MOLINE, IL - The Rental Show has received the results of the first event audit conducted of the Show by BPA Worldwide, a global media auditor based in Shelton, Conn. The audit verified the attendance numbers, demographics and geographic distribution for the 2008 Show, held Feb. 11-14 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

The audit results indicated that more than 10,700 rental professionals attended The Rental Show 2008, including 5,565 convention and exhibit-only rental business attendees and 5,118 exhibitor personnel. More than 40 media also were among those attending the Show. Of the rental business attendees, 31 percent were business owners, 25 percent were managers and 9 percent were company presidents, while the remainder held a variety of other positions ranging from CEO to employee. The primary business for 56 percent of attendees was construction, while general tool and party/special events were each the primary businesses for 53 percent of attendees. (Attendees could choose more than one primary business category.)

Audits of trade show attendance are not common - less than 1 percent of shows provide exhibitors with third-party audits, according to Exhibitor Magazine's April 2008 issue - yet the benefits are many.

BPA Worldwide's audit of The Rental Show complies with standards set forth by the Exhibition and Event Industry Audit Commission (EEIAC), a not-for-profit corporation organized to manage the exhibition industry's independent audit process.

The Rental Show will be audited annually by BPA Worldwide. The next Show is March 2-5, 2009, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.