Many people - show organizers, exhibitors and attendees - wondered what impact last fall's terrorist attacks would have on the annual event. Cancellations were few, according to organizers, though the final numbers were mixed. Attendance, as reported by show organizers, was up significantly -by about 5,000 - from last year's 30,750 in Orlando, but still down from its peak of 41,000 in 1997, the last time NACE was held in Las Vegas. Attendance from outside the U.S. dropped from about 14 percent of total attendees to about 9 percent.
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Jay Leno performing live at NACE |
The trade show itself also was about 25,000-square-feet smaller than last year with 560 exhibiting companies, forty fewer than last year. Show organizers cited the departure of many 'dot-com' companies that helped make last year's exhibition the largest ever in terms of square feet, though the last time fewer than 600 companies had booths at NACE was in 1994.
Still, exhibitors seemed pleased with the turn-out, with a number commenting that perhaps more than most years, those who attended were there to buy, not just to party.
They came for education as well, if attendance at the event's dozens of training sessions was any indication; a number of sessions had well over 500 attendees.
He urged shops to read direct repair agreements carefully to consider liability issues; to question the integrity of insurers who ask for price concessions from direct repair shops; and to maintain their right to do business without interference.
NACE goes to Dallas in 2002
One other rumor making its rounds at NACE was that the show may become a biennial rather than annual event.
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Poss |
The event returns to Dallas, Texas, December 5-8, and then to Orlando, Fla., in 2003. Beginning in 2004, Las Vegas will host the show every other year, with "off-year" locations to be determined, Poss said.
John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988.