Everybody suspected it would happen, and yesterday NBAA made it official: the show’s eight-year-old attendance record fell, as organizers counted 31,919 registered visitors to the Orlando Convention Center by midday. The association set the previous record of 31,665 in Las Vegas in 1998.

This year’s tally comfortably beat the figure of 28,796 visitors recorded at last year’s show, originally scheduled for New Orleans but relocated to Orlando after Hurricane Katrina.

This year’s show also saw last year’s exhibitor and static display records fall by the wayside and many of the informational sessions drew overflow crowds. About 115 airplanes filled the static display area at Orlando Executive Airport and close to 1,150 exhibitors packed the convention halls, where stand keepers almost invariably commented positively on the volume and quality of the contacts made this week. Next year’s soirée will be held in Atlanta, September 25 to 27.