What IER does

IER is an Australian market research and consulting firm established in the early 1990s, operating as IER Trading Pty. Ltd. and headquartered in Melbourne with additional offices in Brisbane and Newcastle. The firm specialises in economic, social, and experiential impact evaluation for major events and the tourism sector, delivering services to event organisers, government tourism bodies, sports organisations, and cultural institutions. Its service portfolio centres on two core offerings: Major Event Evaluations (covering tourism and economic research, experiential research, social impact, attendance estimation, quality standards, attendee segmentation, and economic forecasting) and Size & Scope Studies (quantifying the economic and social significance of sports, racing, cultural, and arts sectors).

IER's technology stack combines Qualtrics as the primary survey platform with proprietary economic impact modelling methodologies refined over more than three decades of operation. Attendance estimation at non-ticketed events uses multi-modal methods including mobile-phone, density, and head counts alongside consumption approaches and aerial drone photography. A recent Generative AI-based economic forecasting capability leverages the firm's extensive cross-event dataset, supported by a Senior Data Scientist and dedicated survey programming resources.

The firm operates a B2B professional services model with sales-led client engagement, primarily through direct consulting relationships, case-study-driven reputation, and industry referrals. Revenue derives from project-based engagements with marquee clients including the Australian Football League, Asian Racing Federation (across 28 member jurisdictions), Destination NSW, Tourism and Events Queensland, Visit Victoria, Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, National Gallery of Victoria, Arts Centre Melbourne, and Netball Australia. Service delivery relies on a core team of professional consultants and a distributed field-research network of over 250 casual researchers deployed across Australia for on-site data collection. The firm evaluates more than 400 events annually and has expanded into Asia Pacific markets, while maintaining its Australian enterprise and government base.

Name

IER

Legal name

IER Trading Pty. Ltd.

Website

https://ier.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IER is an Australian market research and consulting firm founded in the early 1990s that evaluates economic, social, and experiential impacts of major events for sports organisations, government tourism bodies, cultural institutions, and event organisers across Australia and Asia Pacific.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Impact Evaluation Services: IER generates revenue by providing comprehensive research and evaluation services to event organizers, government bodies, sporting organizations, and cultural institutions. Engagements include economic impact studies, tourism research, experiential research, social and community assessments, and attendance estimation for major events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IER is a B2B research and consulting firm that measures the economic, tourism, social, and experiential impact of major events. Its core work comprises Major Event Evaluations (economic impact studies, attendance estimation, social and community impact assessments, quality standards reporting, attendee segmentation, and event strategy support) and Size & Scope Studies quantifying the economic and social significance of sports, racing, cultural, and entertainment sectors for industry associations, governments, and capital projects.

Product overview

IER is a research and consulting consultancy, not a software product company. IER offers a portfolio of professional research and evaluation services organized around two core offerings: Major Event Evaluations and Size & Scope Studies. Major Event Evaluations encompasses a comprehensive suite of assessment services including tourism and economic research, experiential research, social and community impact studies, environmental research, cultural event research, marketing and communication analysis, attendance estimation, quality standards reporting, economic forecasting, attendee segmentation, and event strategy services. Size & Scope Studies covers economic and social significance evaluations for sporting sectors, racing industry, culture and arts institutions, government funding applications, capital projects, and sporting clubs. These services are delivered through custom research methodologies, survey programs, data analysis, and economic modelling rather than through a software platform or product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Major Event Evaluations Comprehensive evaluation services for major events including tourism and economic research, experiential research, social and community research, environmental research, cultural event research, marketing and communication analysis, attendance estimates, quality standards reporting, economic forecasting, attendee segmentation, and event strategy and commercialization, delivered to event organizers, government bodies, and sporting organizations.
• Size & Scope Studies Economic and social significance evaluations for the sports sector, racing industry, culture and arts industry, government funding applications, capital projects economic modelling, and sporting club economic and social impact assessments.
• Market Research and Economic Impact Studies Customised research programs combining market research with economic impact assessments, including consumer insights, tourism contribution analysis, and actionable recommendations for enhancing visitor experience.
• Social and Community Impact Studies Assessments measuring social value including mental and physical wellbeing benefits, community engagement, social interaction, and cultural enrichment generated by major events.
• Attendance Estimates Estimation services for non-ticketed events using multiple methodological approaches including mobile phone technology, density counts, straight head counting, consumption methods, and aerial drone photography.
• Quality Standards Reporting Independent evaluations of major events' performance based on pre-defined quality standards, including detailed photographic reports examining health, safety, signage, customer service, facilities, accessibility, and other operational aspects.
• Event Strategy and Commercialization Consulting Consulting services for shaping major event strategies including growing revenue streams, audience and market analysis, sponsorship optimization, venue and logistics management, and marketing enhancement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Conducted economic evaluations for over 400 events per year
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tourism Economics (Oxford Economics): Tourism Economics, part of Oxford Economics, is a specialist consultancy that quantifies economic and tourism impact of events, destinations, and venues — the closest direct peer to IER's Major Event Evaluations and Size & Scope Studies practice.
• Nielsen Sports (formerly Repucom / Sport+Markt): Nielsen Sports combines the legacy Repucom and Sport+Markt businesses to deliver sports media research, sponsorship evaluation, and fan engagement analytics — directly comparable to IER's sports league and racing work (AFL, Netball Australia, Asian Racing Federation).
• Applied Economics & Finance Group (AEF Group): Australian economic consultancy producing economic impact and feasibility studies across tourism, infrastructure, and major events — closely comparable to IER's Major Event Evaluations and Size & Scope Studies offerings in the same domestic market.

Emerging players

• The Sports Consultancy: The Sports Consultancy is a London-based advisory firm providing research, strategy, and impact studies for sports organisations and event rights-holders, with a similar remit to IER's strategic and impact work for sports clients.
• Sponsorship Research International (SRi): SRi is an Australian-headquartered sponsorship and sports research firm measuring sponsorship effectiveness and fan behaviour — comparable to IER's attendee segmentation and sponsorship optimisation work in the Australasian sports market.
• CIES (International Centre for Sport Studies): CIES is a Switzerland-based research organisation producing economic, social, and regulatory studies on sport, overlapping with IER's Size & Scope Studies for sports organisations and the Asian Racing Federation-style cross-jurisdiction analysis.

Broad incumbents

• KPMG (Tourism & Events practice): KPMG's tourism, hospitality, and major events advisory practice competes for the same government tourism body and event organiser RFPs as IER, but as one service line within a global professional services firm.
• Deloitte (Sports Business Group): Deloitte's Sports Business Group delivers economic impact, strategy, and operational advisory to leagues, governing bodies, and event owners — a broader incumbent competing with IER on large event and cultural institution engagements (e.g., NGV, Arts Centre Melbourne).
• Frontier Economics: Frontier Economics delivers economic and social impact analysis for infrastructure, tourism, and events clients across Australia, the UK, and Europe, with an overlapping remit to IER's economic impact and policy-focused event evaluation work.

Others

• Fiftyfive5: Fiftyfive5 is an Australian market research firm offering consumer insights and brand tracking across multiple categories — adjacent to IER's consumer research and audience segmentation capabilities but with a broader research mandate rather than event specialisation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/people/IER/100090506050126
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ier-research

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IER