The Exhibition & Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) has made arrangements with the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC) to provide ongoing data from major exhibition venues which, when combined with other industry research, will enable the production of reliable economic impact statistics.

On a monthly basis, contributing venues – assisted by the respective exhibition organisers -will provide CRC with data that covers net and gross floor space, and numbers of local, interstate and international exhibitors and visitors.

EEAA has also appointed Micromex Research to extend its research, undertaken on behalf of exhibition organisers, on visitor and exhibitor spends at events.

“Within the industry we have been well aware for some time of the major impact exhibitions have on state economies around Australia.

What has been missing is a formal process for delivering accurate statistics, which in turn will enable us to lobby more effectively for the need for new and additional venue space in key locations,” said Mark Baker, Chief Executive Officer, EEAA.

“This arrangement with CRC will enable us to gain a more accurate picture of the contribution made by the exhibition industry, as well as tracking the trends over time.”

The venues taking part initially are Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre and Sydney Showgrounds and their combined input will provide data for a large proportion of exhibitions annually.