Final HIMSS attendance figures

ORLANDO, Fla—HIMSS just released final attendance figures for the annual conference, which wraps up in a couple of hours. This year’s crowd totaled 31,225, breaking the previous record by several thousand. (If my memory serves, HIMSS08, right here in Orlando, approached 28,000, then the economy took its toll on conference spending for the last two years.)

Professional registration—that’s excluding the representatives from the more than 1,000 exhibitors—was 14,639, up from 13,672 last year in Atlanta.

I take back most of what I said about Orlando being my least favorite major convention city. Maybe it’s because I actually stayed within walking distance of the venue this time, but I didn’t feel so isolated. HIMSS11 was confined to one of the three Orange County Convention Center buildings, so even though the exhibit hall was, I’m told, literally a mile long, things seemed pretty easy to get to.

Also, I had a positive experience with a local healthcare provider, which I’ll detail in another post. That also explains why this blog was dark yesterday.

Soon, it’s off to Orlando International Airport, then back home to Chicago. Once you get past the crowds of overpacked families who don’t travel often and thus don’t quite understand the security procedures, MCO is really a great airport. The free Wi-Fi doesn’t hurt. So, thanks, Orlando, for a positive experience and some much-needed sunshine.