DALLAS, 12 June 2012 –  Continued growth for 2012 is the outlook for the exhibition industry based on first quarter survey results reported today by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR). Data collected for the first quarter CEIR Index reveals that the Total Index increased by 2.7 percent compared to the same period in 2011. The exhibition industry continued to outperform real GDP which increased at a rate of 2.0 percent from a year ago. In tandem with the Overall, all four key metrics showed positive results on a year-on-year basis with Attendance as the leading, key driver for the period.

CEIR Index for Overall Exhibition Industry, Year-on-Year % Change, 2007Q1-2012Q1

“The CEIR Index, released in March, reported that the leading indicator to look for in the exhibition industry recovery is an increase in professional attendance, and attendance in the first quarter continues to lead improvement with 4.6 percent growth in the first quarter compared to 3.5 percent in the fourth quarter in 2011. This is a very good indicator that the exhibition industry is clearly emerging from the recession and may begin to see consistent growth for the foreseeable future,” says CEIR President and CEO Doug Ducate, CEM, CMP. 

“The first-quarter results are very promising. They show that the exhibition industry is on the upswing despite a sluggish economy,” says CEIR’s economist Allen Shaw, Ph.D., Chief Economist for Global Economic Consulting Associates, Inc. “With seven consecutive quarters of growth now, we are even more confident of our predictions for the exhibition industry.”

Examining the key metrics evaluated by the CEIR Index, the year-on-year growth of Attendees accelerated to 4.6 percent compared to 3.5 percent in the fourth quarter. Net Square Feet followed with an increase of 3.4 percent but was less than the growth of the fourth quarter which reported 4.8 percent. Both Exhibitors and Real Revenues each increased slightly by 1.5 percent during the first quarter following a 2.1 percent and 5.2 percent growth respectively in the preceding quarter.

Quarterly CEIR Total Index for Overall Exhibition Industry vs. Quarterly Real GDP Year-on-Year % Change, 2008Q1-2012Q1

As an objective measure of the annual performance of the exhibition industry, the CEIR Index measures year-over-year changes in four key metrics to determine overall performance: Net Square Feet of Exhibit Space Sold; Professional Attendance; Number of Exhibiting Companies; and Gross Revenue. The CEIR Index provides exhibition industry performance across 14 key industry sectors: Business Services; Consumer Goods; Discretionary Consumer Services; Education; Food; Financial, Legal and Real Estate; Government; Building, Construction, Home and Repair; Industrial/Heavy Machinery and Finished Business Inputs; Communications and Information Technology; Medical and Health Care; Raw Materials and Science; Sporting Goods, Travel and Entertainment; and Transportation.

For more information about the CEIR Index, an Analysis of the 2011 Exhibition Industry and Future Outlook report or Predict – CEIR’s Annual Exhibition Industry Outlook Conference, contact CEIR Executive Director Cathy Breden, CAE, CMP, at cbreden@ceir.org or +1 (972) 687-9201.

About CEIR
CEIR serves to advance the growth, awareness and value of exhibitions and other face-to-face marketing events by producing and delivering knowledge-based research tools that enable stakeholder organizations to enhance their ability to meet current and emerging customer needs, improve their business performance and strengthen their competitive position. For additional information, visit www.ceir.org.

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Media Contact:
Susan Brower, CMM, CCP                    
sbrower@ceir.org
+1 (972) 687-9207