Man in attendance (3)
I believe the answer is:
dan
'man' is the definition.
'in attendance' is the wordplay.
'in' indicates a hidden word.
'DAN' is hidden in the letters of 'attendance'.
(Other definitions for dan that I've seen before include "degree of proficiency in judo, say?" , "Dark and damp." , "Karate expert" , "Tribe" , "Skill level in judo" .)