ATLANTA — For the first time, the Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association (HCEA) will have the attendance at its Annual Meeting professionally audited by an independent, third-party auditing organization.

The 2011 HCEA Annual Meeting, to be held June 25-28, 2011, in Las Vegas, will be audited by the not-for-profit organization BPA Worldwide, therefore providing HCEA with complete and accurate attendance and demographic data about its meeting.  The audit will be a census-based, independent validation of verified meeting attendance.   BPA Worldwide will confirm and validate show attendance data for HCEA based on verified registration, demographics and geographic coverage.

“With measurability and accountability being more critical than ever in healthcare conventions, HCEA is proud to demonstrate its leadership in the industry by having our own Annual Meeting audited,” said Eric Allen, HCEA Executive Vice President. “Healthcare companies need accurate data on the professional attendees at conventions, but it’s more helpful than ever if this data is verified by an independent third party.  Our hope is that this will become the norm in the healthcare convention industry very soon.”

As part of the process to verify attendance, Annual Meeting attendees will need to present their photo IDs when they pick up their registration materials, and all attendees must pick up their own materials at the registration desk.  These measures will aid the auditing process and help HCEA with setting a standard for measurement and accountability in the medical meetings industry.

HCEA is the only association solely dedicated to improving the effectiveness of all conventions, meetings and exhibitions for the healthcare industry.  HCEA represents organizations involved in healthcare exhibitions and conventions.