Opportunity | Relevant Supplier Offering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue sourcing | Find suitable meeting space, hotel inventory, and contract terms | Appointment-led venue pitches and destination comparisons | Hotels, convention centers, destinations, and CVBs |
| Event technology | Registration, networking, matchmaking, data, and engagement tools | Demonstrations of tech stack fit and ROI | Event software, CRM, apps, analytics, badge tech |
| Production and AV | Stage, lighting, audio, video, creative execution | Solution-based conversations about reliability and scale | AV, scenic design, show labor, production management |
| Destination marketing | Win meeting and incentive business from planners | Package presentations and hosted-buyer follow-up | DMOs, CVBs, attractions, tourism services |
| Education and thought leadership | Improve event strategy, sourcing, and attendee experience | Panels, case studies, and peer benchmarking | Consulting, training, and advisory services |
| Supplier partnerships | Build reliable vendor relationships and preferred supplier lists | High-intent networking and curated business meetings | Managed services, staffing, logistics, hospitality partners |
| Factor | Assessment | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer relevance | Very High | The event is explicitly designed for corporate and association event professionals with a buyer-centric appointment model. |
| Decision-maker availability | High | Hosted buyers, planners, and supplier decision-makers are central to the format. |
| Data collection potential | High | The marketplace structure is well suited to contact capture, segmentation, and meeting-based lead qualification. |
| Apollo targeting potential | Very High | Strong fit for event, hospitality, travel, procurement, and technology buyer lists. |
| Geographic targeting potential | High | Clear targeting by Florida, Southeast, Northeast, and national event hubs is possible. |
| Best outreach approach | High-touch, appointment-based | Short, relevant outreach tied to meetings, sourcing, hospitality, and business outcomes will perform best. |
| Overall lead quality | Very High | A strong event for B2B attendee list building, supplier prospecting, and buyer discovery in the MICE ecosystem. |
| Best use case | Lead generation and relationship-based selling | Best suited for event technology, hospitality, production, destination, and services companies. |
| Limitations / risks | Attendance transparency is limited | No public attendee count or full current-year participant directory was provided in the source text. |
| Filter Type | Recommended Filters | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Apollo industries | Events Services, Hospitality, Leisure, Travel & Tourism, Business Supplies & Equipment, Information Technology & Services, Management Consulting, Marketing & Advertising, Consumer Services, Food & Beverages | Capture both buyers and service suppliers tied to event planning and execution. |
| Departments | Events, Marketing, Procurement, Operations, Partnerships, Sales, Executive Office, IT | Target both decision-makers and operational influencers. |
| Seniority | Manager, Director, VP, CXO, Owner | Prioritize budget holders and supplier-selection authorities. |
| Job titles | Event Director, Meeting Planner, Conference Planner, Procurement Manager, Strategic Sourcing Manager, Director of Sales, Partnerships Director, Operations Director, IT Director, Director of Hospitality | Most likely buyer and influencer profiles for this marketplace. |
| Geography | United States; Florida; Southeast; New York; Washington, D.C.; Mid-Atlantic | Align with the event’s stated audience and likely feeder markets. |
| Employee size | 11–50, 51–200, 201–500, 501–1,000, 1,000+ | Covers agencies, hotels, associations, enterprise brands, and service firms. |
| Keywords | events, meetings, conferences, hosted buyer, marketplace, sponsorship, venue sourcing, destination marketing, hospitality, procurement | Helps isolate event-intent profiles and commercial buyers. |
| Company type | Private, public, association, nonprofit, government-adjacent entities | Broadens coverage of the event’s buyer ecosystem. |
| Technologies | Event management software, CRM, marketing automation, registration, analytics, webinar/event platforms | Useful if selling event tech or associated services. |
| Source | Type | What It Verified | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connect Winter Marketplace official website | Official organizer source | Event name, date, venue, city, audience positioning, hosted-buyer format, agenda themes, and organizer identity | Very High |
| Palm Beach County Convention Center | Venue reference | Venue name and event location alignment | High |
| Official site testimonial sections on Connect Winter Marketplace | Organizer-published qualitative evidence | Qualitative evidence of attendee satisfaction and prior participation examples | Medium |
| Informa Connect / Informa PLC corporate pages | Organizer background reference | Organizer ownership and corporate identity | High |
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Tell us your work email and our AI instantly builds a buyer list matched to Connect Winter Marketplace — the best‑fit companies to target, the exact decision‑maker job titles, and the industry filters that fit what you sell.