With hardly a week going by without another exhibition event collapsing, the good news is that recovery for the sector is forecasted to kick-in during the second half of 2011. Woohoo!
At least according to a survey carried out last month by the Exhibition and Convention Executives Forum (ECEF). Speaking to 130 events executives, the majority claimed that show revenues will not recover until the second half of next year.
But there was some disagreement, namely between association organizers and independent exhibition organizers. Nearly two fifths of independent organizers think a recovery will occur only in the second half of 2011 but association organizers are that little bit more optimistic, claiming a recovery is on the cards for the first half of next year.
The survey also found that international audiences are a growing segment: around 40% of association organizers said that 16% of their audiences are from outside the US, with independent organisers putting the figure at 18%.
Getting bodies in the door though will require more marketing, according to most of the independent organizers who are planning to spend more of their budget on attendee marketing. Association organisations are splitting their budgets more evenly between marketing and education programming on the show floor.
