Orlando, FL – Despite major air travel tie-ups, attendance held up well at last week’s National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) 65th Annual Meeting & Convention in Orlando.
The weather was fine in central Florida; however, Hurricane Sandy’s run up the east coast grounded thousands of airline flights, and raised the potential for the storm to seriously cut into attendance at trade shows held in cities out of Sandy’s reach.
The NBAA reported a final crowd count of 25,150. “We are delighted, especially given the challenges,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.
The crowd was slightly below the 2011 attendance of 26,077, but an improvement over 2010, when 24,206 people attended the annual exhibition. Attendees flew in from all 50 states and 87 nations.
“Participants reported strong traffic on the exhibit floor and at the aircraft static displays,” Bolen said.
A total of 1,073 exhibitors occupied 4,361 booths at the Orange County Convention Center and the two separate static display areas. There were 105 different aircraft on display during the event.
Reach Ed Bolen at (202) 783-9000 or ebolen@nbaa.org
