The collection of evidenced-based data contained within its Market Monitor has proven a critical tool for the Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) in its bid to have a stronger voice amongst government and commercial stakeholders.
The inaugural EEAA Market Monitor, launched in April 2012, established a baseline for tracking the health of the exhibitions and events in Australia. The second set of results, covering the period January 2012 to June 2012, is due to be issued in October and EEAA is inviting all exhibition and event organisers, venues and suppliers to contribute.
Association General Manager Joyce DiMascio said the Market Monitor, produced by independent research company Micromex Research, provided on-going insights into what is happening across the industry. “The EEAA Market Monitor is a six-monthly health check which provides valuable indicators on the number of events, number of participants, turn-over, space sold, employment and a range of other critical information,” said Ms DiMascio.
EEAA President, Matthew Pearce said it was important for the industry to support the research initiative. He said it was another reason companies should be part of the Association. “EEAA is the only organisation that produces such a study. The first issue has proven to be a valuable resource for our members and for the Association, as we reach out to influencers whose decisions affect the future health and prosperity of our industry,” said Mr Pearce.
The inaugural EEAA Market Monitor, released at the annual EEAA Leaders Forum in April showed that close to one million people attended events organised by EEAA Members. It revealed that 12 new shows would be launched in 2012 and that 49 per cent of trade events included a paid conference. Ms DiMascio said there had been a positive response from members to the survey, an important factor in delivering quality data.
Highlights of the inaugural EEAA Market Monitor showed that in the last 6 months of 2011 Members:
• Hosted 316 events
• Venues hosted 92 new events, representing 29% of shows hosted
• Organised 69 events, with 11,278 exhibitors participating and approximately 940,000 individuals attending
• Sold approximately 270,000m² of exhibition space, whilst utilising almost 660,000m² of venue space
• Are estimated to have employed 2,654 full time staff, 5,390 casual/part time staff and 2,002 contractors
• 50% of organisers believe the sectors they are operating in are growing, compared with only 18% who believe that they are declining
• Over half of all organisers surveyed indicated that they are presenting new events in 2012
• Suppliers to the industry were more likely to report an increase in turnover than a decrease, compared with the previous calendar year (59% v 22%)
• Suppliers annual average turnover for 2011 calendar year was $4.8 million, for an approximate total of $382 million
• Exhibition industry accounts for 66% of suppliers’ annual turnover
• 53% of venues cited venue capacity as inhibiting business growth in the past while 73% expect decreasing exhibitor budget to inhibit growth in the future
Members of EEAA receive a complimentary copy of the report which is also available for sale to non-members. See www.eeaa.com.au for details.
