For Sixth Straight Year, NAIAS Sees Decline
The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) along with shows in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles represent the four top tier car shows held annually in the United States. The NAIAS, which is also known as the Detroit auto show, is held in the backyard of the Big Three each January, but attendance continues to drop year over year.
Having ended this past Sunday, the public version of the show lasted for nine days and recorded 650,000 visitors. Not a bad number, but for the sixth straight year the show has experienced declining visitor numbers, a fact which doesn’t bode well for one of the most respected car shows in the world.
Of course, the current state of the economy shares partial blame for this year’s decline, as what was once a one-state recession (Michigan) became a national and then global downturn. When finances are tightened, discretionary income also drops, just the sort of monies that major public shows such as the NAIAS rely on each year.
Another problem for the NAIAS is the venue which hosts the show each year, the Cobo Center. Stretched to capacity, the Cobo Center has a hard time accommodating all of the car manufacturers who make an appearance at the show year in and year out – cramped floor space makes the Detroit show more difficult to enjoy especially on crowded days.
This year, Nissan/Infiniti and several smaller manufacturers stayed away, allowing a pair of Chinese car companies to take center stage, basically exchanging one crowded area for another. Though the state of Michigan, city of Detroit, and several counties comprising the metropolitan area are pushing for an expansion of the Cobo Center, the likelihood of that happening is quite small, especially in this economy.
Another reason for the NAIAS’ downturn is that there isn’t a whole lot to do in and around Detroit in January. Unlike Los Angeles, Chicago and New York which have bustling business and cultural districts, much smaller Detroit lacks these advantages. The NAIAS might possibly attract even more visitors if the event was held where other attractions were nearby besides select sporting arenas and museums.
Finally, hitching its success to the plight of the Big Three automakers helps in good years, but can hinder the show in bad years. If Chrysler folds or GM is diminished in size, will the NAIAS still have a strong appeal many years hence? If it doesn’t, look for the show to be moved to another city, one that has the resources and attractions to host a show of this caliber.
[...] to Google Latest Content For Sixth Straight Year, NAIAS Sees Decline – 3 hours ago The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) along with shows in Chicago, New [...]
this article is so wrong.
1. the autoshow is just a place to showcase automobiles
2. there is no problem with display space at cobo hall – there is infact an expansion plan in the works for cobo to enlarge it to twice it’s present size.
3. there’s plenty to do in Metro Detroit and in fact in Downtown Detroit; we have a host of worldclass entertainment, restaurants, and sporting events – all within walking distance of the Auto Show.
stop lying and start reporting the facts.
don’t hate and lie if you didn’t attend the event.
simply put – stop hating by way of newspaper articles you read. because 5 thousand visitors won’t break the auto show especially in this economic climate.
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Ausetkmts, thank you for your comment, but I must take exception to your tone and your position.
For your information I attended the 2008 NAIAS, so I know what I am talking about — I am not lying. The Cobo Center, as you mentioned in your second point, is slated to be expanded IF funding comes forward.
But, if there is plenty of room right now, then why expand? I think the Chinese companies were happy to get out of the lobby this year, but what happens when Nissan/Infiniti and the six others who stayed away return?
Pick through this blog and you’ll see that I addressed the problem of the Cobo Center previously, pointing out the limitations of this venue.
I maintain that there isn’t a whole lot to do around Detroit, especially in January. Sure, if the Pistons or Red Wings are at home, then that is an option. However, the downtown area isn’t exactly safe and the number of world class restaurants is very limited.
Detroit is a much smaller city than Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, thus the cultural options are comparatively smaller. The NAIAS doesn’t have to stay in Detroit and they likely won’t if the U.S. auto industry doesn’t recover.
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