Assessing the First NAB Show in NYC

When NAB announced it would be adding a new show to its event roster,
it shouldn’t have surprised many industry folks. With the magnitude and
success of its Las Vegas show every April, and the NAB Post|Production
World Conference it added in 2004 (which drew more than 1,500 post
production professionals this year alone), the National Association of
Broadcasters, in partnership with Future Media Concepts digital media
training center, launched the NAB Post+ Production Show this year in
New York.
Created specifically to target its post production population, the show
took flight this year (from November 15 through 17 at the Jacob Javits
Convention Center), offering seminars, sessions, keynotes and exhibits
all centered around the post production community.
According to Dennis Wharton, NAB’s senior vice president of corporate
communications, this was something that had been brewing for a while.
“The spring show in April has a very large video post population,” he
said, “so we saw a great opportunity to give them a more targeted show.
Aside from L.A., New York is the video post capitol of the world. So,
what better place to have it than New York City?”
There were 4,500 pre-registered attendees and more than 150 walk-ups on
the first day of NAB Post+. “Considering this is the maiden voyage,
these numbers speak very highly of NAB as a brand and speaks to the
need for this type of event in New York City,” said Wharton.
“We really weren’t sure what to expect as far as attendance for the
first show,” says Mike Nann, technical marketing manager, professional
post production for Leitch, one of the show’s 92 exhibitors. “But the
traffic has been steady and those coming through our booth have been of
a high caliber.”
Anne Renehan, director of marketing and communications for Boris FX
agrees, “We’re getting a very educated attendee. We’re getting working
pro’s who are asking very specific questions rather than people who
don’t know who we are or what we do.”
While Wharton admits that the NAB does expect the attendance numbers
and show size to grow each year, they are neither expecting nor trying
to replicate what they’ve created in Vegas. “We’re just ecstatic over
the turn out this year. This is a phenomenal start for us.” See you in
New York next year!