Report: Exhibition Industry Healthy, Improving

The results of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research’s (CEIR) 2004 Exhibition Industry Index – which benchmarks the business-to-business segment of the U.S. and Canadian exhibition industry and recent analysis of events serviced by companies of Conferon Global Services – contradict reports of a decline in event attendance disseminated by The Brookings Institution earlier this year.

The 2004 Exhibition Industry Index measured and tracked four critical metrics: net exhibit space, number of exhibiting companies, professional attendance and revenue. Starting with an index value of 100 – which was based on 2000 data – net square footage showed the most improvement, from an index value of 102.3 in 2003 and 109.6 in 2004. Professional attendance was at 103.8, slightly outpacing the number of exhibiting companies at 103.3. Revenue has not yet fully recovered, ending 2004 at 97.0 – still a 1.7 improvement from 2003.

“The return to pre-2000 numbers is a strong sign of sustained recovery,” said Doug Ducate, CEIR president and CEO.

The complete index will be released Sept. 13 at the Exhibition Industry Senior Executives Summit.