The attendance of IBC2008 as of 11 a.m. on Sept. 16 stood at 47,836, an all-time record for the international convention, said IBC COO Michael Crimp.
Speaking at a press conference hours before the close of the convention, Crimp said that attendance had already exceeded last year’s figure, which was just less than 47,000, and that he expected about 5 percent growth over 2007.
In making the announcement, Crimp pointed out that unlike other trade shows, IBC makes a distinction between those who actually attend the convention and those who register. Measures are taken to only count those admitted to the RAI Convention Center once, he added. Total registration for IBC2008 was 76,859, he said.
Aside from attendance figures, IBC2008 proved to be a big convention in other respects. A total of about 1400 exhibitors, including 25 outside exhibitors, participated in this year’s convention. Special events and attractions also drew big crowds. According to IBC estimates, more than 5000 people viewed the special NHK Super Hi-Vision demonstrations throughout the event, and a capacity audience of 1200 crowded into the IBC Big Screen Theater to watch “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D.”
For more information, visit www.ibc.org.
