La capsula Informativa: The Automotive Industry Event Landscape is Changing – What Should You Do About It?

I am betting the question above, or some version of it, looks familiar to automotive journalists and communications professionals alike.

Over the past five to 10 years, we have collectively witnessed a monumental shift when it comes to how valuable auto shows and other industry events are for news, story gathering, networking and communicating a company’s message.

There was a time not too long ago when automotive journalists and PR professionals knew exactly what shows they needed to attend, or exhibit at, and could plan their schedule before the year even began.

Today, question marks loom over almost every major event – and attending events often doubles as an intelligence gathering effort used to get the latest gossip on what to really expect at the next industry event or to decide if it’s even worth attending a particular event .

This has made budget decisions, communications plans, sponsorship plans and travel plans far more difficult than in the past for companies looking to make an impact.

A lot of attention has been paid to auto shows, which draw far fewer automakers, executives and high profile product reveals than in the past, and, in part because of that, a shrinking media pool.

In 2023, the New York International Auto Show pleasantly exceeded relatively low expectations, the Detroit Auto Show was very different than previous years and the LA Auto Show was better than most expected given the lack of a publicly announced press conference schedule less than a month in advance.

But the challenge for corporate communications teams at Tier One suppliers and other automotive communications professionals also extends to the rapidly changing landscape of industry events and conferences.

The Center for Automotive Research’s annual Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City remains a wonderful place for industry insiders to gather and network, but it’s been a decade or more since the CEO of an automaker was a keynote speaker there, and media attendance has been sparse in recent years.