THE 2006 WASHINGTON AUTO SHOW – The Countdown Begins!

THE 2006 WASHINGTON AUTO SHOW

The newspaper ads and radio and TV promotions are already running and preparations are in the final stages as the countdown begins for The 2006 Washington Auto Show (WAS), which makes history this year by moving from the holiday timeframe to Jan. 24 29, 2006 at the Washington Convention Center.

The new show dates put Washingtonês largest public show in an ever-increasing national and international posture, capturing the excitement and activity of the city while Congress is in session and the District is host to visitors from around the world. Manufacturers have responded with larger, more interactive exhibits, now possible in the expanded convention center. Thatês all good news for the true VIPs of the show consumers.

This yearês show theme, The State of The Auto says it all more than 700 new makes and models from 37 domestic and import manufacturers displayed in a two-story, multi-acre automotive showcase many describe as –new car heaven.” The 64th staging of The Washington Auto Show will feature more concepts and prototypes, more elaborate displays, more high-tech breakthroughs, and more entertainment, celebrity guests and contests.

A History of Growth

While todayês America embraces the automobile like no other country or culture, it wasnêt always so. In 1921, a group of 20 Washington area car dealers and distributors planned the first show to sell the public on the virtue of the horseless carriage. From that humble beginning, The Washington Auto Show has been on the fast track in terms of growth and popularity.

Housed in a variety of area venues, the show was staged during the 1950s and ê60s in the DC National Guard Armory. The show has gone on hiatus twice in over six decades once for war and once due to poor economic conditions. The Washington Auto Show even captured presidential attention in the 1930s and was used by President Roosevelt to overcome seasonal buying peaks disrupting the economy.

After a break in the 70s, the Washington Convention Center and The Washington Auto Show opened together in 1983. By this date, the auto show had grown to require every available foot of display space, covering nearly eight acres almost four times the physical size of the Armory shows with three times as many models.

Steady growth in size and prominence has made The Washington Auto Show one of the industryês most prestigious events. In 1988, The Washington Auto Show began using the week between Christmas and New Yearês Day as its annual staging ground, garnering a tremendous base of loyal fans and establishing its reputation as a family destination.

–A late January show is a big win for consumers. The manufacturers are bringing vehicles and exhibit features that would not have been here in December,” says George Doetsch, chairman of The Washington Auto Show. –We expect that auto show visitors will find it well worth the wait.”

The Washington Auto Show now includes features its founders could have never foreseen, with –Government Days” (Tues., Jan. 24 and Wed., Jan. 25) and International Media Day (Wed., Jan. 25). International Media Day is attended by scores of registered media reporting to a public that now eagerly awaits every new development of the –horseless carriage.” The auto showês tradition of charitable giving would also be lauded by those early planners, already active in civic causes. The 2006 Washington Auto Show Congressional Gala and VIP Charity Preview will benefit seven area health and childrenês charities. The Washington Auto Show is proud to have raised almost a $1 million for the community.

Finally, planners in 1921 who looked for every imaginative twist to draw attention to that new-fangled mode of transportation would be amazed to learn that todayês auto show features a full-slate of entertainment, contests, interactive displays and family activities that can actually offer visitors a break from all those cars!

For detailed, up-to-date information visit our website at www.washingtonautoshow.com.