Because this summer has been economically tumultuous — unemployment remains high, the stock market is behaving erratically and Standard & Poor's has downgraded the U.S. economy's rating — the Center for Exhibition Research (CEIR) announced yesterday that it will present a revised economic outlook for 2011 and an updated forecast through 2013 at its upcoming CEIR Predict conference, taking place on Sept. 15 in New York.
Among the planned economic sessions at CEIR Predict is a "frank discussion about the global economy" during the keynote address, titled "Outlook for the Global Economy and its Impact on the Exhibition Industry," led by Oxford Economics Chairman and Founder John Walker.
"Economists have spent the summer marking down their forecasts for near-term economic growth in the U.S. and around the world," said CEIR economist Jeffrey Werling, Ph.D. "Several shocks, including natural disasters and political intransigence have combined to derail the nascent recovery. While it is far from clear that a new recession is imminent, it appears that growth over the next few quarters will remain slow."
In a dedicated education session, Werling and fellow CEIR economist Allen Shaw, Ph.D., will report on the impact that economic and political forces may have on exhibitions and events serving various industry sectors.
"Like the economy, exhibitions were showing strong signs of life through 2010 and into early 2011," Werling continued. "Can robust recovery continue despite anemic economic and employment growth? What non-economic features of the exhibition industry might help insulate it from stagnation? Is the outlook for some sectors better than for others?"
Designed for qualified, C-level executives, attendance at CEIR Predict is limited to no more than 200 participants — including exhibition industry executive decision makers, private equity firms, debt providers, investment firms and the financial press — to allow for an intimate, high-level idea exchange about the future of the exhibition industry and implications for specific business sectors and their supporting exhibitions. For more information, visit www.ceir.org/predict.