Auto Show: Never again?

In Montreal, we recently attended Electric vehicle display, Which was a great success. Despite the excellent weather and construction on the outskirts of the Olympic Stadium, more than 25,000 interested people attended the event.

One thing is for sure, during this exhibition, the car enthusiast was also very happy that I came back to the Olympic Stadium, which reminded me of the good years of the auto show that took place there in the 90s.

Also, less than a year goes by without asking why the Montreal Auto Show is no longer held, each time having to return to the tragic event that led to the salon cancellation in 1999. From the construction of the building that collapsed on the kiosk in 1999 when the concrete piece fell apart Subaru.

From the stadium to the palace

Since then, the event has taken place in the Palais des Congress de Montreal. A place to share annoyances and frustrations for exhibitors and visitors. Lack of parking space, complex access, endless construction work and responsibility to follow the path within the walls are some examples.

However the exhibition attracts between 180,000 and 200,000 visitors every year. Manufacturers are the perfect reason to play the game despite the enormous costs. Amounts preferred by manufacturers GM, Ford Where Toyota Exceeds the seven-digit mental limit, and this, for exposing it simultaneously for ten days. However, as the show did not take place last year, the manufacturers suddenly realized that hosting an event like this would cost them a lot and ultimately sales would not be affected.

Today, therefore, it is time to reflect on many major manufacturers. Should they go back to the Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver auto shows? Do they really have to spend millions of dollars for each event? Furthermore, in a situation where there is a shortage of vehicles and labor for dealerships, is it possible to put in so much effort?

To this question, some car manufacturers prefer BMW, Honda, Mazda And Volkswagen Ripley has already said he will stay away from such an event this year. Because they usually realize that the budget allocated to the salon will be of great use to them elsewhere, but it does not make sense to spend huge sums for promotion to sell non-existent vehicles.

However, this does not dampen the enthusiasm of the organizing committee, which intends to host the Montreal event in January 2022. A short show, but there is no limit to the number of people who can enter. At a show people are also allowed to slip into vehicles, and restrictions are limited to things like wearing masks and vaccine passports at food courts.

Is the lack wrong?

Obviously, the lack of some manufacturers disappoints some visitors, who expect to find all models under one roof. The solution is to turn to groups of dealers who want to take advantage of the opportunity. However, their budget is not comparable to the manufacturer’s budget, which means that the quality of the kiosk or installation is difficult to compare with that of the participating manufacturer.

We can imagine that unequal kiosks and the budgets that come with them have quietly led to the loss of major international fairs, which must inevitably unfold themselves. In contrast, many of the regional shows on display in Quebec, the booths are limited to carpet cars, sometimes adorned with some small structures, are more popular than ever. The Montreal Auto Show, which once had more international goals, we can only imagine that will take this direction in the future. CCAQ Director (Authors of Montreal’s Corporation des Dealers) – According to Delis Dessault, the Palais des Congress is a cross-border event that is held on the outskirts of the building by a few isolated events.

The organizing committee has agreed to delay the planning of the 2022 event, trying to adjust to consistent new rules and manufacturers ’responses. One thing is for sure, in view of what we are seeing now, do not expect to experience the auto show as you have experienced in the past. Demonstrations remain the same, but they need to be simplified in order to clearly attract exhibitors.