Dallas, TX – The trade show industry proved its generosity this month by pledging $175,000 in just two days to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) Foundation.
The pledges came soon after an e-mail appeal for donations was made by David DuBois, president & CEO of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events. Total contributions in 2014 to the CEIR Foundation have exceeded $475,000.
“We are thrilled to report this significant increase in donations from the exhibitions industry,” said CEIR President and CEO Brian Casey.
There were 17 letters of intent for contributions booked on October 2 alone after the e-mail appeal hit industry in-boxes. The first pledge came from Chris Brown, senior vice president of the National Association of Broadcasters in the very generous amount of $50,000 over a five-year period. He challenged others to make a contribution. A mere 16 minutes later, Chris Dolnak, senior vice president & CMO of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, matched Brown’s $50K contribution. Subsequent pledges on October 2 came from companies and individuals, and ranged from $250 to $15,000.
The largest contributions of 2014 include $100,000 over five years from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, and $75,000 over 10 years from Shepard Exposition Services.
The CEIR Foundation is the funding mechanism for the organization’s research into what makes the exhibition industry tick and how show organizers and associations can improve their events. “The research has a profound effect on the exhibitions and events industry,” Casey said. “Without the generous support of our donors, the CEIR Index and CEIR Census would not be possible.”
Reach Brian Casey, president & CEO of CEIR, at (972) 687-9242 or bcasey@ceir.org
