By Nancy Drapeau, PRC, Research Director
In this blog post, I’d like to share a quick overview of research reports that have been published to date in 2014, and what is yet to come in the next few months. This year’s research schedule is aggressive as we aim to conduct research in a broad range of areas to help exhibitions continue to keep pace with the evolving needs and preferences of exhibitors and attendees of business-to-business exhibitions in particular.
Reports released so far this year are focused on assisting organizers and exhibitors in developing marketing and content offerings to align with attendee needs and preferences. CEIR released the estimated total direct spend impact of exhibitors and attendees on the U.S. economy, documenting substantial economic impact:
- Attracting New Attendees
- Organization Size What Really Matters (report on attendee unique and shared needs and preferences of attendees by company size)
- Attendee Direct Spending Estimate
- Exhibitor Direct Spending Estimate
The new edition of the CEIR Index is now available. It is the leading industry resource tracking overall market performance of business-to-business exhibitions in the United States. It reports on historical performance from 2000 to 2013 as well as providing a three-year forecast. Metrics tracked include: number of exhibitors, net square footage, number of attendees and revenues. No other resource offers such a valuable tool to assist in strategic planning and evaluating business development opportunities.
In the next several months keep a watch for more focus reports from the What Attendees Want from Trade Exhibition series. Additionally, data is forthcoming on benchmark data for organizers and statistics to help sell the value of exhibiting. Insights are also coming soon on best practices organizers are engaging in to effectively market to young professionals. Here’s a list of reports to come:
- Attendee Preferences by Level in Organization
- Cost to Attract Attendees
- Floor Interaction Preferences Study
- Generational Workforce Shift Study Report
- Staggering Stats Update
- Cost Effectiveness of Exhibiting
