Market attendance: A lot more than we ever thought?
Wow! Who knew market attendance was as high as 95,000?
Absolutely no one. But that's the registration figure released yesterday by the market authority.
Half that number is buyers.
Unbelievable?
I don't know. This was the first run for the new central registration system. Past estimates hovered in the 70,000 to 80,000 range, with attendance at recent markets pegged at even less than that.
Was there a big surge at this market? No.
We're offered the conclusion that the old guesswork was grossly inaccurate on the low side.
Or we can harbor a sneaking suspicion that the new number somehow overstates the market's size.
How many people might register in advance but not actually come? Hard to say.
The 95,000 number is impressive but so far above the conventional wisdom that it will require substantiation over time.
Comments (5)
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Hey Doug, did you catch Delbert? I got tied up
(was fun, but I wish these welts would go away) and couldn't make it down. Was it a good show?
Posted on May 2, 2006 10:50 AM
It was a loud show. I didn't go but could hear it from my house.
Attendance was estimated at 100,000.
Posted on May 2, 2006 1:00 PM
I guess it's by hearing from your house that you come to the conclusion that "we can harbor a sneaking suspicion that the new number somehow overstates the market's size."
Posted on May 2, 2006 1:54 PM
A suspicion is not a conclusion.
Do you have one?
Posted on May 2, 2006 2:18 PM
I'd conclude it was a good market, but I suspect some detractors my jump to other conclusions based on no more evidence than what they saw while driving across town or overheard in their back yard.
Posted on May 2, 2006 3:01 PM