The recession appears to have taken its toll on NAB Show attendance, with about 20,000 fewer people attending in 2009 than registered for last year’s show.
According to the association, the official registered attendance for this year’s convention stood at 83,842. International attendees accounted for 23,232, while 1246 members of the news media attended the show.
Total registered attendance for the 2008 NAB Show was 105,250, including 28,310 international attendees and 1296 members of the media. In 2007, total registered attendance stood at 111,028.
Reaction to the decline on the exhibition floor was mixed. While some exhibitors expressed concern over not seeing as many broadcasters in their booths as at past shows, others said they found those visiting their booths to be serious and not simply “tire kickers.”
