Convention attendance fell 22 percent

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Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2002 | 10:46 a.m.

Attendance at the recently concluded International Consumer Electronics show was off 22 percent from last year and fell below 100,000 people for the first time since 1999.

Although attendance was down, show organizers say the convention was a success and more than 900 companies have already signed up to exhibit next year.

The Consumer Electronics Association said the unaudited attendance for the 2002 show, which ended Friday, was 97,962. A record 126,000 people attended the event last year.

Gary Shapiro, president and chief executive officer of the CEA, said the four-day show was considered a success because of the size of the exhibition -- 1.2 million square feet.

More than 900 companies have signed up for 950,000 square feet of exhibit space for the 2003 show, which is scheduled Jan. 9-12, a Thursday-through-Sunday event.

Shapiro said exhibitors praised the new South Hall expansion, used for the first time for CES. The convention pumped an estimated $156 million in nongaming revenue into the Las Vegas economy.