More than 142,000 tickets were sold at regional DCI events last summer, including more than 20,000 during the Tour of Champions week in California, topping the 2003 total of just more than 103,000 tickets sold. Group ticket sales at those events were also up compared to the 2003 season. More than 20,000 people watched DCI events as part of a group of more than 25 people, compared to just more than 17,000 in 2003. DCI operations director Wayne Leide said, "It is always difficult to compare paid attendance at a specific event from one year to the next. There are so many variables that affect ticket sales, including the day of the week, the scope of the event and even the weather. That being said, both the total and group results for 2005 are very positive. Almost every event exceeded our expectations with the continuation of some strong growth trends in key markets such as Indianapolis and
Murfreesboro." More than 12,000 fans attended two DCI events in Orlando, Fla., last summer, including more than 6,000 on Friday evening, July 16. The DCI Midwestern Championship on July 31, meanwhile, was attended by
11,674 people, besting the 2003 Indianapolis attendance of 10,976. More than 4,000 people attended World Championships and the Tour of
Champions as part of a group last summer.