Pedal to the Metal NAIAS is five high-octane events in one, running over 14 days.
investments — creatively and finan- cially. And launching them during a downturn was far from a sure thing. “If you’re going to do something, you have to go all out,” Alberts said. “If you want to stay ahead of the game, you have to be willing to step out there and make those calculated risks to bring it all together. Even though we’ve had the turnaround, those two elements are still part of the show. It was needed anyway, but the key is, it was prompted by the downturn.”
‘EVERYTHING HAS COME BACK’ At the same time, the show’s venue, Cobo Center, was also going through big changes of its own, which became another key element to the show’s recovery. In October 2010, SMG and Centerplate took over management of the facility’s operations; the year before, the center completed the first part of a three-phase, $300-million renovation and expansion that’s due for comple- tion in 2015. The project is seeking to drastically
change Cobo’s size, scope, and per- ception. Some of those changes were already visible at NAIAS 2013, held on Jan. 14–27, which Convene attended as a
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guest of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. One of the biggest centerpieces of the expansion — a dramatic staircase entrance that opens onto a 30,000-square-foot, riverfront atrium space — opened early for NAIAS 2013 to host a concert by Uncle Kracker at the Charity Preview event. “I knew that there would be better
times,” said Alberts. “The economy had to turn, we had new, better decisions being made in Cobo Center, and as long as we did what we had to do for the part that we controlled and managed, which is creating a great show, we knew we’d have a good home for it and we knew we had good management in the building to help guide what we were doing.” The risks were worth it. This year’s
Charity Preview event nearly sold out, with more than 13,000 guests in atten- dance and $4 million in proceeds raised. That’s a 30-percent increase from 2012 and an even bigger increase compared to four years ago, when the event raised $1.5 million. Overall, NAIAS 2013 did just as well — in total, 795,416 people attended, the show’s best numbers in eight years. “Everything has come back,” Alberts said, “but it’s better than it would have been because we invested
during the downturn.” Looking down the road, Alberts is
interested in making NAIAS one of the most forward-thinking shows in the industry. Specifically, DADA leadership has begun talking with Chinese auto manufacturers about partnerships — a first for a North American auto show, Alberts said. And for the first time at this year’s show, NAIAS and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, which organizes the Beijing International Automobile Exhibition, hosted the Chinese Global Automotive Forum. “I think we have to realize what
an [important] market that is and embrace that,” Alberts said. “We are a worldwide, international event, and we want to have them involved, because it’s about displaying the latest product technology and cars from a worldwide industry.”
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Contributing Editor Jennifer N. Dienst is a freelance writer based in Charleston, S.C.