L.A. Auto Show Moves to Late November

The Greater Los Angeles Auto Show will move from early January to late November, beginning in late 2006.

Show organizers want to avoid competing so closely with the January North American Intl. Auto Show in Detroit; other auto shows in Chicago in mid-February and in New York in late March or early April; and spring auto-related events in Frankfurt, Germany, and in Geneva, Paris and Tokyo.

The plan is to designate two days for trade only and then open the show to the public on the Friday after Thanksgiving, continuing through the long holiday weekend and the following week.

With the new schedule, the show that was previously set for January 2007 will now take place in November 2006. The January 2006 show will go on as planned.

According to show manager Andy Fuzesi, the industry is in favor of the move "across the board," particularly because of scheduling conflicts with the Detroit show. He said every major auto manufacturer has been requesting such a change for some time.

The new dates are better for late-year model introductions, and exhibitors will be able to use their displays for both the L.A. and Detroit shows, instead of feeling they need a separate booth for each.

Kim Custer, director of public relations for exhibitor Kia Motors America, called it a "fundamental change, particularly in comparison to the Detroit show." The Los Angeles show will be able to attract more major exhibitors, he said, because they won't have the logistical problems that come with two back-to-back shows.

"It will also be much more practical for companies that launch products in the latter part of the year," Custer said.

The new dates also offer more move-in and move-out time. Because of the California Gift Show that follows it in mid-January, the auto show typically has a single day for move-out. The November dates will allow for three days of move-out.

"We could sell an additional 250,000 square feet of space in the show next year if we could change the dates that fast," Fuzesi said.

George Rakis, general manager of the Los Angeles Convention Center, said the show will move to a time when event activity starts to die down in anticipation of the holidays.

"Therefore, we are optimistic about the potential this will create for the convention center," Rakis said. "From the facility standpoint, the more flexibility we have, the more opportunities we have to accommodate date requests."