MWSF attendance increases

IDG World Expo today announced that attendance to last January's Macworld Expo conference in San Francisco was up by nearly 20 percent. The show management company, which does not disclose numbers at the actual event, said that the attendance certification audit was performed by BPA World Wide, showing a 19 percent increase in overall visitors from the 2006 event. The audit revealed that the San Francisco-based Expo had 45,572 attendees in 2007, compared with 38,441 in 2006. IDG said that the show featured hundreds of product announcements, dynamic attendee attractions, more than 100,000 square feet of exhibit space, and almost 400 companies serving the Mac community.

The Expo featured the much anticipated introduction of the iPhone at Jobs' keynote as well as the first public display on the show floor.

"The increase in attendance revealed in the BPA audit is a great exclamation point to what was an outstanding event," said Paul Kent, vice president, IDG World Expo. "The Mac market is a vibrant and robust environment that continues to attract new customers for the most innovative products in the world. We look forward to carrying this momentum forward as we work towards an even bigger event in 2008 with new expo attractions and conference content."

Management also said that this year's show had one of the strongest educational conference offerings of the event's 23 year history. This year also marked an expansion into the North Hall of Moscone Center with the "Digital Lifestyle Experiences," a collection of new interactive exhibitions featuring training and activities focusing on three blossoming creative technology areas – digital photography, music & sound, and gaming.

"Macworld 2007 exceeded our expectations," said Hugh Amick, vice president, HP Mac-connect. "Our booth was continually busy and the attendees, from teachers to pro photographers, were very excited and engaged. We're already signed-up and looking forward to next year's event."

Next year's Macworld Conference & Expo is scheduled to take place January 14-18, 2008 at San Francisco's Moscone Center.

by MacNN Staff