• Overall attendance dipped but Midwest setting attracted large numbers
LISLE, IL, Apr. 18, 2009 -- Despite an overall decline in attendance from 2008, WQA Aquatech USA last month held its own during the recession and brought in large numbers of attendees from the Midwest, eastern US, and Europe, final tallies show.
Attendance fell by 22 percent from last year, less than many trade shows this year, said Peter Censky, executive director of WQA. Many shows have seen drops of more than 60 percent, he said. The annual conference and trade show was held in Chicago (Rosemont), Illinois, in mid-March. Last year, the event was held in Las Vegas, NV.
"Many people drove in from around the Midwest," Censky said. "We saw that, nationally, many key decision makers also came, even from those regions where total attendance may have fallen off."
Censky said that despite economic challenges, those in the industry realized the value of keeping abreast of new products and educational opportunities and the chance to do significant networking in one setting.
Attendance by region:
| Chicago 2006 | Chicago 2009 |
From Midwestern US | 1,493 | 1,728 |
From Eastern US | 87 | 453 |
|
From Europe | 17 | 135 |
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