The SPOHOX™ community is for people involved in sport hosting and sport tourism who want better access to ideas, connections, and opportunities that support smarter and more innovative event bidding and hosting strategies.

This includes event rights holders, sport organizations, destinations, venue operators, and industry partners who are actively involved in planning, bidding on, hosting, or delivering sport events. Community members stay connected through shared insights, industry content, online tools like Bid Zone, and opportunities to gather in person at SPOHOX™ Live.

If you’re looking to level up your sport hosting strategy, challenge traditional approaches, build meaningful industry connections, and stay informed about events open for bid in Canada, the SPOHOX™ community is for you.

SPOHOX™ is reshaping the future of sport hosting in Canada by connecting the people who own sport events with the destinations and partners who want to host them, in smarter, more transparent and innovative ways.

Through SPOHOX™ Live, our in-person annual gathering, we bring together event rights holders, sport organizations, destinations, venues, and suppliers to share real-world insights, explore emerging trends in sport tourism, and build relationships that lead to better hosting decisions. The focus is not just networking, but meaningful collaboration and practical learning and take-aways that can be applied immediately.

We extend that impact year-round through Bid Zone, an online platform that centralizes sport event bidding opportunities and removes barriers that often limit access to hosting information. By making bid opportunities more visible and easier to navigate, we help sport hosting partners make more informed, competitive, and strategic hosting decisions.

SPOHOX™ is creating a connected ecosystem that supports innovation, improves how sport events are awarded and hosted, and strengthens Canada’s sport hosting industry for the long term.

No. SPOHOX™ is not a membership-based association and there is no fee to join the SPOHOX™ community.

SPOHOX™ is an open, online community of people involved in sport hosting and sport tourism who share ideas, insights, and opportunities throughout the year. Anyone can be part of the community by following SPOHOX™ on social media, subscribing to our newsletter, or engaging with our content and platforms, including Bid Zone.

Once a year, members of the community have the opportunity to gather in person at SPOHOX™ Live, our invite-only 2-day event. Attendance at the event requires a pass or invitation, but there is no cost or obligation to “join” the community itself.

No. SPOHOX™ is not a membership-based association and there is no fee to join the SPOHOX™ community.

SPOHOX™ is an open, online community of people involved in sport hosting and sport tourism who share ideas, insights, and opportunities throughout the year. Anyone can be part of the community by following SPOHOX™ on social media, subscribing to our newsletter, or engaging with our content and platforms, including Bid Zone.

Once a year, members of the community have the opportunity to gather in person at SPOHOX™ Live, our invite-only 2-day event. Attendance at the event requires a pass or invitation, but there is no cost or obligation to “join” the community itself.

SPOHOX™ Live is a 2-day, invite-only, in-person sport hosting event built specifically for people involved in sport event hosting and sport tourism. It brings together event rights holders, destinations, venues, and industry partners who are actively involved in bidding on, hosting, and delivering sport events across Canada and beyond.

Unlike traditional sport tourism conferences, SPOHOX™ Live is intentionally boutique and highly participatory. The focus is not on sitting in meeting rooms listening to panel discussions, but on curated conversations, practical learning, and real connections between decision-makers who shape where and how sport events are hosted.

SPOHOX™ Live is where industry insight turns into action. It’s where hosting strategies are challenged, partnerships are formed, and a community of forward-thinking sport hosting professionals comes together to push the industry forward, on and off the field.

[Request your invitation here]

The next SPOHOX™ Live event will take place November 4–5, 2026, in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The event has previously been hosted in Ottawa, Charlottetown, and Regina. The 2026 edition in Saint John will highlight New Brunswick’s unique sport hosting infrastructure in the Saint John region and signature east coast hospitality. Learn more about the 2026 edition here.

Invitations to attend SPOHOX™ Live are requested through an online submission and reviewed by the SPOHOX™ team. You may request for an invitation here.

The cost to attend SPOHOX™ Live depends on your role in the sport hosting ecosystem and the type of event pass you purchase.

SPOHOX™ Live offers two types of passes.

The Planner Player Pass is reserved for individuals who work for sport organizations or entities that produce sport events open for bid. The Regular Player Pass is available to all other industry professionals, including destinations, venues, and suppliers.

Some sport event organizers and event rights holders may be eligible for a fully funded experience through the SPO HO Xpedition™ (Hosted Buyer) Program.

The SPO HO Xpedition™ (Hosted Buyer) Program is an invitation-based funding initiative that provides qualified sport event rights holders with a fully or partially funded experience to attend SPOHOX™ Live and connect directly with host destinations.

This hosted buyer program may cover travel, accommodations, and event registration for qualified decision-makers working for a sport organization/events rights holder with active sport events open for bid. The funding program is intended to help events rights holders more impactful B2B connections with potential hosting partners.

Learn more about the 2026 Hosted Buyer Program here.

Spo Ho Xpedition™ program applications open in the spring. To be selected into the hosted program, you must demonstrate your current event portfolio and hosting opportunities match with those of the program funding partners. Hosted buyers receive access to exclusive perks and curated experiences supported by the program partners.

Learn more about the 2026 Hosted Buyer Program here.

Yes. At SPOHOX™ Live, we offer a curated B2B matchmaking activity for the sport hosting industry called D8s™.

D8s™ is a structured, one-on-one meeting format designed to connect sport event rights holders with destinations, venues, and hosting partners. Meetings are intentionally short (8-10 mins), highly targeted, and based on active hosting opportunities that are pre-vetted and pre-qualified to ensure every D8s™ is efficient and has partnership potential.

Unlike traditional B2B meetings, D8s™ focuses on quality over quantity. The goal is to spark relevant conversations, accelerate decision-making, and help the right people connect around real sport hosting opportunities.

Some activities and sessions at SPOHOX™ Live require advance sign-up during online event registration. Others do not.

The official SPOHOX™ Live schedule indicates which sessions:

• Require advance RSVP
• Have limited capacity*
• Are invite-only
• Are open to all registered event attendees and do not require pre-event sign-up

*Certain sessions and inter-active experiences have limited capacity or seating and require an RSVP to secure a spot. 

In addition, our D8s™ B2B matchmaking also requires pre-registration. D8s™ is included at no cost for Planner Player Pass holders, while it is available as a paid add-on for those purchasing a Regular Player Pass.

At SPOHOX™ Live, a Player is what we call an event attendee.

We use the term Player to reflect the active, participatory nature of the SPOHOX™ Live experience. Players are not passive audience members. They contribute to discussions, share insights, take part in curated activities, and engage directly with others across the sport hosting and sport tourism ecosystem.

Whether you are an event rights holder, destination representative, venue operator, or industry partner, if you attend SPOHOX™ Live, you’re a Player.

SPOHOX™ Live is neither. It is an invite-only, highly participatory sport hosting experience, not a traditional conference or trade show. If a familiarization (FAM) tour and a think tank had a baby, that would be SPOHOX™ Live.

There is no trade show floor and no exhibitor booths at SPOHOX™ Live. Instead, the event is designed around curated conversations, hands-on activities, and meaningful interaction between sport event rights holders, destinations, venues, and industry partners. While there are no exhibitor packages, we do offer high-value sponsorship activations and branding opportunities for event partners.

SPOHOX™ Live is attended by decision-makers and industry professionals working in the sport hosting and sport tourism industry.

Players typically include:

• Sport event rights holders from the USA and Canada
• Destinations (DMOs) responsible for sport event attracting  
• Venues and facility operators
• Event producers, marketing agencies, and sport tourism consultants
• Industry partners and suppliers who support sport event delivery

Attendance is intentionally curated to ensure a strong mix of people who influence where sport events are hosted, how they are delivered, and how partnerships are formed. 

SPOHOX™ Live is invite-only, and participant selection is designed to maintain balance across roles, experience levels, and perspectives within the sport hosting ecosystem.

SPOHOX™ Live is designed differently than large-scale sport tourism conferences and trade events that are open to anyone.

It is intentionally boutique, invite-only, and highly participatory, with a focus on collaboration, interactive sessions, and targeted B2B matchmaking rather than exhibit halls or ‘talking head’ style of programming.

SPOHOX™ Live places a strong emphasis on:

• Active participation rather than passive attendance
• Curated audiences instead of open registration
• Quality conversations & intimacy over volume of meetings/sessions
• Collaboration, not competition

SPOHOX™ Bid Zone is a free online platform where sport event rights holders can post events open for bid and host destinations and venues can view active RFPs.

The platform is open and free at www.SpoHoXperience.ca – there is no cost for destinations and venues to access bid documents and RFPs on the platform and no cost for sport events rights holders to post an RFP.

Yes!

SPOHOX™ Bid Zone features a wide range of Canadian and international sport events open for bid and seeking host communities in Canada. Listings come from national and provincial sport organizations, leagues, and sport event rights holders looking to partner with a destination (DMO) partner or venue.

Events on Bid Zone may include:

• National and regional championships
• Emerging and growth-sport events
• Multi-day tournaments and invitational competitions
• Sport festivals and fan-focused experiences
• Sport-related conferences or special events

Opportunities range from smaller, single-day events to large-scale events with national or international reach. This allows destinations, venues, and hosting partners to quickly identify sport hosting opportunities that align with their facilities, capacity, and hosting goals.

At its core, Bid Zone connects event rights holders and destinations/venues in a more transparent and efficient way at no cost.

To post on Bid Zone, a sport organization/events rights holder must be responsible for issuing bid opportunities or selecting host destinations and venues. All listings represent legitimate sport events that are open for hosting discussions, bid submissions, or formal RFP processes and that can be held in Canada.

Bid Zone exists to create a clear, trusted connection between Canadian or international event owners/producers and destinations, venues, and hosting partners who are looking to bring sport events to their communities.

Sport event RFPs can be posted and bid opportunities browsed directly through the online Bid Zone platform –  Bid Zone – Spo Ho Xperience.

Rights holders can “Submit an RFP” by uploading their event specifications and timelines. Destinations can immediately begin “Browsing the Bid Zone” to view active listings. For those attending SPOHOX™ Live, the Bid Zone experience is enhanced through our “D8s™” B2B speed-dating session, which facilitates one-on-one meetings.

You can follow SPOHOX™ online through LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and by subscribing to the SPOHOX™ newsletter at www.spohoxperience.ca.