Just when there is debate on the efficacy of Macworld Expo as a vehicle for Apple to get the word out on its products, IDG announces record attendance for the event. At the most recent Macworld Expo in San Francisco that was held last week, IDG says that 90,473 people attended the event. We believe that figure to be a record, and are awaiting confirmation from IDG. Attendance at the 2001 show was 87,890, and attendance at 2000 San Francisco show was 85,179.

TMOis observations from the floor were that traffic to the Expo increased throughout the event, which is in contrast to past shows where traffic slackened as the event continued. At this show, the biggest crowds came during the last day of the event. IDG was not able to break the attendance figures down by the day, in part because badge sales are one-time events, and do not register repeat appearances by attendees.

IDGis press release also notes that some 330 vendors exhibited at the Expo, in keeping with booth sales from the last several Macworld Expos. The difference this year was that those vendors had smaller booths across the board, with a few exceptions, making overall floor space smaller than shows in recent years. The pertinent part of IDGis press release:

IDG World Expo, the leading producer of world-class tradeshows, conferences and events for IT markets around the globe, today announced that last weekis Macworld Conference & Expo attracted 90,473 attendees to the Moscone Center in San Francisco. More than 330 companies showcased products on the Macworld expo floor, and thousands of conference attendees participated in a wide variety of educational sessions throughout the week. Now in its 19th year, Macworld Conference & Expo is San Franciscois largest annual technology event and the worldis most comprehensive Macintosh OS event.

You can read the full press release for information on other events at the show. See our MWSF 2003 Special Report for all of our Macworld coverage.