Attendance down at Orlando builders show (Real LI)

Officials from the National Association of Home Builders, sponsors of the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla., last week, predicted about a 10 percent drop in attendance from the 2007 event. Apparently, they were pretty accurate. Attendance for the 2007 show was about 104,000; the figure for 2008 dipped to 92,000, a drop of about 12 percent, according to the NAHB.

Crowds seemed smaller, especially the first couple of days (Wednesday and Thursday). But by Friday afternoon, the Orange County Convention Center was bustling with people.

Orlando has been host city for the show for four consecutive years. Esitmates are that the show brings about $140 million to the city in revenue. Restaurants on International Boulevard, where the Convention Center is located, are packed and waits are at least an hour, even with reservations.

One reason it was difficult to gauge attendance this year was that nearby Daytona also staged the Daytona 500 on Sunday, one of the premier NASCAR races. With auto race fans and builders commingling in hotel lobbies, restaurants and shops, it wasn't always easy to differentiate among the visitors.

Next year, the show moves to Las Vegas, Nev. for two years, then back to Orlando.

"I think you'll see more people in Vegas a year from now," said one visitor. "It's hard, with this economy, to go to the same site four years in a row."