LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Despite lower attendance at the 1999 World International Tire and Rubber Association Expo, Executive Director Marvin Bozarth saw some good signs in the show's first year in Nashville, Tenn. Total attendance fell 16.3 percent from 1998's total of 4,018 to 3,363. Nearly 57 percent (1,908) were regular conference attendees and 43 percent were exhibitors. Even with fewer individual attendees, the ITRA said the number of companies represented by exhibitors and attendees was about the same as 1998.
About 18 percent of the attendees (600) came from 56 foreign countries, including 126 from Canada, 74 from Brazil, 49 from Mexico and 33 from Japan.
Mr. Bozarth said there was ``a noticeable increase'' in attendance at workshops, some of which featured simultaneous English, Portuguese and Spanish translations.
There were 208 exhibitors in the 69,150-sq.-ft. exhibit hall—50 of them for the first time.