Attendance dips at Friedrichshafen's HAM RADIO 2018

Organizers of HAM RADIO 2018 June 1-3 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, report that attendance at this year's show was down slightly from 2017  

The ARRL Letter reports: 

The official count of radio amateurs, Scouts, and Maker Faire attendees was 15,460. That's down by 1,650 from last year.

"HAM RADIO has confirmed its position as the leading Amateur Radio exhibition," organizers said. "It once again proved to be the Mecca for Amateur Radio operators from around the world, the place where the ham spirit is alive."

"Radio Scouting -- The Adventure of Youth Amateur Radio" was the theme for the 43rd edition of the international Amateur Radio exhibition. Deutscher Amateur Radio Club (DARC) Chair Steffen Schöppe, DL7ATE, said Friedrichshafen is a social occasion and the emphasis on Scouting was a plus. "For years, we had been talking about how the Scouts could really present themselves on a big scale here, and this year it actually happened. Visitors were very interested in this topic, especially the young ones," he said. DARC is a HAM RADIO sponsor.

One commercial exhibitor reported that, despite fewer visitors, their new products sold out on the first day of the 3-day event.

ARRL fielded a contingent of representatives to HAM RADIO 2018, headed by President Rick Roderick, K5UR.

Show organizers conceded that the date for this year's show was "not ideal" because of conflicting events, and the drop in attendance was not unexpected. Next year, HAM RADIO will return to its traditional late-June position on the calendar. It will take place June 21-23, 2019

Source The ARRL Letter 
http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2018-06-14