AdventureELEVATE North America

Buyer Application

ATTA and Visit Denver would like to invite you to apply for a hosted buyer opportunity for the AdventureELEVATE North America event in Denver, Colorado from 28-30 May 2025.

Applications are currently open, and will close on 15 January, 2025, with selections being made at the end of January.

AdventureELEVATE North America gives attending buyers the opportunity to discover the unique natural and cultural resources and activities in Denver and the surrounding region. Selected buyers will be able to experience immersive adventures around the Denver area, make connections with regional and international suppliers at Marketplace, as well as find inspiration in learning about the value and development of adventure travel through speakers and workshops at the event.

Selected hosted buyer delegates will receive complimentary event registration, accommodations during the event, economy round-trip air, airport transfers, and a Day of Adventure at no cost. Hosted buyer delegates are required to participate in all sessions from 28-30 May. Failure to attend sessions, Marketplace meetings, and not completing post-event surveys could result in fewer opportunities to be selected as a fully hosted buyer at future events.

Hosted opportunities at AdventureELEVATE North America involve the following:

  • Day of Adventure in the Denver area 28 May, 2025
  • Access to AdventureELEVATE North America (2 days Conference) 29-30 May, 2025
  • Round-trip economy flights to Denver, CO
  • Single room at the Hyatt Regency from 27 - 31, May 2025

SCHEDULE

If selected, the entire trip length will vary in duration from 4-5 days total, plus the travel time from your origin city. Day of Adventure selections will be made after buyer's selections and registrations are complete, around March 2025.

The event itself is 28 - 30 May. Selected buyers are required to attend the duration of the event including a Day of Adventure and all conference days. No early departures are permitted. A hotel room will be covered from 27 - 31 May, and if you would like to attend the Outside Festival, extra nights at the Hyatt Regency are not included. For more information on staying extra nights at the Hyatt Regency, check out our Traveler Information page.

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

Please read the following information thoroughly to understand the details and requirements of the offer. This offer is valid for one delegate per company. The attendee must be a decision-maker for itinerary development. By completing the application form, you will be included in our selection process for one of the limited number of hosted buyer spots. Selection is not guaranteed. ATTA members are preferred by the host partner. 

The ATTA and our partners are seeking twenty (20) fully hosted delegates and are considering buyers who have an active interest in promoting, selling and developing new multi-day itineraries about adventure, responsible, and sustainable travel in the Denver area who are specifically based in:

    • Europe (Western, especially United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Germany)
    • Nordic countries
    • South America (especially Argentina and Brazil)
    • Oceania (especially Australia)
    • Mexico
    • Canada
    • Asia (especially Japan, India, and Southeast Asia)

Applications will be considered and reviewed with the destination partner, with the goal of hosting a diverse group of buyers who specialize in adventure and sustainable tourism, including:

Outbound Tour Operators
Outbound tour operators craft ideal itineraries and sell those itineraries to individuals or groups as a packaged product. Tour Operators that are looking to sell multi-day packages in Denver and the surrounding area are highly preferred. These specialized tour operators provide valuable insight into global travel trends and help match destination products to market demand. Itineraries are often multi-day, running from three to over twenty days depending on the destination and experience.

Travel Advisors (also known as Travel Agents, Travel Curators)
The travel advisor is a curator of an experience for a consumer. They can sell various packaged trips or holidays from different tour operators and therefore provide a more diverse range of options in addition to tailoring their own itineraries in direct collaboration with DMCs.

Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) / Web-Based Marketplace
OTAs curate products from the DMC and directly connect the DMC with the consumer. The DMC is the one crafting the product and selling it to the consumer while the OTA takes a commission for bringing the consumer to them.

What do they all have in common?
They are all sourcing (or buying from) local Destination Management Companies (DMCs), or ground handlers and / or sending clients from their home country or specific markets to other destinations.

HOSTED BUYER REQUIREMENTS

Role and expectations if your application is selected:

Fully-hosted buyers are expected to be researching the experience for potential new itineraries or promotion of existing ones. They are also required to meet with suppliers and destinations during the Marketplace sessions. Failure to attend sessions, Marketplace meetings, and not completing post-event surveys could result in fewer opportunities to be selected as a fully hosted buyer at future events.

If a hosted buyer spot is offered and accepted, the hosted buyer agrees to:

    • Participate in a Day of Adventure, matching your core product (28 May 2025)
    • Attend the FULL AdventureELEVATE North America event (all conference days) (28 - 30 May 2025)
    • Attend the buyer breakfast at the Hyatt Regency 29 May, 2025
    • Participate in AdventureELEVATE North America Marketplace sessions and attend every pre-scheduled meeting.
        • AdventureELEVATE North America Marketplace sessions are required for buyers to meet with suppliers and destinations from around the world. It includes pre-scheduled meetings that buyers will need to attend.
    • Obtain your own travel insurance policy for the trip.
    • As a hosted buyer, you are required to complete up to 3 online confidential surveys about itinerary development and sales to the destination over a period of one year.
        • These surveys are essential for reporting successes and challenges to our host destination partners—allowing them to track and report the long-term economic impact of new and strengthened business in the region, and to timely learn the challenges faced by the travel trade in selling the host destination. These findings have the potential to inform both the travel trade development strategy and the marketing strategy of the host destination.

Partially-Hosted Spots:

In the interest of accommodating more buyer delegates, there are partially-hosted spots available in addition to fully-hosted spots. The same application serves for both. Partially-hosted spots will be curated with selections and offers made from the pool of applications received.

ABOUT THE SELECTION PROCESS
    • Hosted buyers selections will be made from the pool of applications received.
    • All applications will be considered, reviewed, and selected with the destination partner.
    • A cross-set of criteria is used in the application evaluation and selection process to curate a final selection of buyers that represent some of the specific countries listed above and a variety of experience types related to adventure travel.
    • After initial evaluation, criteria used in the final buyers selection includes:
        • Representation from the specific countries listed above (limited per country).
        • A representation of all types of buyers, with a combination of outbound tour operators, travel advisors and OTAs, and a mix of generalists to specialists (trekking, cycling, wildlife…).
        • A representation of buyers new to ATTA events with those who have attended prior events.
        • ATTA members and nonmembers are welcome to apply
      • Due to the large number of applications typically received for a limited number of spots, not all qualified applicants can be selected.
      • You will receive an email from the ATTA informing you of the status of your application.

    APPLY NOW