There will be no room at the inn again next year for non-delegates.(Midem)

Midem organisers are planning to extend their initially controversial policy of barring non-delegates from key Cannes hotels for next year's event after chalking up record attendance figures this year.

Delegate numbers were up 5% on 2004, topping the 9,300 mark for the first time, as the number of registered companies rose 4% to 4,366, predominately due to the increase in the presence of technology firms. There were also 5% more stands and 1% more stand space booked inside the Palais.

Midem director Dominique Leguern believes the anti-parasite policy is likely to have had an effect on these figures. She says, "The increase may be down to the number of technology companies attending. However, I am optimistic that [the policy] did help."

Of the anti-parasite policy, she adds, "Of course we will repeat it. And maybe we will extend it to other hotels, as it allows delegates to work more comfortably."

She says the reaction to the policy was overwhelmingly favourable among delegates. "It worked out very well," says Leguern. "I had a lot of compliments and only a few complaints. The complaints mainly came from registered participants who had meetings scheduled with non-registered companies."

The system certainly appeared to cause less controversy than some had forecast. Few inside the Palais said they had noticed a difference and there were ...