The Coating 2003 conference and exhibition, which made its Midwest debut in Indianapolis on October 28 to 30, drew more than 5,000 participants. The numbers reflect a 14% increase in registered attendance compared with Powder Coating 2002 and a 53% increase compared with Coating 2001.

Coating 2003 also drew an unprecedented number of new attendees to the show, according to Goyer Management, the conference and show manager. New attendees were people who did not attend Coating 2001 or Powder Coating 2002, says Anne Goyer of Goyer Management.

"More than 68% of our preregistered attendees--not including exhibit personnel--had not attended either of our past shows in recent years," Goyer says. "One of the goals we were trying to accomplish with Coating is to attract a diverse crowd using a wide variety of coating technologies. Looking at our final attendee list, we accomplished that."

Attendees came to Coating 2003 from 47 U.S. states and 36 different countries. "It's been great to rebound with so many people coming from all over the world," Goyer says. "The Coating show in 2001 was just three weeks after September 11, and it hurt attendance significantly. To come back two years later and have so many people benefit from the outstanding educational opportunities here along with the high quality of exhibitors on our show floor is a great testament to the finishing industry."

The conference program featured 65 sessions with more than 100 industry experts participating as speakers. "The quality of the conference program was rated outstanding by conference attendees," Goyer says. "This year's conference proceedings, coming in at 1,175 pages, is the largest we've ever published for a conference."

Conference proceedings can be ordered by visiting the show's Web site at www.thecoatingshow.com.

Coating 2005 will return to Indianapolis September 28 to 30, 2005.