SUR/FIN 2007, held this past summer in Cleveland, Ohio, saw non-vendor attendance increase 9% year over year and booth spaces reserved rise by 30%. Figures supplied by the National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF), which manages the show, indicate that 162 international participants representing 26 countries made the trek to Cleveland for the show. That number represents 12% of the total number of attendees at the 2007 event and a double-digit increase over the previous year. Leading the way were Canada, Brazil, Germany, Korea, Mexico, India, and Japan, which collectively accounted for more than 75% of international attendees present at SUR/FIN. Multiple representatives also hailed from Argentina, Columbia, Singapore and Taiwan.

The event also attracted a larger number of attendees from different regions of the U.S. outside the core traditional Midwestern, manufacturer-based cities from which SUR/FIN typically draws high numbers. According to the NASF, attendees from the East Coast, Southeast, and West Coast collectively accounted for more than 27% of participants at SUR/FIN 2007.

For more information, visit www.nasf.org or www.sur-fin.net.