Attendance at the RSNA 2012 conference in Chicago was down 9% compared with the 2011 edition of the meeting, according to figures released by the Oak Brook, Illinois, society.
Last week's meeting registered total unaudited attendance of 52,980 through Friday, November 30, compared with total unaudited attendance of 58,232 the year before. After a final audit, official attendance at the 2011 meeting was calculated at 59,097; 2012 audited numbers won't be available for several more weeks.
RSNA 2012 saw declines in both professional and exhibitor attendees, but the biggest drop was due to a change in RSNA policy this year regarding guests. RSNA this year initiated a guest registration fee, which may have contributed to a 36% drop in attendees in the "guest/other" category, from 8,415 attendees in 2011 to 5,413 attendees in 2012.
The number of professional attendees at the 2012 show was 26,273, down 4% compared with 27,308 attendees at the 2011 meeting. In the exhibitor category, there were 21,294 attendees, down 5% compared with 22,509 attendees in 2011.
