It could be difficult for Detroit to fill auto show's January void

A year ago, when auto executives from around the world said goodbye to the more than three-decades-long tradition of going to the North American International Auto Show in the winter, news outlets, like the Wall Street Journal, pointed out that “few are weeping frozen tears for the cold, old days.”

Not so fast.

The event's move from January to June might not have been met with much emotion by the out-of-towners who didn't care for the slush and snow as they made their way in and out of Cobo Center, now TCF Center.

But, folks who live here — and whose livelihood depended on the show — say there's plenty to cry about.

"It's a little sad," said Patrick Kosanke, who, for the past 25 years went to the show with his now 87-year-old dad, Charles, a Chrysler retiree; one or two of his five brothers; and more recently, his twin 12-year-old boys, Joshua and Michael. "There was Thanksgiving, Christmas, and this was the next big family event."

For Kosanke and other metro Detroit families who are used to the cold, no January auto show ends a long-standing winter tradition. No more piling into the Pacifica and making a day of the show — especially on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which, for many folks, is a holiday.

Although, Kosanke said, now the guys will have to find some other event to bond over and break up the winter doldrums.

More than nostalgia, a winter show puts hundreds of people to work, including carpenters, electricians, designers, models, public relations experts, restaurateurs, cooks, hotel clerks, Uber drivers, shoe shiners and even coat checkers, at a slow time of the year. Without it, they say, they lose income.

And in the past few days, some businesses have expressed more than just concern about lost revenues. The once-hot Corktown restaurant, Gold Cash Gold, which is closing its doors next month, blames the auto show's move, in part, for its demise.

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Whether you are cheering or jeering that the show is changing, Detroit — in January — just isn't the same without the show; and, realistically, tourism officials say, it probably won't ever be because it's difficult to replace that kind of event.

Larry Alexander, the president and CEO of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, acknowledged Wednesday that despite his best efforts, it will be difficult to replace the auto show with another event.

"We're never going to find anything as big as the auto show for the month of January," Alexander said, adding that the visitors' bureau has tried to book other events that aren't as big. "We all just have to accept the fact that the auto show was huge and it filled a lot of space and venues."

January in Detroit, he said, just "is not going to be what it used to be" without the auto show.

Almost like a ghost town'

The weekend's winter storm proves how unpleasant it can be.

A key reason for moving the Detroit auto show was that it was bumping up against CES — formerly what was called the Consumer Electronics Show, a huge trade show in Las Vegas — which drew attendees and media attention away from Detroit.

Alexander promised a show in June is "going to be bigger and better" with more opportunities.

For many, however, those opportunities remain to be seen.

As he took a break Wednesday from his carpentry work setting up for the upcoming boat show at TCF Center, Eddie Baez said that no auto show has put a big dent in his income. He's done carpentry for the show for more than 20 years.

Until now, the 52-year-old Warren resident said, there were three months of work and long hours leading up to the show, as the automakers staged their elaborate exhibits. This year, there's none of that. Instead, he said, he's had to find other jobs to keep him busy during the slower winter weeks.

"It's a totally different vibe," he said of the city and TCF. Instead of working 18-20 hours a day, he said he's only putting in eight to prepare for the boat show. With fewer hours, there has been less income — and less to spend during the holidays. "It meant a difference at Christmas."

Last year, leading up to the auto show, Baez said, the center was buzzing with workers.

During the show, he said, downtown was a hive.

"It's almost like New York," he said, waving his arms to emphasize the activity as he tried to find the right words to describe the excitement. "It's like Times Square around Christmastime. It's live and festive. Everybody's out, everybody's happy, everything is going on in here."

The show draws more than 5,000 journalists from around the world.

During days open to the public, nearly 800,000 people buy tickets. They eat out, stay at hotels, and often go home with souvenirs, translating, according to some estimates, into an overall economic impact of more than $400 million dollars.

One year, the president of the United States even showed up.

But, this January, there are no celebrity sightings to report, no hot parties to crash, no hot cars to dream about, no black-tie charity preview to dress up for, no robust family debates over which car/truck/minivan/SUV would be the best to own and drive.

Baez described TCF as "almost like a ghost town," compared with what it was a year ago.

The giant ballroom that would have been full of journalists was empty. The larger-than-life Joe Louis statue in the lobby that would have been surrounded by crowds of people, was lonely. The two security guards stationed at the information desk looked bored.

Optimism and uncertainty

Despite local concerns now, auto show organizers are excited about what is coming in the summer — and even in the winter.

TCF Center said it is projecting one of its most profitable Decembers in recent years and expects that going forward it will have increaded winter-month occupancy.

"We negotiated with some events to move their dates," said Claude Molinari, the center's general manager, "but in the end, we have a calendar that worked for everyone."

The show acknowledges change also may bring some suffering.

"While we recognize that there will be an adjustment period," said Rod Alberts, the show's executive director, "the decision to move the show was driven by the desire to reinvigorate the event for 2020 and for the future in a way that we believe is in the best interest of everyone across the region connected to the show."

He pointed out that the same workers and businesses "that helped make all our shows great in the past" are still working to with the show, just in June, when it's warm and nice outside, instead of freezing cold — and snowy.

But, showgoers and workers say it's not quite that simple.

Jason Miller, 43, has been going to the show since he was a kid and now his own children — a 16-year-old, who is ready to drive on his own, and two 14-year-old twins — said it's a tradition to go in January when little else is happening.

But, in June, he added, he'd honestly rather "be outside playing golf and tennis, not walking through a crowded convention hall."

Baez, the carpenter, said January is a slow time. But, in June there are a lot of other jobs.

Businesses like Production Plus, a talent management firm in Bingham Farms, said no auto show now means a 5% gap in revenue and therefore a cash-flow concern. At the end of the year, the amount of money the company earned might be close, but the business has to have enough money coming in to pay its bills.

It also affects the models, who normally would be earning $2,500 to $16,000 this month.

"The biggest question we have is: Does that recoup itself when the show reappears in June?" Hedy Popson, Production Plus president, told the Free Press. "We don't know that yet, because we haven't seen the switch."

Mudgie’s Deli and Wine Shop in Corktown has started making adjustments to the change. In the past, owner Greg Mudge looked forward to the big bump in business that came from the auto show's workers and extra visitors.

“January and February are usually pretty bad for restaurants,” he said. “The moving of the auto show wasn’t a good piece of news to hear and everyone was fearing what would happen.”

But it wasn't just during the auto show that Mudgie's got a boost. The weeks leading up to the January auto show brought in additional income, too, from the carpenters, electricians, trades setting up all the exhibits at Cobo.

Mudge said the work crews would order a lot of carry-out.

Then, he said, during the show, every day was extra busy.

This year, Mudge said he’s hoping to draw customers from the Detroit Boat Show, which is being held at TCF. He's made some changes to the eatery and food offerings with nautical-themed decor, music, and a special “Boat Days” menu.

He wants to bring a summer feeling to the dead of winter.

“We are making the best of what was tossed at us,” Mudge said, optimistic that when the auto show opens in the summer it will give him a financial boost that can get him through next winter. “Assuming we will uptick in the summer, I’ll sock that money away."

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com. Free Press archives contributed.

New Detroit auto show

A redesigned Detroit auto show in June promises to create more of a festival atmosphere with some of it spilling outside TCF Center. It is expected to feature new model reveals, concerts, displays and food trucks.

June 5-8: Motor Bella, a British and Italian supercar event

June 9-10: Media events at TCF center and along the riverfront

June 9-11: AutoMobili-D exhibit demonstrating mobility platforms

June 10-11: Show days for people working in the auto industry

June 12: Charity preview event, which raises millions of dollars

June 13-20: Show opens to the public with new outdoor events

Website: naias.com