Proving that even the most established event can reinvent itself, the Los Angeles Auto Show is shaking things up this year, making a century-plus-year-old car expo more relevant on the global circuit. (It was founded in 1907 and is now the first major North American show of the season each year.) Late last year the show’s president, Lisa Kaz, tapped Terri Toennies as new general manager, and the now all-female team is making some fundamental changes to the event, which kicks off with press days November 19 to 21, and consumer days November 22 to December 1 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
In one of the bigger format shifts, organizers are extending the press preview, with three days instead of two and major announcements made by the likes of Audi, Ford, and others during the first day, now known as the “Connected Car Expo.” The opening press day is part of the event’s dedicated focus on the convergence of cars and technology this year, a hot topic for the automotive industry.
During the Connected Car Expo, San Francisco software company Splunk will host a “fast pitch” competition in an effort to find the hottest new auto-tech start-up. The same day will also include a lunch that takes inspiration from speed dating, Toennies explains. The team has assigned 55 different table hosts—say, a development director in technology for Audi, a Google exec, a tech journalist—who will lead each table for a 20-minute stint before moving on to the next table during the course of an 80-minute luncheon.
A party in the evening will serve as both a finale to the Connected Car Expo, as well as a kickoff for the remaining two press days. “Last year alone, the manufacturers hosted 22 parties, and we wanted to be a[n official] part of it," Toennies says. “Instead of sending people off to hotels and [other] venues, we’re able to keep them in.” Pandora will host the festivities, bringing in entertainment, Brazilian samba dancers, and more. “It’s a unique thing that the L.A. Auto Show has never done before,” she says. “And we’re getting really positive response, so it will probably become a mainstay."
The following two press days will see changes, too. Significantly, the staid keynote speech that formerly anchored things will be replaced by something that much more resembles a festive party among California car enthusiasts: the MPG Motoring Invitational presented by Forza Motorsport 5 and Xbox One.
“You want to be able to captivate the audience. So we looked at what’s going on around California with 'Cars And Coffee’ [informal events], where people gather in a parking lot and talk about their cars over coffee. We’ll be showcasing classic [plus celebrity and other iconic] cars in front of the convention center with tents, live bands, and L.A. food trucks during the 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. official kickoff. It’s a completely new event, completely relevant to California culture and California car culture,” Toennies says. Senior director of marketing and communications Brendan Flynn adds that the change came in response to manufacturers’ feedback that they wanted a real L.A., Hollywood-influenced experience. The team expects about 12,000 to be in attendance.
Manufacturers also said they wanted more interaction, and organizers moved to accommodate. “One of the things the manufacturers have said to us is they want more networking instead of being in their booths all day,” Toennies says. “We’ve added different elements of opportunity for people to grab a glass of wine and interact with their peers in a setting other than inside their exhibit booth."
Though the shift in format is focused on the press days (the press attendance leads the success of the show, Flynn explains, because the better the stage is to draw press, the more dramatic debuts and exhibits the manufacturers bring to the event), consumers can also expect an overhaul. During the consumer days, attendees will see more build out in the lobby and foyer spaces, with celebrity cars, graffiti artists, and generally more interactivity.
So after this year’s updates, what's next for the L.A. Auto Show? “One of the most exciting things about being in an event business is when you’ve got a successful show but you can’t just sit back and rest on your laurels,” Toennies says. “We’ve always viewed 2013 as a transition year, and in ’14 [and beyond], we’re looking at building a bigger show and hopefully we’ll see changes in the convention center, maybe a stadium, the sky’s the limit. [Manufacturers] are always looking for more ways to market and if we can be the tool in a very current, modern way it’s only going to help both of us."
