The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) engaged Veris Consulting to conduct a major census study for the exhibition industry. The CEIR census is conducted every five years; it is a complex data collection and analysis process. Several leading exhibition industry companies contributed their databases to the 2010 Census which were then carefully reviewed to eliminate duplication and ensure complete representation of the North American exhibition industry including the U.S., Canada and Mexico. All events with less than 3,000 net square feet of exhibition space were eliminated, and through the use of "intelligent" computer matching and intensive human review, duplicate events were eliminated. While approximately 75 percent of key data points were populated from the source databases, missing data points were extrapolated, when possible, to complete the 2010 Census database. After an extensive review of the data, a final 2010 Census database was approved. From this point, the final analysis of rankings, breakdowns, subtotals and totals was performed.Veris captured details that allow for analysis of industry shifts, potential implications and customized reports, as well as in-depth data-mining including: exhibition data by city/region, industry sector, size and more… so that industry professionals may extract the information that best fits their individual needs.
The census revealed that during the past decade, the number of events as compared to the 2000 Census has remained relatively unchanged reinforcing the belief that the exhibition industry is resilient even during times of uncertainty and downturn. Complete census results are now available at www.ceir.org.
Veris has been the primary research firm for such groundbreaking industry studies as the CEIR Index and Census. Veris is an EEIAC-certified trade show auditor and conducts business surveys focusing on financial and operating ratios, compensation and benefits, benchmarking, needs assessments and demographics. Veris' statistical programs track highly confidential production, sales, inventory and capacity data that is used to monitor and compare performance relative to competitors.