Even the economic contraction of the 1970s stimulated the exhibitions market
by exerting pressure to maximize the marketing dollar. Exhibitions took on
greater significance because of the number of contacts and leads that could be
developed within the confines of an exhibition hall. It was estimated in 1996
that it cost nearly twice as much for a field sales call ($997) as it did to close an
exhibition lead ($550) (Tanner, 1997). The Center for Exhibition Research
Center (CEIR) estimates that between 1989 and 1997, 1,047 new exhibition
shows were held with a total increase in attendance of 50 million people. This
translated into an increase of 83%, an average 9.2% per year (Tanner, 1997).