CEIR relaunches blog with first post centered on ROI Tool Kit

DALLAS, TX (August 19, 2008) – The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) has revitalized its CEIR Blog, first launched in November 2007 as a follow-up to CEIR’s Resource Center Special Report

DALLAS, TX (August 19, 2008) – The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) has revitalized its CEIR Blog, first launched in November 2007 as a follow-up to CEIR’s Resource Center Special Report Managing the Special Needs of Key Exhibitors and Market Leaders (RSCR 19.01). In the next couple of weeks, the blog will be updated with new content by long-time IAEE member, Joyce McKee, who will be facilitating the CEIR Blog as its new host. Read and post comments about the blog at http://blog.ceir.org .

Each week, a new topic relevant to what is going on in the industry will be posted by McKee on the blog with the intention of that week’s posting serving as a conduit into other discussions. Future posts on the CEIR Blog may include print, video and audio, and, as the blog grows in recognition, contributors will be added who will help write and respond to its comments.

The current topic addresses “Exploring Possibilities with the ROI Toolkit.” CEIR’s first Train the Trainers Program, providing exhibitor training about the ROI Took Kit, was held on July 28, 2008 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Thanks to a generous sponsorship from CompuSystems, the training session was presented by Jonathan “Skip” Cox president and CEO of Exhibit Surveys, who helped unveil the ROI Tool Kit earlier this year at The Professional Convention Management Association’s (PCMA) annual meeting, as well as Duncan Payne, EVP of Business Development at dmg world media, who offered a personal case study of his own use of the Tool Kit.

The ROI Tool Kit, created through collaboration with PCMA and IAEE, is used to assist exhibiting companies preparing for their participation in an event by first helping them to answer the question, “Should my company exhibit and, if so, how many staff should I bring and what size space should be planned to best accomplish objectives?” The Tool Kit also assists in measuring performance and outcomes from participation in exhibitions and events, as well as providing an in-depth analysis of notable growth from one event to the other. The Tool Kit is currently available to the public and accessible through CEIR’s Web site.

The Train the Trainers program was created to address the need for exhibitor education for small- to medium-sized exhibiting companies, specifically to aid exhibitors in calculating the level of investment required to reach a potential audience on a cost-effective basis. The program also instructed participants on how to use the Tool Kit to measure potential ROI from leads generated at a show, as well as how to measure an organization’s reach and staff performance in order to identify an exhibit’s strengths and weaknesses.

The professional and corporate trainers who completed the program and are now certified to conduct ROI Training are: Candace Adams, CTSM, CME, CEM, CMP, CMM, Trade Show Consulting Michelle Covington, SAIC Robert Dallmeyer, RD International Alan Danenberg, Compusystems, Inc. Joe Dorfman Susan Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach Karen Keegan, Karen Keegan Designs Sam Lippman, ISM Mike Mraz and Exhibiting Excellence Sally Walker.

Compass Collective Cox’s remarks about the ROI Tool Kit and more details are available on the CEIR blog at www.ceir.org .

About CEIR

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) serves to advance the growth, awareness and value of exhibitions and other face-to-face marketing events by producing and delivering research-based knowledge tools that enable stakeholder organizations to enhance their ability to meet current and emerging customer needs, improve their business performance and strengthen their competitive position. For additional information, go to www.ceir.org .

About PCMA and the PCMA Education Foundation

The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) is the professional resource and premier educator for the meetings and convention industry. Founded in 1957, PCMA represents the interests of meeting management executives from associations, non-profit organizations, corporations, independent meeting planning companies and multi-management firms who recognize the importance of meetings to their organization. PCMA empowers members with the tools they need to succeed as meeting professionals and to promote the value of the industry to their organizations and the general public. Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 16 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. For additional information, please visit the PCMA Web site at www.pcma.org .

The role of the PCMA Education Foundation is to support the mission of the PCMA through fundraising and grant giving focused on education and research that will benefit the meetings and conventions industry. Established in 1985, the Foundation supports educational programs to improve professionalism in the meetings industry and to provide a university-level meeting management curriculum. The Foundation funds educational programs for meeting managers, hotels, convention and visitors bureaus and other members of the meetings industry. It also conducts ongoing research of industry issues and concerns. The Foundation continually funds new programs to encourage the highest levels of professionalism in the meetings industry.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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