SAE World Congress Draws Higher Quality Attendance Numbers for 2002

DETROIT, March 14 -- What was expected to be a challenging year for the world's largest automotive technology conference has produced some very encouraging results.

Although overall attendance at the SAE 2002 World Congress was down by 14% to 37,233, strong indicators point to a much higher quality audience for the exhibiting companies. Seventy-two percent of registrants this year were non- exhibit-related personnel, which represents a 16% improvement over 2001. That, in addition to a record 1,300 technical papers, 1,000 exhibitors, many highly focused special events, and what many call the best technical program in the history of the SAE World Congress, give many optimism for the future.

Dave Amati, SAE Professional Meetings Group Director, says he's pleased with the numbers. ``If you look just below the surface, you have to be pleased with our numbers. Basically, the entire difference between last year's attendance and this year is directly related to exhibit booth staffing. The percentage of Original Equipment Manufacturers attendance was up, overseas attendance was better than expected and tracked favorably with last year. We also had a record year for media attendance -- both domestic and international.'' Exhibit booth staffing has generally been higher because the large exhibitors bring more people to staff their space.

Event sponsor Ford Motor Company calls the event a ``smashing success,'' due to the numerous special events and technical topics tailored to senior industry executives. Exhibitor feedback during and after the show has been favorable. ``A large number of exhibitors have said they were pleased with the caliber of the audience in the hall this year, and, as a result, are likely to return in 2003,'' said Amati. ``They saw more of the people they can do business with this year. That's the name of the game in sales -- qualified contacts.''

In the aftermath of September 11, many predicted that overseas attendance, which had accounted for almost 20% of the total attendance in 2001, would be challenged in 2002. In fact, overseas attendance also tracked favorably with last year. ``I am encouraged by the turnout we had from East Asia, particularly Korea and Taiwan,'' says Amati. The top countries outside the U.S. and Canada attending this year's SAE World Congress, in order, are: Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, Korea, Taiwan, France, Sweden, and Mexico.

Amati wants to get the SAE World Congress back to the levels of participation of the past years. ``People still know this is the place to be to find out what's going on in automotive technology. We're going to re- engage ourselves with our primary customers in order to assure they're getting high value when they participate in SAE activities and events.''

SAE is a non-profit membership organization consisting of more than 83,000 mobility practitioners in 93 countries. SAE members are engineers, educators, students, government employees, and business executives. Together, these individuals form a diverse network that enables its members to share information, exchange ideas and generally advance the field of automotive and aerospace technology.

Established in 1932, the SAE World Congress has grown to be the most effective sales generating medium for automotive industry decision-makers in the world.