WANADA reps. travel to Geneva Motor Show to advance Washington Auto Show

WANADA reps. travel to Geneva Motor Show to advance Washington Auto Show

For many years WANADA has sent dealer group leaders to the worlds most prominent auto shows to network with high level OEM and allied industry exhibitors to further Washingtons mission as the Public Policy Show on the global industry circuit. With this in mind, WAS chairman Kevin Reilly of Alexandria Hyundai earlier this month led WANADA representatives to the Geneva Motor Shows media days to be part of one of Europes foremost annual industry events. Having produced the Auto Show in Washington for nearly 100 years, WANADA has forever recognized the inherent value of the Show in promoting the automobile business in the all-important Washington, DC (regional) market. In recent years the industry, too, has recognized the importance of Washington, not only as a key U.S. car market, but also as the only auto show venue in the world that has Congress down the street, an ever more important attribute, given the burgeoning and ubiquitous role the U.S. government plays in automotive design.

Leaders of the industry unequivocally recognize the imperative of maintaining open channels of communication with Congress, the regulatory agencies and The White House itself to its success, said Reilly referring to the WAS he chairs for 2014. This is why an auto show that spotlights federal Public Policy, which is what we do here with Washington, has become an industry priority, he said.

While visiting the Geneva Show, Washington was recognized by the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers as one of the top five auto shows in the U.S. and as a first tier show in the world. Certified by OICA (the acronym for the French translation of the aforementioned group, to wit, Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs dAutomobiles), Washington now joins Detroit, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago which share the OICA certification here, along with world class auto shows abroad, the likes of Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo, and, of course, Geneva.

Joining Mr. Reilly in Geneva were WANADA senior staff, Gerard Murphy and John ODonnell along with WAS organizers Barbara Pomerance and Bob Yoffe, who together called on OEM and allied industry exhibitors, set up in their Geneva Motor Show exhibits, to report the positive results of the recently concluded Washington Auto Show.

Industry association stakeholders supportive of the WAS Public Policy Show mission were in Geneva as well, notably from NADA and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

Automotive journalists Warren Brown and Kimatni Rawlins interacted with the WAS representatives as well, which included a visit to the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland Don Beyer, who also happens to be WANADAs longstanding and esteemed dealer member.