More People Went to the Detroit Auto Show Than Live in Detroit

Attendance for this year’s Detroit Auto Show was the highest in a decade, with official figures exceeding the actual population of Detroit.

With over 100,000 attendees on the final day of the show, the figure for total ticketed attendance sits at 803,451. That number is significantly beyond the 701,475 population of the city of Detroit, which has been on a downward spiral for Decades.

That number is the best since 2003 when total attendance hit 838,066. At that time, Detroit’s population was 926,903.

The surge in attendance comes as part of a major push by show organizers as the event celebrated its 25th year since it officially changes its name from the Detroit Auto Show to the North American International Auto Show. The show venue, Cobo Hall, is also in the midst of a $300 million renovation project.

“We’ve come a long way in 25 years,” said NAIAS Chairman Bob Shuman. “It was a privilege this week to see some of the members of the 1988 auto show committee, like David Fischer, Ken Meade and Gordon Stewart, who developed the plan that turned our show into one of the top in the world.”

“This was a special show, and everyone knew it,” continued Shuman. “The industry is healthy, the products and technology are spectacular, and confidence is high. It would be difficult to find a more exciting or more important two weeks than what we just experienced in the auto industry here on Detroit’s world stage.”

In addition to the impressive attendance, other NAIAS highlights for 2014 include the attendance of 5,169 journalists from 60 countries and the premieres of 50 vehicles. In total, the economic impact of this year’s show is estimated to be $365 million.

As read on: http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2014/01/people-went-detroit-auto-show-live-detroit.html