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.