The recently concluded four-day ispo show in Germany set a record for attendance, according to show owner Messe München International (MMI). More than 64,000 international visitors from 177 countries came to preview new trends and innovations during the 70th ispo in Munich, Germany. That represents an increase of close to 7% compared to 2009.

Show organizers said 68 percent of visitors came from abroad, an increase of about 2% compared to last year. The strongest foreign visitor contingents hailed from Italy, Switzerland, Austria, France, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, the Korean Republic, the Czech Republic, and Sweden. 2,045 exhibitors from 45 countries registered for ispo, which represents an increase of 5 percent. The event also experienced growth in terms of exposition space; compared to the prior year, the net used space increased by close to 2 percent to 89,000 square meters, and covered 15 halls at the New Munich Trade Fair, corresponding to 175,000 square meters.

The numbers clearly show how strong this international sports business network is, said Klaus Dittrich, chairman of the Management of Messe München GmbH: Even after 4 decades ispo remains the place to be for the global sporting goods industry. In the future we will continue to expand our position with innovations and new concepts, like the ispovision and Opinion Leader concept.

Super visitor frequency-national, but even more international, he said. All important international customers came to see us. A number of new, top customers.