The SCTE said it drew over 10,000 attendees to its just-completed Cable-Tec Expo show in Philadelphia, a marked increase over the 8,600 it drew in New Orleans last year.
The solid attendance news provided a direct contrast to the NCTA’s announcement a day earlier that it was shuttering its 65-year-old trade conference, INTX.
In addition to the 21 percent increase in overall attendance, the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers said they saw a 14 percent uptick in international attendance. This year’s program chair was Zoran Stakic, CTO for Canadian operator Shaw Communications, who broadened focus to include wireless communications.
In 2014, Cable-Tec Expo drew only 9,100 attendees in Denver.
Holding the convention in the home town of the top cable company, Comcast, didn’t hurt, as did having it a mere train ride from No. 2 operator Charter Communications, which is based in Stamford, Connecticut. Other major East Coast presences include leading cable industry vendor Arris, as well as recent Cablevision acquirer, Altice USA.
A spokesman for the SCTE also credited the plethora of emerging technologies at the show for drawing interest – in addition to the wireless focus, cable technical types also turned out to discuss such hot topics as Full Duplex DOCSIS 3.1, virtual CCAP and Remote Phy.
Despite the solid traction on the East Coast, SCTE plans to hold 2017’s Expo in Denver.
“Our experience this week underscores a primary reason for the robustness and relevance of Expo: The telecommunications community requires a crossroads that connects technology partners, operators and the cable workforce with the innovations and the educational resources that are powering the future of the industry,” said Chris Bastian, senior vice president and CTO of SCTE/ISBE, in a statement.
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SCTE Cable-Tec Expo attendance down 7 percent to 9,100
SCTE Cable-Tec Expo set for wireless focus, programming chair Stakic says
NCTA shutters its 65-year-old cable show, INTX