Exposition Industry Sees Soft Growth of 1.1 Percent for 2012

January 12, 2013

Every quarter, event management company a2z aggregates data from hundreds of expositions managed using its platform and releases a Quarterly Exposition Industry Analysis.

This analysis reflects the overall trends on the performance of the  trade show industry alongside  a sector by sector breakdown of performance, and Net Square Footage (NSF) pacing of the previous six and upcoming six months.

The latest edition of a2z’s Quarterly Exposition Industry Analysis analyzes data through the last quarter of the calendar year 2012 (Q4 of CY 2012) and can be downloaded here.

Performance during Q4 of CY 2012 matched our prediction, based on NSF pacing, at the end of Q3 of CY 2012. NSF for CY 2012 was up by 1.1 percent compared to CY 2011. However, NSF for Q4 slipped by 2 percent compared to Q4 of 2011, affecting the overall growth numbers for CY 2012.

On the brighter side, NSF pacing for Q1 and Q2 of CY 2013 calendar year appears to be pacing ahead of comparable quarters in CY 2012. We expect to see upward trends through the next two quarters. 

A breakdown of the index by industry sectors can be found here. In CY 2012, there were a few industry sectors that stood out. Industrial/Heavy Machinery and Finished Business Inputs continued to perform well, as did Food and Discretionary Consumer Services & Goods.

On the other hand, a change in pattern was apparent in the Government sector. This sector endured through the downturn in 2009 and experienced growth during 2010 and 2011.

However, there was a significant drop of 10percent in 2012. Though concerning, this does not come as a huge surprise given the current uncertainties regarding the federal budget and the impending fiscal cliff.

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