UK Organisers Most Prolific on a Global Scale

LONDON, March 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

The Association of Event Organisers Ltd (AEO) has today launched its new UK Organiser International Activity Research, highlighting UK exhibition organisers as the most prolific around the globe.

     (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130118/588955 )

The research, sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitor Authority (LVCVA), is based on the period of April 2011 - March 2012.

UK organisers were responsible for 1057 events outside the UK in the research period, this compares to a count of 263 overseas trade fairs for German event organisers in 2011 (Source: AUMA).

On average, UK organised overseas events attracted 200 exhibitors, equating to extrapolated exhibitor numbers of over 211,000, compared to circa. 93,000 for German organisers abroad (Source: AUMA).

Overseas events represent a value of circa. £1.87bn to UK organisers. On average, 56% of UK organisers' turnover is attributed to events organised overseas.

93% of those UK organisers currently operating overseas, expected their overseas exhibition turnovers to increase significantly (71%) or slightly (21%) in the next 5 years.

Karim Halwagi, AEO Chief Executive, said; "It is hugely impressive that UK organisers are so far ahead in terms of their international activity, and highlights once again how pioneering the UK is in terms of overseas expansion. We sincerely hope that this immense achievement will be recognised by the UK Government, as it is clear that the UK Exhibition Industry is an enormous contributor to the economy and with further support could play a crucial role in expedited economic recovery."

The AEO plans on conducting this research on a regular basis to ensure that statistics are consistently updated.

===NOTES TO EDITORS===

About Association of Event Organisers (AEO)

Association of Event Organisers (AEO) - the trade body representing companies, which conceive, create, develop or manage trade and consumer events. It is run by its members for the benefit of its members through an elected council of representatives, specialist working groups and a fulltime secretariat.

Our aim is to be the voice of the event organising industry, to serve the collective needs of event organisers and to promote the interests of our members and the industry at large.  AEO membership enables organisers to work with members of its sister organisations, Association of Event Venues (AEV) and Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA).

For more information please visit http://www.aeo.org.uk

Twitter: @aeonews

About Las Vegas Convention & Visitor Authority (LVCVA)

MISSION STATEMENT: To attract visitors by promoting Las Vegas as the world's most desirable destination for leisure and business travel.

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On April 29, 1959, the Las Vegas Convention Center officially opened with a 20,340-square-foot rotunda, 18 meeting rooms and a 90,000-square-foot exhibit hall. In its first year of operation, the LVCVA hosted eight conventions that were attended by 22,519 delegates. Now, Las Vegas regularly hosts more than 20,000 conventions and meetings attended by more than 4 million delegates annually.

The LVCVA provides a vital service for the public by contributing to the growth of the economy in all of Southern Nevada. The LVCVA's marketing efforts cover all of the more than 160,000 hotel and motel rooms in Southern Nevada. The room inventory includes Las Vegas and surrounding areas: Laughlin, Boulder City, Jean, Primm, Henderson, North Las Vegas and Mesquite.

For more information please visit http://www.lvvcva.com

For further information please contact:
Sadie Rowntree, Marketing Communications Manager
Association of Event Organisers (AEO)
119 High Street, Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 2DJ                
Tel: +44-(0)1442-285813
Email: sadie@aeo.org.uk

SOURCE Association of Event Organisers Limited