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16 Nov 2022

IAEE Announces Support of Digital Events Standards Group VSef/RSDE

Citing the continued value and importance of digital events within the world’s meetings and expositions industry, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events® (IAEE), the leading trade association for the global exhibitions and events industry, today announced its full support of VSef (Virtual Standard Export Format), including the RSDE (Reporting Standards for Digital Events) standards.

VSef was launched in early 2021 as a response to the rising uptake of digital event platforms and the increase in virtual event experiences. Its goal was creating a global standardized data structure and output format for digital events. VSef is backed by many leading organizers and platforms, and supported by the event industry’s leading strategic partners, including the Events Industry Council (EIC), UFI, Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) and International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).

Simultaneously, global assurance provider BPA Worldwide identified the lack of standardized data in the digital events sector and launched the Reporting Standards for Digital Events (RSDE) initiative with the support of industry leaders. In September, BPA acquired VSef from Explori. The acquisition resulted in a collaboration that has created a single, globally recognized industry data and reporting standard for digital events.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic when organizations turned to producing virtual events, it quickly became evident there was an urgent need for a standardized data format for digital event platforms,” noted IAEE President & CEO David DuBois, CMP Fellow, CAE, FASAE, CTA. “IAEE, along with many other industry organizations were involved in creating BPA’s Reporting Standards for Digital Events. With the acquisition of VSef by BPA, there is now one industry organization acting as the steward of the great work of both BPA and VSef. IAEE is pleased to fully support VSef and the Reporting Standards for Digital Events.”

Richard Murphy, President and CEO of BPA Worldwide, added, “We are thrilled to receive IAEE support of VSef/RSDE. Digital platforms play a critical role in the events and meetings industry, and the ability to gather, process, and share data efficiently – using a single data standard and reporting format – is essential for continued industry growth.”

To find out more about VSef/RSDE visit www.VSef.io.

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About BPA Worldwide. BPA Worldwide is in the business of providing assurance. For 80+ years as a not-for-profit assurance service provider, BPA was originally created by advertisers, advertising agencies and the media industry to audit audience claims used in the buying and selling of advertising.  Performing nearly 1,000 annual audits of media channels in more than 15 countries, BPA is a trusted resource for compliance and assurance services.

BPA’s services have expanded with the launch of the iCompli brand to assist in the creation of standards and external assurance thereof. We do so for government and industry bodies. BPA iCompli Technology Assurance provides verification that companies are compliant with industry standards in the digital advertising ecosystem.

BPA iCompli Sustainability provides gap analysis, competitor benchmarking and external assurance for companies interested in following GRI, SASB, ASTM and ISO sustainability and corporate social responsibility guidelines and standards.

BPA iCompli Events provides verification of compliance with UFI industry standards for the measurement of trade show attendees and exhibitors.

Powered by SafeGuard Privacy technology, BPA iCompli Data Protection & Privacy enables seamless cross-organization data compliance management in a single, accountable platform.

The latest innovation to move the industry forward is the BPA Media Exchange, an online private marketplace which offers automated media solutions for buyers and sellers of digital advertising.

 

About VSef. VSef is an agreed data format for event platforms and organizers. It is a not-for-profit organization administered for the benefit of the events industry. VSef is backed by many world-leading organizers and platforms, including Informa Markets, Reed Exhibitions, Tarsus Group, Emerald Expositions, Clarion Events, Grip, Balluun, Notified, Swapcard, Accelevents, ExpoPlatform, and many more.

About IAEE. Organized in 1928 as the National Association of Exposition Managers to represent the interests of trade show and exposition managers, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events® is the leading association for the global exhibition industry. Today IAEE represents over 12,000 individuals in over 50 countries who conduct and support exhibitions around the world.

Over 50 percent of IAEE’s members are directly involved in the planning, management, and production of exhibitions and buyer-seller events. The remainder of our membership consists of those who provide products and services to the industry. IAEE values and promotes diversity of membership, in terms of company size, products, and geographical area. Each active member organization is given one vote, regardless of size. Benefits of IAEE Membership include professional development, industry news and publications, industry and professional resources, service partner discounts, advocacy before government and media, leadership development and local chapter membership.

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Testimonials

  • “The silver lining in the pivot to digital has been the data-rich environment we organisers now find ourselves in. But, we have a huge standardisation job at hand if we’re to benefit from this newly found trove of data. VSef/RSDE has been designed to solve this problem; to provide a single standard. I for one am looking forward to receiving data from different platforms in one format!”
    Dr Bariş Onay
    Chair of VSef
  • “As the global trade association for our sector, we know about the importance of unified and aligned data sets, and we are working to promote globally accepted metrics and terminologies. We recommend that every business events association joins us in supporting and promoting VSef/RSDE to their members as a collaborative way forward for our industry.”
    Anbu Varathan
    President, UFI
  • "At Grip, data democratization is at the core of our strategy in supporting organisers to move markets forward faster and providing greater value to exhibitors and visitors. We’re excited about being part of the VSef/RSDE initiative from the very beginning and making it easier for organisers to move data between solutions in the event technology stack will be crucial for gaining greater insight into events and their success."
    Warith Nassor
    Product Owner - Data, Integrations and Insight. Grip
  • "Data is the key to growth in the event industry. It helps organizers better serve their communities, create brand loyalty and create logical, long-term strategies. VSef/RSDE will make it much easier for organizers to collect the data used in making critical decisions without having to sacrifice customer experience and their technology stack."
    Robyn Duda
    Founder, RDC
  • "Our position on data is and always has been that it should be accessible, freely available, and owned by organisers, which is reflected in our Data Manifesto. It has been a pleasure to collaborate with Mark and the wider Explori team and we are proud to be early adopters of the VSef/RSDE initiative, which is an important step in standardising metrics and in allowing organisers to easily compare these metrics across platforms."
    Mykyta Fastovets
    CTO, Expoplatform
  • "We reside at an inflection point in the global events industry. Our immediate embrace of normalized data is going to decide the extent to which we define our value and fuel our growth. VSef/RSDE is an ambitious project that deserves universal support across platforms, organizers, and industry organizations. We are pleased to take these first steps with the VSef team and their growing partner community."
    Tony Lorenz
    SVP Strategy, Intrado
  • "The need to unite event data has been a topic of conversation at Event Tech Live and within the community for many years. It's fantastic to see the experts and advisors behind VSef/RSDE taking the mantle and moving this forward for the benefit of the whole industry. I am proud for Event Tech Live to be a founding member and look forward to helping drive this initiative too."
    Adam Parry
    Co-founder, Event Tech Live
  • "Data is a crucial issue in digital events and setting a framework for data standardisation and industry collaboration is key to future industry success. We are excited to be partnering with VSef/RSDE on this important initiative."
    Sophie Ahmed
    CEO and Co-Founder, Virtual Events Institute
  • “Now more than ever it is important to collaborate, share and connects minds for a better future of the exhibition industry. VSef/RSDE is a perfect example of collaborative knowledge!”
    Enrico Gallorini
    CEO, GRS Research & Strategy