Trade shows have bounced back to pre-2000 levels, according to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR).
CEIR has released initial numbers from its 2004 Exhibition Industry Index, which focuses on the business-to-business sector of the exhibition industry in the United States and Canada, showing net square footage jumped from an index value of 102.3 in 2003 to 109.6 in 2004.
The index values are based on the number 100, which was the level of activity in the year 2000.
Other gains came in professional attendance, at 103.8, and the number of exhibiting companies, at 103.3.
“The return to pre-2000 numbers is a striking sign of sustained recovery,” said Doug Ducate, president/CEO of CEIR.
Report by David Wilkening
