Speaker, Session Line Up Unveiled for 3rd Annual CEIR Predict Conference

July 30, 2013

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research unveiled the speaker and session line up geared toward C-level executives in the trade show industry for its 3rd annual CEIR Predict: Inspiring Confidence in an unPREDICTable Time conference.

The event will be held Sept. 12 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City and typically draws more than 125 C-level trade show industry leaders, M&A representatives, financiers, economists and sponsor suppliers.

"This year's Predict will continue in the collaborative spirit for which it is known, and we have designed a program to address the hard questions so attendees' expectations will be exceeded and they will leave with a sense of the economic outlook for their own events,” said Bob Priest-Heck, chair of the 2013 CEIR Predict Task Force and COO of Freeman.

He added, “The line-up of speakers and moderators is extraordinary this year, and will keep attendees engaged and not only at Predict but for the foreseeable future."

New this year, mayors from four large cities will discuss the economic impact of the trade show industry. The speakers include Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, City of Baltimore, Md., Mayor Michael S. Rawlings, City of Dallas, Texas, Mayor Annise D. Parker, City of Houston, Texas, and Mayor Teresa Jacobs, Orange County, Fla.

Topics that will be addressed by the mayors include what the future may hold for their cities and the long-term impact that trade shows are having on their facilities, labor unions, local businesses and more.

Also new this year, Bain & Company Senior Economist/Macro Trends Group Austin Kim will provide an outlook on the global and regional macro economies and which indicators are important to watch.

He will discuss future projections during the session, “Global Economic Outlook and Impact on the Exhibition Industry”, and provide insight about the current impact of improving consumer confidence and spending in regard to home sales, construction and automobile sales, to name a few.

During the event, the CEIR Index, which tracks the health of the trade show industry, also will be discussed. The latest index released indicated that while the industry is still growing, it is starting to lag behind GDP.

Other sessions throughout the day include “Collaborative Crowdsourcing and its Impact on the Exhibition Industry”, as well as sessions focused on specific industries such as Building, Construction, Home & Repair/Raw Materials, Communications and Information Technology/Healthcare and Manufacturing/Consumer Goods, among others.

For a full schedule visit www.ceir.org/predict.

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