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"I feel privileged to continue my involvement on the commission's board, and as chair, I hope to channel my enthusiasm to help the industry embrace audits as one of the most effective and important tools that shows can employ," said Cole, who stresses the benefits and importance of auditing events. "Audits demonstrate integrity. They help the event organizer to be transparent, and provide the sales and marketing teams with valuable, third party-endorsed data."

As the vice president of sales and business development for CEA, Cole oversees business development for International CES, the world's largest consumer technology trade show. In addition, he manages CEA's sales training and customer retention program that he created in 1995, and is an accomplished motivational speaker and sales trainer around the world including Australia, Great Britain, Mexico and the United States.

"Most all trade shows have seen their sales and marketing processes undergo radical changes over the past 10 to 12 years," said Cole. "Accordingly, prospects and customers are much more informed and results-oriented. They evaluate events from higher levels of authority and decision-making; they are savvier and they want results."

The Exhibition and Event Industry Audit, was created by International Association of Exhibitions and Events  (IAEE). to help to promote information about the value of independent attendance verification.in 2005. EEIAC is a separate organization that manages and oversees the exhibition industry's independent audit processes. The EEIAC is managed by a Board of Commissioners, the majority of whom represent exhibiting organizations and which also includes representatives of advertising agencies and exhibition organizers. EEIAC has promulgated and published two separate Standards for the Performance of independent audits.

"Strategic discussions between decision makers and event organizers focus upon return on investment (ROI) first and logistical details second," said Cole. "There is no better instrument to demonstrate ROI than the audit. Shows that utilize audits embrace their value, not cower from data that a customer might 'question'."

Among its other responsibilities, EEIAC also establishes Rules and Regulations for the certification of audit providers who wish to use the EEIAC registered service mark. EEIAC's mission is to promote the use of independent audits in order to provide exhibiting companies with greater transparency about the quantity and quality of attendance at trade shows in North America. In order to use the EEIAC service mark an exhibition must participate in annual attendance audits that are conducted according to EEIAC standards.

Other members of the EEIAC are: Glenda Brungardt, tradeshow/event Manager of HP Consumer Group; Patrick Buchen, CEM, president & CEO of Adjuvant Expos Inc.; John Cook, CME, manager of trade shows for Hitachi Data Systems; Andrew Dudek, senior meeting planner of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Robert Harar, chairman of National Trade Productions, Inc.; Melinda Kendall, vice president of IDG World Expo; Marilyn Kroner, president of Kroner Communications; Lynne Parry, CTSM, CME, trade show manager of Apple Rubber Products Inc .; Robert W. Priest-Heck, chief executive officer of The Chase Group www.chasegroup.com;  and Steven Hacker, CAE, president of AEE.