Last week’s NAB show was attended by 91,932 professionals from the worldwide broadcast and professional video production industries, up about 4.5 percent from the 88,044 that gathered in 2011. Dennis Wharton, the NAB’s Executive Vice President of Media Relations, said that an estimated $30 billion in commerce was generated by the show including the business done on the exhibit hall floor by the 1,600 exhibitors occupying 815,000 net square feet of exhibit space. The NAB Show has attracted more than 110,000 people in its heyday in 2007.
“The economy is getting better and the financial outlook for the broadcast industry in general, reflected by this year’s extremely positive show, is improving as well,” Wharton said, alluding to the increase this year in exhibitor participation and an almost 10 percent increase in size (up from 1,550 exhibitors occupying 745,000 net square feet) from 2011.
The NAB Show bills itself as “the world's largest electronic media event covering filmed entertainment and the development, management and delivery of content across all mediums.” And, indeed, the annual convention, hosted by The National Association of Broadcasters, continues to include much more than broadcast-specific technology. This year’s focus on 4K acquisition and over-the-top technologies meant little to local broadcast TV stations. Interestingly, 3-D production technology was not in evidence as much as it was in 2011, reflecting the consumer TV market’s slump in selling the sets capable of displaying stereoscopic images.
Newer technologies like Mobile DTV, media asset management, multi-platform distribution, integrated playout systems and bonded cellular ENG transmission solutions did have relevance for stations and were enthusiastically being marketed at the show.
The official numbers, as provided by the NAB, are as follows:
Total Registered Attendees: 92,112
International Attendees: 24,928
Countries represented: 151
News Media Attendees: 1,652
[International and news media attendance figures are included in the overall registration number. All numbers are based on pre-show and onsite registration.]
