Rod Alberts, executive director of the North American International Auto Show, gives an insider perspective on this year’s show as part of this exclusive preview of the September 2022 Detroiter issue. Coming in early September 2022, this issue will focus on how MichAuto and industry stakeholders are leading efforts to attract high-tech talent and drive Michigan’s economic future. Read the full article below.
Detroiter
Aug. 31, 2022
This month – from Sept. 14 -25 – media, media, industry, and visitors will experience a citywide auto show like never before – one that takes them on a mobility journey inside Huntington Place, outside into Hart Plaza, and even into the skies.
This year’s North American International Auto Show (aka Detroit Auto Show) is a celebration of mobility on land, water, and in the skies, leaving no opportunity unexplored to showcase that Detroit and Michigan are at the epicenter of the mobility transformation.
There will be plenty of “wow” moments on display this fall, including a transformed indoor and outdoor auto show campus, brand-defining vehicles, product ride-and-drives, dynamic experiential activations, and air mobility demonstrations, all presented with the city of Detroit as a backdrop.
This year’s show plays an especially important role in promoting emerging technologies and educating audiences, particularly in the EV space. While the entire 12-day show offers a peek behind the curtain of these next-generation technologies, Industry Tech Days (Sept. 14-15) offer an immersive deep dive into the new mobility ecosystem.
Industry Tech Days attendees will get an inside look at future mobility platforms at the show’s AutoMobili-D (AMD) technology showcase. Presented by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, AMD features 43+ global tech companies, 80+ startups, and 17 powerful Executive Briefings on mobility and electrification trends. Now in its fourth year at the auto show, AMD is an excellent catalyst for attracting and retaining talent as well as new technology companies and creative startups.
The show’s laser focus on technology is complemented by its energized emphasis on community. With this community-centric focus in mind, look for free programming and entertainment at various downtown parks throughout the show.
Also look for the return of the Black-Tie Charity Preview on Sept. 16, an event that has raised more than $100 million for children’s charities in southeastern Michigan over the past 25 years. Charity Preview will be a celebration with new outdoor activations and entertainment in Hart Plaza, in addition to inside Huntington Place. This important night of giving sets the stage for the Public Show that brings thousands of visitors downtown and generates significant economic impact.
In fact, the auto show has long been recognized as one of Michigan’s leading industry and consumer events, providing $430 million+ in annual economic impact to the southeast Michigan region. This year’s show will help provide a much-needed boost to Michigan businesses after an unprecedented time.
We have a full slate of activities in store for the auto show. Whether that’s families coming to find their new set of wheels, media looking for industry-shaping news or future mobility innovators exploring the show as a hands-on classroom, the 2022 Detroit Auto Show will be a “destination.”
A destination for family adventure with newly themed attractions, and a destination for showcasing cutting-edge automotive technologies and advances in vehicle electrification. But, perhaps, most importantly, a destination that cements the long and rich automotive legacy that has become synonymous with our great city of Detroit and our great state of Michigan.