Detroit Auto Show expected to bring big bucks for city's economy
(CBS DETROIT) — The Detroit Auto Show is revving up in the motor city. According to Visit Detroit, hundreds of thousands of people are anticipated to attend, which means big bucks for the city's economy.
"I would imagine it would be somewhere between three quarters to a million to a little over a million people will come through these doors," said Claude Molinari, president and CEO of Visit Detroit.
The auto show is the No. 1 convention in the Motor City, and Molinari and the auto show say the turnout pumps out big bucks.
"In years past, it's been Superbowl-esque. Every year we're talking over a hundred million dollars in economic impact from the auto show. Now, whether that's going to translate into the new auto show we have to see," Molinari said.
Each year, the show attracts a global audience and showcases the city of Detroit. Area businesses, including restaurants, attractions, and hotels, are gearing up for a massive turnout.
"We're in a great time of the year where the hospitality community needs it more than ever," said Molinari.
The Detroit Foundation Hotel, which sits directly across from Huntington Place where the auto show is held, is booked up each year.
"It's fantastic. Anytime Huntington Place is activated, it's great for us as well as the city," said General Manager James Dannecker.
Dannecker says the hotel's signature restaurant, The Apparatus Room, depends on a successful show, and the restaurant tends to live up to those standards.
"Definitely see an influx where we'll see potentially over 100 people for breakfast, potentially the same thing for lunch, and then get into the 200-300 people for dinner," Dannecker stated.
Dannecker says that with Detroit in the spotlight, especially in the past year, visitor feedback has been positive, and the city is truly gaining the momentum it deserves.
"In the older years you needed a reason, but now people are just coming out to check things out because there's so much action just around the town," said Dannecker.
Although the auto show pumped the brakes last year to restructure due to changing times in the auto industry, Molinari says it's still relevant with the motor city at the forefront of innovation and technology.
"We want this to be the epicenter of all things for the future of automobility and autonomous vehicles," Molinari stated.
Not only do events like the auto show generate big dollars for the economy, but Molinari says they also impact far beyond downtown and bring hundreds of jobs to Southeast Michigan.
