The Canadian Event Audit Advisory Council (CEAAC) is pleased to announce that they have developed auditing standards for expositions and events in Canada and have approved their first recognized auditing organization, BPA Worldwide.

The Canadian Event Audit Advisory Council, a not-for-profit organization, officially formed on May 6, 2008 in Toronto, Canada. The council was formed by a group of trade and consumer show professionals for the purpose of providing credibility and representative standards for the Canadian trade and consumer show industries.

Exposition auditing is the practice of hiring a third party company to verify attendance numbers, demographics and provide further research on the audience to current and potential exhibitors, while abiding by an established set of industry standards and practices.

CEAAC Chairperson, Carol Bell-LeNoury stated that the process of developing the Canadian standards was challenging. “We were very conscious of the standards that had been adopted in the United States by IAEE and of the European standards adopted by UFI, as we wanted to ensure that the Canadian standards were compatible on a global basis, with those of the other groups, while at the same time ensuring that Canadian nuances were acknowledged and recognized. Special thanks to BPA Worldwide, whose support and experience was invaluable in this process

The Canadian Event Audit Standards have been officially endorsed by the Canadian Association of Exposition Management (CAEM) at their Board meeting January 25th, 2009. The CAEM is the largest representative group of trade and consumer event managers and planners, service company managers, consultants and product providers involved in producing trade and consumer expositions and similar specialized events across Canada.

“The endorsement of the CAEM was gratifying”, stated Bell-LeNoury, “to know that not only the work and effort in producing the audit standards but the implications and use of the standards was recognized, accepted and agreed to by the Board of CAEM on behalf of its membership provided instant credibility to the work created.”

The audit standards will be reviewed bi-annually by the advisory committee. Companies wishing to apply to the CEAAC for recognized status can download an application form at www.ceaac.ca. Applications will be reviewed by the CEAAC and accepted companies will be recognized by use of the CEAAC logo. Organizations will be required to renew accreditation annually.

For more information, please contact CEAAC secretary: Deborah Dugan, C.D.E., CEM at 905-405-8415 or or visit the CEAAC website.