CEIR releases study on the value of face-to-face meetings

Despite the proliferation of Internet technology and the downturn of the economy, 75 percent of attendees rate face-to-face interaction with potential vendors or suppliers as very or extremely important to performing their jobs, according to a new study by Chicago-based Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR).

Other findings of the study, The Role and Value of Face-to-Face Interaction include:

• One-third of attendees use face-to-face interaction at exhibitions to make final purchasing decisions on at least some of the products they plan to buy.
• More than 40 percent of attendees find exhibitions more important today than they were two years ago.
• Thirty-five percent of attendees believe exhibitions will increase in value during the next two years.
• Sixteen percent of companies surveyed plan to increase the size of their exhibits, and 65 percent plan to maintain the current size of their exhibits.

The study was made possible by grants from the foundation of the Trade Show Exhibitors Association and the Professional Convention Management Association.

Contact: Tracy Nickless, (312) 808-3057

Link: http://www.ceir.org