WAS delegates conclude a winning visit to Paris Auto show to secure Washington status as policy show on the circuit

WAS delegates conclude a winning visit to Paris Auto show to secure Washington status as policy show on the circuit

With auto show chairman Charles Stringfellow, Brown Automotive, at the helm, a Washington Auto Show delegation to the Paris Auto Show earlier this month set its sights on building and maintaining bridges to the worlds automakers while burnishing the reputation of Washington as the public policy show on the industrys global circuit.

Joining chairman Stringfellow at the core of the WAS delegation to Paris were: WANADA chairman George Doetsch, Apple Ford; WAS producer Gerard Murphy; show manager Bob Yoffe; and promotions director Barbara Pomerance. DC city administrator Neil Albert accompanied the delegation overseas along with WANADA government relations advisor Doug Patton. The WAS delegates were joined at different times in their visit by David McCurdy, president of the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers, Ed Tonkin and Phil Brady, chairman and president of NADA, respectively.

Its important to be right on message with the right people when you represent the Washington Auto Show to industry leaders at a mega event like the show in Paris, said Stringfellow, and when you meet with these leaders its a winning visit when you have DC city officials and major industry stake holders on hand to support Washingtons position as the public policy show. You dont get the same results by making phone calls and sending e-mails that you do with face to face meetings with decision makers.

We truly had some productive interaction with folks who can make it happen for us, said WAS producer Gerard Murphy, who noted that the delegates were able to extend exhibitor participation in the WAS, while lining up an array of world class industry presentations for Washingtons next show.

The Washington Auto Show will run ten days, Jan. 28 through Feb. 6, 2011, spreading completely over the two vast levels of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Media and industry days precede the opening of the 2011 WAS on Jan. 26-27, 2010.

The Automotive Technology Superhighway (ATS), with its extra, dedicated pavilion space reserved for emerging fuel economy innovations and safety technology exhibits, will also be making a return. If past is prologue, it is anticipated that U.S. regulators will once again be staging major announcements and presentations in the ATS, similar to those made this year by

Energy Secretary Steven Chu and EPA Administrator Lisa.

The 2011 WAS will have a wholly new multi-media effort behind it, including a new website that is being completed by the shows advertising agency. The WAS is important to the auto industry, the federal government, and the mid-Atlantic region for a variety of reasons, but most of all, we expect it to attract record numbers of prospective car buyers, said chairman Stringfellow. Show visitors will literally have acres of reasons to attend the WAS and we are going to ensure that they do and in large numbers.