Every cab driver in Chicago last week kept a list of conventions for the month of June to better prepare them for handling the crush of out-of-towners descending on the city. Near the top of that list was NXTcomm with an expected 20,000-plus attendees. But if you ask Light Reading's loyal following, the projections were way off.

More than half of all respondents to an LR poll felt there were fewer than 15,000 attendees, and only 23 percent believe the number even scratched the surface of 20,000. (See NXTcomm Numbers.)

Granted, this is hardly a scientific poll. (For that you'll want to go here) But it does suggest that the largest telecommunications show in North America may have underperformed its predecessor show, Supercomm.

It's also a testament to the fact that the industry is shrinking. Its power base, spending, and gathering spots are becoming more concentrated, making each public outing by companies more and more important.

As NXTcomm heads for Las Vegas in 2008, might we see a resurgence in attendance? We ran a poll on that question, too, and the respondents are not exactly yelling "Vegas Baby!" (See NXTcomm: Traveling Tradeshow.)

NXTcomm's management says attendance figures will be released soon.

— Raymond McConville, Reporter, Light Reading