USA - The exhibition industry grew 4.1 per cent last year compared to 2009, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) has found.
The results of its CEIR Index quarterly survey for the three months to 31 December show positive change in the growth of net space (5.6%), revenue (4.2%), professional attendance (5.4%) and number of exhibiting companies (2.1%).
Of the four metrics, where all but projected revenue declined in 2009, all but exhibitor numbers grew in 2010. Exhibitor numbers continued to decline by around seven per cent, although the rate of decline is slowing.
“The positive trend that began in the third quarter of 2010 continued into the fourth quarter, which is a positive indication of recovery from the Great Recession,” said CEIR president and CEO Doug Ducate, “however, the true test will be results from the first quarter of 2011.”
The report notes that the exhibition industry tends to lag behind other industries in terms of responding to changes in the economic climate.
CEIR measures performance of exhibitions across 14 sectors, including 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.
The Center recently appointed Nancy Drapeau as research director in an effort to bring the completion of studies in-house rather than given to sub-contractors.
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