Detroit Auto Show (North American International Auto Show) (Holly: for sale, hotels)

[reppin_the_847]

I know the Detroit board tends to be quite slow compared to some of the other ones catering to bigger cities (ie. NYC, LA, my hometown Chicago, etc.). I live in Metro Detroit now & one of the largest events to take place in Detroit has kicked off to the media since yesterday. Industry insiders have access Wednesday & Thursday. I believe it then kicks off to the general public. Love him or loathe him, even President Obama is planning to stop by the show next week (Wednesday, January 20th). I don't think there's an event bigger than this in the Motor City. So that being said, do you plan on attending this year's North American International Auto Show (aka NAIAS or the Detroit Auto Show)?

[MS313]

Most of the posters on the Detroit forum don't talk about much outside of the usual relocation and controversial topics. Most threads discussing other things like events don't get much attention in the forum unfortunately. Surprisingly, "DetroitYes.com" doesn't have a thread on the auto show yet but you will probably get better responses from the posters there about things going on. I don't have time to keep up with another account but I lurk that forum frequently.

I personally don't know if I'm going yet. I love cars so I really do need to check it out but it's not the best time for me right now. If you go make sure you bring some pictures to the forum. I'll probably post some eventually.

[belleislerunner]

I plan on going - I used to go on weekends but it got too crazy - but now I do a weeknight after work since it's open until 10PM.

I've also had much more fun at Auto Rama - It's a show they do next month at Cobo which is similar to the auto show but doesn't have that sterile new car dealership feel. There's its enthusiasts who have restored cars/tons of merchandise/shirts/trinkets for sale and a much more relaxed vibe. It's Feb 26-28 one weekend only.

https://autorama.com/attend/detroit/

[usroute10]

Yes, I plan to go, but I haven't been in a decade.

[Retroit]

The reason this forum doesn't get much activity is because any thread outside of "where should I live" is closed by the Mod as soon as there is a disagreement.

No, I will not be going because the cars today are ugly and I will be seeing them everywhere next year anyway so why pay for it?

[animatedmartian]

It's a convention for car people. Most people who simply buy cars to get from point A to B aren't going to have much interest in the auto show. I went last year and it really wasn't all that different from when I went many years prior. The only thing that changes are the facades, and honestly the only interest would be seeing cars that are rare or prototype, but they typically have very few of those. Otherwise, it just seems like something to go to if not doing anything else on the weekend so I'm not sure I'll go this year but would feel indifferent if I didn't go.

[MI-Roger]

No! Too expensive, too crowded, and too much damage done to the display cars by unattended youth/juveniles.

[citylover89]

Yes, I think I will be going. It's one of the biggest events in the Metro Detroit area and it's worth it to me.

[DTWflyer]

I go every year, but its basically a requirement as I work in the industry.

Its a great event and makes for a great day/night out in the city in the depth of winter. Even more so now with so many more dining and entertainment options in downtown, midtown, and Corktown these days. Particularly more so since its always a running joke that the Auto Show is always during one of the coldest weeks of the year.

Either way its a one-stop shop to see all of the current product cars for sale today without the pressure and sales push of walking around individual dealer lots and show rooms.

[reppin_the_847]

Originally Posted by DTWflyer

I go every year, but its basically a requirement as I work in the industry.

Its a great event and makes for a great day/night out in the city in the depth of winter. Even more so now with so many more dining and entertainment options in downtown, midtown, and Corktown these days. Particularly more so since its always a running joke that the Auto Show is always during one of the coldest weeks of the year.

Either way its a one-stop shop to see all of the current product cars for sale today without the pressure and sales push of walking around individual dealer lots and show rooms.

I'm basically in the same boat as you these days DTWflyer. It's also worth noting that so much of the economy in Metro Detroit is related to the auto industry. In addition to the Big 3, you have a TON of suppliers in the area as well as Tech Centers for the foreign automakers, etc. Just like NYC has Wall Street, LA has Hollywood, SF Bay Area has Silicon Valley, well Metro Detroit has the auto industry. True, a lot of the manufacturing jobs have moved to the South or to Mexico, but there's still a very large chunk of the economy (blue collar & white collar) here that is tied to the auto business. Even my friends that work in the healthcare industry in Metro Detroit area believe there is a trickle down effect. When the auto industry is struggling, some of the less necessary medical procedures (ie. dental work, etc.) do not get done.

Fortunately this past year was one of the best in recent history for the auto business. This is a win-win for the Big 3 and for just about all the companies globally (VW being perhaps the only exception at this point in time). I mean, it really is a much more optimistic time out here compared to the deep, dark depths of the Great Recession. Especially since the City of Detroit also happened to undergo the bankruptcy process a couple years ago & also get rid of crappy vulture-like politicians (ie. Kwame Kilpatrick).

Also true in what you said is that Detroit's dining & entertainment scene is better than ever. The local restaurants, hotels, casinos, breweries, etc. all get to benefit from an event such as the Auto Show. It's a perfect time for these business to showcase to the visiting auto business execs (from CEO's down to entry-level folks) what downtown Detroit has to offer dining & entertainment-wise in 2016.