Marketing and PR professionals at the WINDPOWER 2009 trade show in Chicago – which kicked off in earnest Tuesday – said they were very pleased with the results they were generating at the show thus far. Communicators we spoke with from throughout the supply chain said overall traffic was solid throughout the day, and that they were pleased to have the “right” prospects coming through their exhibits.

While a variety of factors have slowed the industry’s growth during the past several months, many PR and marketing professionals we spoke with put things into perspective. Many referenced just how much bigger the show is today versus only a couple years ago, while most expressed cautious optimism that improving economic conditions and pro-growth policies would soon begin to re-energize the industry’s growth.

That same optimism was evident in PR efforts, as a variety of companies used the show as a forum to announce new wind energy products and production facilities.

According to AWEA, approximately 17,000 attendees were expected at the show, which features nearly 1,200 exhibits.

Perhaps the one area for the show to improve from a PR and marketing standpoint is in the area of mainstream media. While the renewable energy trade media and a sampling of business outlets such as Reuters and Bloomberg were reporting from the show, it’s disappointing to see that more major news outlets are not covering this dynamic industry the way they do other emerging technologies – such as the extensive media coverage each year surrounding large technology trade shows. After all, it is this type of media exposure that could help the industry generate more widespread support and a positive regulatory environment that could more quickly create greater overall demand for wind energy.

Stay tuned — we’ll be reporting again from WINDPOWER 2009 on Wednesday.