Travel Bingo

Travel Bingo

Travel Bingo is an informal exchange system used by international associations to redistribute event participation seats. It is primarily applied to Annual General Meetings AGM, Half Year Meetings HYM, regional meetings and anniversary events. The system allows associations to place available event seats into a shared lottery pool, enabling wider international participation while reducing costs for individual members.

Concept and structure

Travel Bingo functions as a cooperative lottery based exchange. Participating associations contribute one or more seats from their own events to a common draw pool. A seat usually includes event registration and accommodation provided by the hosting association. Travel costs are generally not included.

Associations receive lottery tickets in proportion to the number of seats they contribute. For example, an association contributing two seats receives two tickets. All tickets are placed into a draw, and seats are allocated randomly among the participating associations.

Participation is voluntary, and only associations that agree to take part are included. The system is intended to ensure fairness while encouraging associations to contribute available seats.

Events and examples

Travel Bingo is most commonly held on an annual basis in connection with major international meetings. A well known example is the AGM Travel Bingo conducted during the RTI World Meeting, in which regularly up to twenty associations participate. In this context, AGM tickets are exchanged between associations worldwide and usually include registration and accommodation for the event. The RTI World Meeting Travel Bingo is traditionally organised and administered by the IRO of Round Table Germany.

Similar Travel Bingo exchanges take place at some of the regional meetings of the five regions.

Distribution of tickets

When an association wins a seat through Travel Bingo, the ticket is typically distributed internally by the association’s International Relations Officer IRO. The IRO allocates the seat to an interested member, often based on criteria such as age, level of prior international travel experience, motivation or general involvement within the association.

The selected participant is usually responsible only for travel expenses and personal spending. In return, they attend the international meeting as a hosted guest and experience the traditions, hospitality and social culture of the hosting association.

Purpose and benefits

The primary aim of Travel Bingo is to promote international exchange, networking and cultural understanding between associations. By lowering financial barriers, the system enables members who might otherwise be unable to attend international events to participate. It also helps hosting associations ensure full attendance at their events and supports the development of long term international relationships.