Audits: Far From Standard Practice

Meetings & Conventions: Newsline   Audits: Far From Standard Practice

Dallas Convention Center At the annual Exhibition and Convention Executives Forum, held in Washington, D.C., in May, most trade show managers polled on site said they don’t audit their shows and don’t plan to start doing so.

Of the roughly 125 forum delegates polled at the event, the great majority 82 percent said their shows are not being verified by a third party, and 69 percent don’t plan to audit subsequent events. Only 12 percent said they either are likely to verify attendance or are planning to do so.

Speaking in favor of audits was Michael Bandy, president of the Trade Show Exhibitors Association. “Audits provide certifiable and reliable numbers that organizers can give to exhibitors to help them justify the costs of the show,” he said.

• MARTHA COOKE