The tradeshow dictionary
Hard bounce vs. soft bounce distinguishes permanent delivery failures (invalid address) from temporary ones (full mailbox, server timeout), driving different retry and suppression rules.
Home feed (event app) is the first screen an attendee sees when opening an event app: a scrollable stream mixing schedule highlights, announcements, personalized recommendations, sponsor placements, and quick links to key features. It's the app's front page, and it shapes what attendees do with every session inside the app.
Hospitality suite is a private space an exhibitor runs alongside a trade show — a room at the venue, a hotel suite, or a nearby restaurant buyout — used to host key customers and prospects away from the floor for meals, drinks, and unhurried conversation. It trades the show's foot traffic for depth with people who matter.
Hosted buyer is a vetted purchaser whose attendance costs — typically travel and accommodation — are paid or subsidized by the event organizer in return for committing to a defined programme of meetings with exhibitors. Hosted buyers are selected for purchasing authority and genuine intent to buy within the event's categories.
Hosted buyer contract is the written agreement between an organizer and a hosted buyer setting out what each side provides: the organizer funds travel, accommodation, or hospitality, and the buyer commits to a defined number of meetings, attendance requirements, and conduct terms. It converts a funded invitation into enforceable mutual obligations.
Hosted buyer no-show penalty is the consequence a hosted buyer faces for missing committed meetings or skipping the event — typically forfeiting expense reimbursement, repaying costs already covered, or exclusion from future editions. It gives the buyer's meeting obligations financial teeth and protects the exhibitors who were promised those meetings.
Hosted buyer program is a structured scheme in which an organizer covers travel, accommodation, or other costs for qualified buyers in exchange for a commitment to attend a set number of pre-scheduled meetings with exhibitors. It guarantees exhibitors access to serious purchasers and guarantees buyers an efficient, curated visit.
A house account is a customer owned by the organization rather than an individual rep — often strategic renewals, government pavilions, or accounts requiring multi-team coordination.
Human-in-the-loop is a design principle where an AI system's outputs or actions pass through a person before they take effect. The AI does the heavy lifting — drafting, scoring, deciding what to propose — and a human reviews, corrects, or approves, keeping accountability with people rather than software.
A hybrid event combines an in-person event with a simultaneous online experience, letting remote participants watch sessions, and sometimes network, without traveling. The physical event remains the core; the virtual layer extends its reach. Formats range from simple livestreams to full online platforms with their own interaction and matchmaking.