WAS delegation visits Frankfurt to interact with global OEMs at the worlds foremost auto show

WAS delegation visits Frankfurt to interact with global OEMs at the worlds foremost auto show

A Washington Auto Show delegation of WANADA Board members, senior staff and city leaders from the DC council travelled to Frankfurt Germany earlier this month to the International Automobile-Ausstellung a.k.a. The Frankfurt Motor Show to meet with global automakers who were on site in force at what is widely recognized as the foremost auto show in the world.

Weve niched Washington as the Public Policy Show on the global industry circuit which makes it important to OEM exhibitors, said 2012 WAS chairman Robert Fogarty. As such, we need to be a presence with the OEMs at major auto show venues like Frankfurt where we can interact with their auto show coordinators and communications people, no less than the CEOs themselves, he said.

Over the busy days of the Frankfurt press conferences and industry presentations, WAS representatives met with a number of OEMs, allied industry exhibitors and industry stakeholder groups, as well as Frankfurt show organizers and U.S. State Department officials.

Besides WAS Chairman Fogarty, WANADA Chairman George Doetsch was in the delegation, as was Kevin Reilly from the WAS Committee, along with WAS show producer Gerard Murphy and Barbara Pomerance, who handles show communications and Bob Yoffe, show manager.

Supporting the WAS delegation from the DC City Council were two of its senior most members, David Catania and Vincent Orange. The WAS also benefited by support of its public policy/Washington focus by Stephen Wade, chairman of NADA, who was touring the show with NADAs industry relations director, Michael Regan.

Its key to have the city on board with the auto shows mission in Washington as it plays out on the global industry circuit, which the OEM exhibitors recognize and are impressed by when we show up at major auto shows around the world with DCs elected officials, said Murphy.

Rolling out a major auto show, which Washington has become, is always a work in progress and a team effort, said Doetsch. As show organizers in Washington, we cant take for granted that the OEMs recognize that Washington DC is the capital of the world with Congress down the street from the convention center, even though that is all true, Doetsch said. Its imperative that you reinforce your position on the show circuit and that means meeting with the OEMs in Tier One venues like Frankfurt, he said.

The WAS Chairman concurred with the WANADA Chairman. Weve got a great WANADA team that makes the auto show in Washington happen, but practice makes perfect, said Fogarty. And its like any other promotional endeavor: if youre out of sight, youre out of mind, so we make sure we never are, Fogarty said.