ADVOCACY:  TRADE SHOW AUDITS

Everyone has a cause, and mine is trade show audits.  What is a trade show audit?  It’s simply a certified document verifying trade show attendee numbers.  They are done by a certified source independent of show management.  Audits also break out the number of attendees from the media, conference speakers, and registered exhibitors and geographical distribution of the audience. Many include attendee job titles.  It sounds pretty simple, right?  After all, it’s been a defacto standard in the publication world for decades, so why isn’t it happening in the trade show industry? 

If you remember only one fact, please make it this one:  Of approximately 13,000 U.S. shows, only about 39 are audited.  Why is that? Show management says that it’s because trade show exhibitors are not asking for audits.  Please ask. And thank those show managers who provide audits.  Just make sure that what they are calling an “audit” is truly a certified, independent audit.  It’s gotten easier to recognize an audit.  If it has the EEIAC “check mark,” then you have the real thing.

What is the EEIAC? 

It’s the Exhibition & Event Industry Audit Council (EEIAC) and I’m honored to serve on the board. The EEIAC isn’t trying to sell you anything.