Boston 2026 World Expo welcomed more than 20,000 attendees and featured nearly 3,750 exhibit frames during its eight-day run, according to final statistics released by organizers.
Held May 23-30 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, the international philatelic exhibition attracted 20,017 individuals and brought together dealers, postal administrations, societies, exhibitors and collectors from around the world.
Organizers recently released a detailed accounting of the event, offering a glimpse at the scale of an exhibition years in the making.
The competitive exhibition included 719 framed exhibits occupying 3,746 frames, along with 192 literature exhibits. Beyond the exhibits and bourse, 364 events, meetings and presentations were staged during the show.
Societies also maintained a significant presence, with 118 participating organizations having booth space, staging a meeting or both.
On the commercial side, 113 bourse-area booths were sold to 115 booth holders. Booth fees, including those associated with auctions, totalled $1,096,152.
International participation extended to postal administrations, with 31 represented among 18 booths.
VOLUNTEERS KEY TO SHOW
Organizers also highlighted the considerable volunteer effort required to stage an international exhibition of Boston 2026’s size.
A total of 477 volunteers registered for the show, with more than 380 recording time slots filled. Collectively, volunteers contributed more than 2,300 hours before, during and after the exhibition.
Those hours included setting up the show as well as mounting and dismounting the thousands of exhibit pages displayed during the event.
Boston 2026 Public Relations Chair Thomas M. Fortunato thanked those who contributed their time to making the exhibition possible.
The financial support behind the show was also substantial.
Boston 2026 recorded 223 donors and another 15 societies that made donations. Organizers reported $1,201,896 in pledged donations, of which $1,199,096 had been received at the time the statistics were released.
SOUVENIRS NEARLY GONE
Collectors interested in obtaining a final souvenir from Boston 2026 have little time remaining.
Organizers say the remaining Boston 2026 souvenirs will be available only until the end of August and must be ordered through the exhibition’s souvenir webpage.
Limited quantities of medals, lanyards and souvenir sheets remain available, including presentation packs and black prints. The official Boston 2026 show catalogue has sold out.
Although the doors closed May 30, photographs and videos documenting the international exhibition remain available through the Boston 2026 website.
The statistics provide a final snapshot of one of the philatelic world’s major events of 2026 – from 20,017 attendees and 3,746 exhibit frames to the more than 2,300 volunteer hours required to bring it all together.