Detroit Auto Show Crowds Shrinking
The 100th anniversary of the Detroit auto show features dozens of exciting cars, but for the third straight year attendance is down. Holiday traffic didn’t help yesterday, and traffic for the first two public days of the show was down 9% from last year. One local restaurateur said his business was down 25% compared to recent years.
At only $12 a ticket per adult, the Detroit show is far from an expensive day of entertainment, and many automakers spent thousands of dollars updating their displays with extravagant lighting and, of course, wild new concept and production cars. Detroit's local economy has been suffering for years, but with excitement over downtown sports venues for the Detroit Tigers and Lions, it’s not as if suburbanites don't know where the action is and how to get there.
[Slow Auto Show Pinches Neighbors, The Detroit News]
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Just went there today, and comparing to 2005 and 2003, today is just simply dead.
I remember in 2003, I need to wait for about 5 minutes per clear shot of pictures for an entire car. Today? 10 sec, max.
The ticket is definitly not expensive at all, comparing to a Piston's game at the Palace. The parking was not too bad, I parked right next to Cobo Center, and costed me 10 bucks.
Maybe because the people are not interested by the car makers.
Shoot, I guess I should have gone on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. As far as I was concerned the place was jammed on Wednesday Jan 17. Floor was very crowded and you had to wait to get a chance to sit in most of the cars.
Driving from Toronto, in my case, the issue was weather. Wednesday had the best forcast, and in fact the area around London that gets lake effect was absolutely sunny and gorgeous. A chrystaline landscape.
My wife and I attended the show on Thursday and it was not very crowded at all. We went last year on a Saturday and it was packed. We were not sure if it was the day we went this year but last year seemed more exciting. The show seemed more energized last year. Also, as far as costs are concerned by the time we got tickets ($12.00 each) a program $5.00, food ($18.00 for both) and a T-Shirt (it was the 100th year after all) we had spent over $60.00 not to mention the gas to get there and back. In an economy that is struggling that is cost prohibitive especially if you have a family.