New York – On November 1, BPA Worldwide became the first events auditor to be certified by the Exhibition and Event Industry Audit Commission (EEIAC) of the International Association for Exhibition Management (IAEM). The announcement was made at The Folio: Show in New York City by BPA President & CEO Glenn Hansen. The certification means that the EEIAC examined BPA’s systems and procedures and verified that they conform with the EEIAC’s industry standards for independent audits of B-to-B exhibitions and events. The audits cover attendance and attendee demographics only, not net square footage, exhibiting companies or revenue.
Some of the industry’s top show organizers, exhibitors and agencies serve on EEIAC’s board of directors including Reed Exhibitions; Carat Face-to-Face; Consumer Electronics Association/CES; Adjuvant Expos, Inc.; National Trade Productions, Inc.; Business Journals, Inc.; Hewlett-Packard; Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.; and Quantum Corp.-DL Tape Division. BPA President & CEO Glenn Hansen was one of the industry representatives that served on a task force to develop industry standards.
“Events exhibitors and sponsors are requiring greater accountability and verification of the returns on their marketing investments,” said Hansen. “Independently audited attendance and audience demographics data are vital to the future growth and success of the exhibits and events industry.”
BPA events members currently include American Institute of Architects; The Folio: Show; FOSE; HIMSS; IAB MIXX Expo; Interop (Las Vegas and New York); Mobile Business Expo; Voicecon Spring; and, in China, the Bohai Electronics Week Show.
Speaking for EEIAC, IAEM President Steven Hacker, said: “We believe that exhibitors and sponsors deserve transparent and high-quality information about event attendance, so that they can make informed decisions about which events they will support. We are very pleased that BPA Worldwide is providing this kind of industry leadership.”
BPA serves more than 2,000 B-to-B publications and 500 consumer magazines. EEIAC standards for trade shows/events can be accessed at http://www.bpaww.com/events/products_services/BtoBStandards.htm.
Reach Glenn Hansen at (203) 447-2800 or ghansen@bpaaww.com; Steven Hacker at (972) 458-8002 or shacker@iaem.org or eeiac@iaem.org.
