BPA Worldwide said it has become the first events auditor to be certified by the Exhibition and Event Industry Audit Commission.
The certification means that the commission has examined BPA's systems and procedures, verifying that they conform with industry standards for independent auditing of attendance and attendee demographics at trade shows.
BPA audits events like the Folio:Show and Interactive Advertising Bureau's MIXX Expo, both in New York, as well as Interop in Las Vegas and New York. Other shows include FOSE and one produced by the American Institute of Architects.
Founded in 1931, BPA audits more than 2,000 business publications and 500 consumer magazines as well as newspapers, Web sites, events, online newsletters, databases and other ad-supported media. A tripartite board of media owners, ad agencies and advertisers governs the Shelton, CT-based nonprofit organization.
The audit commission was founded last year to encourage industry adoption of independent event audits. Its standards for trade shows and events are accessed at www.bpaww.com/events/products_services/BtoBStandards.htm
Board members include executives from event producers, exhibitors and sponsors, and agency event buyers. Current directors represent firms like Reed Exhibitions, Carat Face-to-Face, Business Journals Inc., Consumer Electronics Association/CES, Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co.
Separately, BPA rival Audit Bureau of Circulations and Newspaper Services of America released a new white paper on the practice of modeling individual newspaper readership based on a national readers-per-copy average.
The joint white paper looks at the typical readership calculation methods based on a national readers-per-copy average since the resulting estimate may not accurately reflect the typical individual newspaper's local market and audience, ABC said. ABC's white paper is available on the site at www.accessabc.com/reader/wrrs.
Mickey Alam Khan covers Internet marketing campaigns and e-commerce, agency news as well as circulation for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
