Hospitality Match USA Brings in 48 Suppliers
July 24, 2008
PASADENA, California – Sipco Publications & Events, parent company of Fabrics & Furnishings International and Boutique DESIGN magazine, hosted its fourth Hospitality Match USA event in California this July. The event brought hospitality suppliers together with buyers in a series of business meetings and networking events.
This year Hospitality Match featured 48 suppliers of hospitality products ranging from textiles to lighting and joined them with more than 50 buyers from large design firms such as Hirsch Bedner Associates and Forrest Perkins. Each supplier was guaranteed a minimum of 20 20-minute meetings with different buyers to showcase their products and discuss future business opportunities.
In addition to business meetings, suppliers and buyers bonded at meals and networking events such as the "Mixology" contest and cook-off. Altogether, Match attendees spent three days staying at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena for the event.
"It's similar to speed dating," said Michael Schneider, president and publisher at Sipco. "You get all the benefits of meeting the buyer face-to-face with the added bonus of getting to know that person. By the end of Hospitality Match, you could see that these people weren't simply business partners – they were friends. Trade shows won't give you that."
Schneider also indicated that this was the most successful Match to date and that he foresaw the event becoming much bigger in the near future.
This year Hospitality Match featured 48 suppliers of hospitality products ranging from textiles to lighting and joined them with more than 50 buyers from large design firms such as Hirsch Bedner Associates and Forrest Perkins. Each supplier was guaranteed a minimum of 20 20-minute meetings with different buyers to showcase their products and discuss future business opportunities.
In addition to business meetings, suppliers and buyers bonded at meals and networking events such as the "Mixology" contest and cook-off. Altogether, Match attendees spent three days staying at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena for the event.
"It's similar to speed dating," said Michael Schneider, president and publisher at Sipco. "You get all the benefits of meeting the buyer face-to-face with the added bonus of getting to know that person. By the end of Hospitality Match, you could see that these people weren't simply business partners – they were friends. Trade shows won't give you that."
Schneider also indicated that this was the most successful Match to date and that he foresaw the event becoming much bigger in the near future.
