Nielsen Holdings N.V. said sales by its Expositions segment were flat in the second quarter ended June 30, 2011, but remain up 8% year to date – not bad considering it has folded two of its sporting goods shows since 2009.
Operating income from the Expositions Segment plunged 64 percent to $5 million from $8 million on flat sales of $38 million. The company attributed the decline to lower sales, increased costs due to business acquisitions and a $1 million restructuring charge. While Outdoor Retailer continues to sell out, Nielsen indefinitely supsended its Actions Sports Retailer, or ASR, show last November and folded the Flyfishing Retailer show in 2010.
The Exposition Segments flat second quarter sales came as Nielsen’s overall revenues grew 10 percent to $1.40 billion, an increase of 5 percent on a constant currency basis from the second quarter of 2010. Much of that growth came from emerging markets, where Nielsen’s consumer and media research services are in growing demand.
Nielsen Expositions operates one of the largest portfolios of business-to-business trade shows in the United States, including the Imprinted Sportswear Shows, Interbike, Health + Fitness Business Expo and the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, which kicks off next week in Salt Lake City. Each year, Nielsen produces approximately 40 trade shows, which in 2010 connected approximately 270,000 buyers and sellers across 20 industries.
