Washington notables tour WAS on Public Days

Washington notables tour WAS on Public Days

In keeping with The Washington Auto Shows positioning as the public policy show on the industrys circuit, one of the highlights of this years event was a tour of the show by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief David Strickland on Auto Show Monday, Feb. 4.

They had specific OEM exhibits they wanted to see, says Barbara Pomerance, director of show promotions. We worked with stakeholders to have reps in each exhibit space. LaHood and Strickland were accompanied by reporters from CNN, Bloomberg News, the Detroit News and Politico, who were especially interested in LaHoods and Stricklands perspectives on auto safety and alternative fuel innovations.

Area automotive fans know that the real destination for seeing the most exciting new developments is The Washington Auto Show, Secretary LaHood wrote in his blog. From more precise steering control to improved airbag technology, todays vehicles are designed to keep drivers and passengers safe from crashes and safe during a crash.

LaHood was particularly impressed by the recent developments in driver alert technology. He noted the increase in lane departure and forward collision warning systems, blind spot monitoring and rear view backup cameras. NHTSA had a booth at the show that featured a 1973 Chevy Impala, the first Chevrolet to offer air bags as a standard feature.

Several other notables from the Obama administration toured the show earlier during Industry/Media Days, to include Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, who gave the public policy keynote address outlining DOEs EVs Everywhere program (See last weeks WANADA Bulletin report.) Others from Industry/Media Days included Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank.

Stopping by when Secretary LaHood was on hand was Congressman Mike Kelly, a House Republican auto dealer from Pennsylvania.

That cabinet level officials and other notables from the Obama administration toured the show along with members of Congress is proof positive of Washingtons status as a tier one industry event and the public policy show, says Kevin Reilly, assistant WAS chairman and president of Alexandria Hyundai. On the manufacturer side, the OEMs know the thrust of our show, so they bring their most technologically advanced products for safety and technology, and for interactive displays, he said.

But the show isnt just for policymakers. With a stellar cast of celebrities, promotions, and interactive contests, the 2013 Washington Auto Show was, indeed, the hottest ticket in town, says Barbara Pomerance, director of show promotions, referring to the shows theme line. “We enhanced the Auto Show’s educational value this year with the Walking Tour of the New World of Driving, the brochure distributed to show visitors compiled by Washington Post automotive columnist Warren Brown.”

The educational component for show visitors was significantly broadened by the growing number of Ride and Drives that OEMs are increasingly making available on the show floor and, more typically, outdoors on the perimeter of the Washington Convention Center. In total, seven OEMs offered Ride and Drives: Cadillac, Fiat, Kia, Scion, Subaru, Toyota and Volkswagen. The only indoor track was for the Fiat 500. The firsthand experience of test drives at the Auto Show is something visitors are looking to do more and more, said Bob Yoffe, show manager, who arranged the Ride and Drive segments with the OEMs well in advance of opening day.

The show floor was visitor friendly, too, being organized with things like 11 luxury brands grouped together in what weve named Luxury Lane on the south side of the first level, Yoffe said. On the opposite side of level one we grouped the exotic brands, all of which tout six-figure purchase prices and extraordinary high performance. Another positive result of the WAS floor reconfiguration was Toyota joining Chrysler, GM and Ford on the second level of the show.