So they themselves say it's the biggest one yet, however there's now someone debating against that with anecdotal evidence for whatever reason, because the basis of that argument was rooted in MSFS being a potential big pull of the show... Am I getting that right?

It makes sense to break records, and for obvious reasons, MSFS is a success. 
 

I bet next year will be even bigger. MSFS 2024 will be a new release or it will be just around the corner.

Edited July 1, 20232 yr by ca_metal

Also, arguing that attesting MSFS’ booth was the main attraction doesn’t mean the Expo organizers don’t have their merits for it. It just mean they did great assuring Microsoft accepted to show up. It’s a win-win situation.

2 hours ago, GoranM said:

Don't you think it's incredibly arrogant and unfair to the expo organisers to suggest the only reason the expo was successful this year was because of MSFS?  These expo's are not easy to put together, and to label them any kind of success due to one team is very inappropriate.  I've been to the Las Vegas and Orlando Expo's, and the Las Vegas one was easily the best and most popular one out of the last 3.  Orlando was a close 2nd.  I've read that numbers to the Dallas expo were the lowest out of all 3.  

No. I mentioned nothing about the expo organizers. I referred to the success of the conference this year. It was outstanding and received such praise as a result of the renewed interest in Flight Simulator. Naturally, the success stems from the Expo organizing committee who made the invites and set up the program. Like night and day between the atmosphere and venue comparing Las Vegas to Houston this year. As one who has organized satellite symposia and attended dozens of national and international conferences from a few hundred to more than 35,000 attendees, I can tell you that the venue, static displays, developer talks, keynote seminars and atmosphere blew the previous conferences out of the park. So to the contrary, the success in Houston is due to an outstanding effort by the expo organizers.

Edited July 1, 20232 yr by The Flight Level

2 hours ago, GoranM said:

Don't you think it's incredibly arrogant and unfair to the expo organisers to suggest the only reason the expo was successful this year was because of MSFS?  These expo's are not easy to put together, and to label them any kind of success due to one team is very inappropriate.  I've been to the Las Vegas and Orlando Expo's, and the Las Vegas one was easily the best and most popular one out of the last 3.  Orlando was a close 2nd.  I've read that numbers to the Dallas expo were the lowest out of all 3.  

You keep reading things into things that simply aren't there and points that nobody argued. 

The fact of the matter is that MSFS 2020 gave ALL simulators a new lease on life. 

I'd even go so far as to argue that the continued existence of flight simulation IN GENERAL depends to a significant degree on the ongoing success of the MSFS franchise. 

11 minutes ago, Ricardo41 said:

The fact of the matter is that MSFS 2020 gave ALL simulators a new lease on life. 

Of course it did!  Thank you, Asobo!

One of these days I'll make it to the expo.  To me Houston (especially in the summer) isn't a huge draw.  Wonder where it will be next year?

7 minutes ago, micstatic said:

One of these days I'll make it to the expo.  To me Houston (especially in the summer) isn't a huge draw.  Wonder where it will be next year?

I really wish that they would do Vegas again. The town offers so much more to do at night once the convention activities are done.

28 minutes ago, micstatic said:

One of these days I'll make it to the expo.  To me Houston (especially in the summer) isn't a huge draw.  Wonder where it will be next year?

I'd have thought Seattle would be the obvious choice for more than one reason.

If the conference continues to expand and given the number of European developers, a spot on the other side of the Atlantic would be justified every so often.

4 hours ago, GoranM said:

Don't you think it's incredibly arrogant and unfair to the expo organisers to suggest the only reason the expo was successful this year was because of MSFS?  These expo's are not easy to put together, and to label them any kind of success due to one team is very inappropriate.

Aside from mischaracterizing his comment, you overlook the fact that MSFS has had a major positive impact on “all” things flight simulation. From ***this forum*** to 3^rd party developers (go ask PMDG) to hardware developers to content creators to a million dollar donation; all have benefited from the success of MSFS. MSFS has a “Midas Touch” and this year the FSExpo got its turn to shine brighter due to MSFS.

Not to mention the free stuff “yet again” announced during the FSExpo; I mean these guys came with ”new news”, “more good news” and “bearing gifts”. It was the “total presentation” from a platform Dev that set this year apart.

Next year, with the release (or upcoming release) of MSFS2024, their presence, and creators looking to showcase their product alongside the new sim; that convention is going to be Epic.

I live in Los Angeles and came so close ( I have a 7 month old baby boy, so...) to buying a ticket to the Expo this year and now I'm really bummed that I didn't. It's likely not be this close to me for years to come and I would've really enjoyed meeting you guys and all the people that make my hobby thrive. Here's to hoping we can start having multiple expo's a year and in varying places for all to enjoy. 

PMDG's reflections and report/videos on their FSExpo experience: https://forum.pmdg.com/forum/main-forum/general-discussion-news-and-announcements/255933-03jul23-recap-of-a-fun-trip-to-fsexpo-2023

RSR concludes with this (bolding mine):

The trip to Houston was exhausting, as much of the PMDG team had jet-lag, and I had to roll from FSExpo immediately into a week of heavy meetings for a non PMDG organization. By the time we all got back to our respective countries, cities and homes early in the day, 02JUL23- it was fun to reflect back on the fun we had. It was evident from the show floor that the simulation community is vibrant and energized- thanks in large part to the work of Jorg from Microsoft and Seb from Asobo. I know it is easy to sit back and loft criticism for X being broken or Y not being done yet- but standing on the show floor talking with fellow developers and hundreds upon hundreds of customers with whom we interacted- it is clear that this hobby many of us have called home since as far back as 1981 is more healthy today than it has ever been.

FSExpo 2024 is a year away- but I strongly encourage you to consider attending. PMDG has already committed our continued support to Evan and Phil- and with our current efforts to expand our team, our product footprint and our capabilities- most of the team who attended the show this year felt strongly that we should consider adding a booth footprint to our attendance next year. That gives me 11 months and 3 weeks to get the planning done. That should be just enough time.

In the meantime- it looks like blue skies ahead, and are happy to be sharing them with you!
 

Edited July 3, 20232 yr by lwt1971