Summary of operational steps in the certification process according to ISO 25639:2008 and ACCREDIA PROTOCOL « 12/116/CR13c/C11 ».
The certification
- The ISO 25639:2008 certification is a product certification, i.e. it certifies that the trade fair statistical data, relating to a specific edition of an exhibition, have been collected and processed, by the organiser, in accordance with the aforementioned standard.
- Exhibition statistics data are understood to be a collection of tables, showing in analytical form, the distribution, by geographic area and type, of the total number of exhibitors, visitors and tours, exhibition space and conference events.
Request
Contextually with the signing of the assignment to ISFCERT, the organiser will fill in, via telematic means, form 01.00 containing information regarding the event subject to certification and the macro statistical data relating to the previous edition of the same.
Parties involved:
- Certification contact organiser.
- ISFCERT Secretariat.
Note: It is the Organiser’s right and ISFCERT’s preferred operating method to indicate a single contact person, the Certification Contact Person.
Period: 6 months before the start of the event reduced to 3 months for events held every six months.
Preliminary investigation
The Organiser will provide data useful for the preparation of the inspection visit such as:
- list of exhibitors subdivided into direct, indirect, foreign and Italian, indicating for each the area occupied and location;
- planimetry (provisional) of the event;
- list (also provisional) of conferences, workshops and similar events;
- event catalogue (if available);
- facsimile of exhibitor application(s) (direct, represented companies and co-exhibitors).
Parties involved:
- Contact person organiser certification. Actions: Material collector;
- ISFCERT Secretariat and Inspection Verification Group contact person.
Period: 5 days before the start of the event or at the end of registration for exhibitors.
Verification
The inspection visit during the course of the event consists of an examination of a sample of exhibitors and the areas occupied by them, and an examination of the access arrangements to the event on the days of the event. The inspector will carry out this visit completely independently and without the need for assistance from the organiser’s personnel except for the inspection of the entrance measurement system.
Persons involved:
- Organiser certification contact person.
- ISFCERT inspector.
At the end of the inspection visit, an inspection report will be drawn up and the following materials will be collected:
- Definitive planimetry to scale;
- Exhibition catalogue complete with any additions;
- Statistics on entries and re-entries to the exhibition on the day prior to the inspection visit;
- Types of admission tickets used (samples); Definitive list of conference, seminar, workshop and similar events;
- Possible list of side events;
- Definitive list of exhibitors.
This report may also contain requests for further details concerning the sample of exhibitors examined by the inspector.
Insights
If necessary, further documentation may be requested in the days following the event to complete the preliminary investigation.
Parties involved:
- Organisation certification contact person.
- ISFCERT inspector and ISFCERT Inspection Verification Group Referent.
Period: within 10/15 days from the closure of the event.
Statistical tables
The organiser will compile, electronically, with confidential access to the ISFCERT CRM, the statistical tables relating to the data subject to certification. These data will be examined and verified by the inspector, who will check their consistency with the documentary basis and what has been inspected.
Parties involved:
- Organiser Certification Referent.
- ISFCERT Inspector and Inspection Verification Group Referent.
Period: within 20 days from the closure of the event.
Certification Deliberation
The Deliberation Committee, an independent body of ISFCERT, will examine the report produced by the inspector and the documents collected by the inspector and will decide on the issue of certification.
Parties involved:
- ISFCERT Deliberation Committee;
- ISFCERT Inspector and ISFCERT Inspection Verification Group Referent.
Period: within 40 days from the closure of the event.