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CEIR Releases Report on the Value of Face-to-Face Events Dallas, TX – Te Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) has released the Use and Value of Face-to-Face report, the first of a series of reports that will be released over the next quarter from the landmark study, Te Role and Value of Face-to-Face Interaction. Te good news: Despite the Great Recession, a majority of exhibitors and attendees have not reduced face- to-face interactions, which include exhibitions, educational conferences, hosted-buyer events, in-person sales calls and private events. In addition, attendees report that exhibitions offer the highest value of all face-to-face interactions. Nearly half of attendees (48%) said that exhibitions are the most important, followed by 26% who report in-person sales calls offer the most value. On the exhibitor side, 44% of re- spondents said in-person sales calls offer the most value against other face-to-face interactions, while 43% said exhibitions are the most important. Te study examines the long-term value of face-to-face marketing and exhibitions in light of major economic fluctuations and the influx of technology and alterna- tive marketing tactics, including digital media. More than 9,000 attendees and 800 exhibitors participated in this initiative. Reach Nancy Drapeau, director of research, CEIR, at (207) 332-9839 or ndrapeau@ceir.org Strong Same-Show Performance Contributes to Growth for Viad Corp. Phoenix, AZ – Viad Corp. announced its Second Quarter 2012 results last week, which reflected consolidated revenues of $246.5 million, a 3.3% increase compared to the same period in 2011. Paul Dyks- tra, chairman, president and CEO, said in the earnings conference call, that the uptick was driven primarily by the strong performance of the Marketing & Events Group, which encompasses Las Vegas- based Global Experience Specialists (GES). Tat group posted Second Quarter revenue of $216.9 million. U.S. same-show revenue increased 6.1% to $58.3 million for the quarter compared to $54.9 million in the prior year. GES President Steve Moster told Trade Show Executive that same-show revenue has grown for eight consecutive quarters. "We're two years into recovery and still continuing strong," he said. Dykstra attributed the growth to tighter control on discretionary spending, a focus on labor management, and an effort to optimize service delivery methods. In the past 18 months, GES has final- ized new collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with union partners that helps manage the labor used for installations. "We've reached mutually favorable CBAs that more accurately reflect the current economy, and it helps us, the organizers and the exhibitors," Moster said. In addi- tion, he said the company's online exhibi- tor management tool has contributed to exhibitor spending growth. In the earnings call, Dykstra noted that there had been an overall increase in the size of events, the number of exhibiting compa- nies, the number of attendees and show floor spending. New business also contributed to the better-than-expected results, he said. Reach Paul Dykstra at (602) 207-1000 or pdykstra@viad.com; Steve Moster at (702) 515-5500 or smoster@ges.com www.TradeShowExecutive.com | August 2012 11