Overall attendance at RSNA 2019 decreased by 2.2%, according to new numbers released by the society. Total attendance at the Chicago meeting was 51,800 attendees, compared with overall attendance of 52,985 in 2018.
The society noted that artificial intelligence (AI) was a predominant theme at RSNA 2019. The conference featured an "abundance" of sessions, posters, and exhibits on AI, as well as the AI Showcase and Theater, a dedicated area of McCormick Place devoted exclusively to AI.
Other highlights of RSNA 2019 included the Intracranial Hemorrhage Detection and Classification Challenge, a competition in which teams developed algorithms to identify and classify subtypes of hemorrhages on head CT scans, and the AI Deep Learning Lab, with four different courses designed by RSNA members.
| Official RSNA attendance, 2014-2019 | ||||||
| Attendee type | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Total | 56,026 | 51,922 | 54,037 | 52,657 | 52,985 | 51,800 |
| Professional | 28,807 | 26,778* | 26,988* | 26,966* | 27,435* | NA |
Vendor attendance as measured by square footage edged up compared with 2018. RSNA 2019 also saw an increase in the number of exhibitors and the number of first-time exhibitors.
| RSNA vendor attendance, 2016-2019 | ||||
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Technical exhibition area | 412,000 sq ft | 422,175 sq ft | 433,800 sq ft | 450,400 sq ft |
| Exhibitors | 663 | 692 | 723 | 735 |
| First-time exhibitors | 104 | 141 | 130 | 155 |
RSNA 2019 also contributed $130 million to the economy of Chicago.
The 2020 annual meeting will take place November 29 to December 4 with the theme of "Human Insight/Visionary Medicine."
