For those that mentioned they are perturbed by the heat, the IMSC conference wasn't held outside. The hotel ballroom + 2nd floor meeting space for presenters was probably between 70-72 degrees. While taking someone to Sky Harbor this morning at 6:30 AM, it was probably 60 degrees. That's actually kind of cold, and my body was in a sort of shock. During the day (of course), it got up to the mid-90s. It was nowhere near the 122 degree heat that I've been accustomed to during the summer.
Regarding the number of shoppers, I'd probably say that there were between 100-125 people that were consistently within the 1st and 2nd floor rooms. I know this for a fact because Pam and another lady counted off people that were seated as part of the door prize giveaway last night during "The Dollar Game."
I would estimate that there were between 13-15 different sponsors + several MSC owners within the general crowd. One owner (Debbie Hart of The Hart Experience) sat directly behind me, which was funny since we had corresponded with each other via email only the week before. MSCs such as Shadow Agency, Clear Evaluations, Trendsource (now called The Source), A Closer Look, Servimer, Melinda Brody & Co (RIP to the founder), Preferred Investigation, SQM, Sales Research Group, Proliance, and Business Observations were among those that were well represented. There were others there, yet I didn't get the opportunity to meet them due to time + other shoppers that they were tending to.
Yet aside from all of that, there was a bevy of experienced shoppers that were very open to shared their experiences + knowledge openly. There were several shopper presentations that I really enjoyed (Pat T. & Liz G's were really memorable), which I think made a major difference. For those that have attended any mystery shopping conference in the past, this may possibly be the most intangible benefit of all (I still use a tip from Walesmaven after meeting her 7 years ago).