The International Association of Exhibitions & Events had a very busy 2014 as evidenced by the list of accomplishments it had throughout the year.

"2014 was an incredibly busy year for IAEE," said IAEE President and CEO David DuBois, CMP, CAE, FASAE, CTA. "I am very proud of the committees, task forces and staff who have worked tirelessly to fulfill objectives set forth in our strategic plan, including our two main pillars of focus – Education and Advocacy." 

Education Highlights

·  Total Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) recipient growth was up 23.8 percent and CEM international growth increased 37.2 percent year-over-year.

·  Two CEM licensee agreements were signed, furthering our reach into the international community. The agreement with the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) covers Southeast Asia including Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and East Timor. We also signed an agreement with Nasaafir Solutions, an organization in Dubai that will operate the CEM Learning Program in the Gulf Cooperation Council region including the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.   

·  A 12^th CEM module addressing Consumer Show Management was launched in December during Expo! Expo! IAEE's Annual Meeting & Exhibition 2014, in conjunction with the National Association of Consumer Shows (NACS).

·  The first annual CEM salary survey was completed.

·  Webinar attendance was up 200 percent.

·  IAEE launched its first ever online Faculty Resource Center in June to support the Art of the Show textbook, and to better serve university professors and staff. Online tools include outlines, lesson plans, activities, test questions, presentation slides, resources such as videos and CEIR research.

·  IAEE sponsored and helped design the IMEX/IAEE Faculty Engagement Program that was held during 2014 IMEX, and will be offering a similar program during 2015 IMEX in Frankfurt and in America.

Advocacy Highlights

·  The first Exhibitions Day was launched this past June, made possible by the Exhibitions Mean Business Campaign. The event had close to 100 attendees who engaged legislators in Washington, D.C., specifically to help them understand the impact of select legislative and regulatory issues on the exhibitions and events industry.

·  IAEE spearheaded the new phase of the Exhibitions Mean Business campaign, raising more than $200,000 towards a $1.2 million goal before year end 2014. Since the beginning of the campaign in 2011, coverage has garnered exposure to more than 285 million people worldwide and 36 million dollars in media value. In the last six months alone, the campaign has secured 40 million impressions.

Membership Highlights

·  Membership saw a 17 percent increase from 2013 in the total number of countries represented and a year-over-year growth of 24 percent in international membership.

·  Overall membership increased by 6 percent, with 54 percent of the membership representing exhibition organizers and 46 percent supplier members.

·  IAEE, upon the recommendation of the Dues Task Force, added three new membership categories in 2014 (Corporate Event or Exhibit Marketer, Educational Institution and Auxiliary members,) and recently welcomed two educational institutions as members.

Outreach Highlights
Vital to communicating the IAEE mission and vision, outreach programs to young professionals and local chapters are important to the continued success of the organization. 

The Young Professionals (YP) Committee implemented several new initiatives to keep YP members engaged with the association and with each other.

·  The YP Connect newsletter supplies expert tips and advice from veterans in the industry, and includes information on upcoming industry events where YPs can connect with each other.

·  The IAEE YP Web site houses detailed information on the committee, continuing education, events to assist in career growth and industry news to name a few.

·  YP members increased by 22 percent year-over-year from 2013 to 2014.

Chapters are the grass roots movement communicating and reinforcing the IAEE mission and vision at the local level.

·  The IAEE Board of Directors approved the University of Houston Student Chapter in April.

·  The Midwestern Chapter and New York Area Chapter celebrated their 40th anniversaries.

·  Four chapters – New England, New York, Rocky Mountain and Southwest – exceeded their chapter challenge goals of increasing Expo! Expo! attendance by 10 percent or more.

Events Highlights

·  Expo! Expo!: Had the highest number of show organizers ever, representing a 17 percent increase in organizer attendance over the 2013 meeting and highest overall attendance since 2007. International attendance increased by 25 percent from 2013 with 27 countries represented.

·  Culture Creation: Attendees learned from experts on how to build a workplace culture of trust, innovation and productivity, and how to assess events and company culture to tailor outcomes for enhanced ROI. The 2015 Culture Creation will be held on 10 June in Washington, D.C.

·  Women's Leadership Forum in May was sold out and will be expanded to Mexico in the fall of 2015. Registration is open for the 8 April 2015 event in Washington, D.C. and IAEE expects to sell out again.

·  The Krakoff Leadership Institute and Krakoff Advanced Leadership Institute programs were received with great success and will be held this year 15-18 August at The Breakers in West Palm Beach, Fla.