In what could be the first step in outright cancellation, the New York Auto Show announced late yesterday that its International Auto Show is rescheduled to August 28 – September 6, 2020. The holding action comes after the show said one week ago that the show would go on. (New York Auto Show Claims It Will Happen)
As AutoInformed said then, “The show’s fate of course will be determined by public health departments at the city, state and federal levels. At the moment there is no known vaccine for preventive or ameliorative use against COVID-19.”
This still applies, despite the denials and obfuscations of the central government, and the president’s apparent refusal to get tested or stop touching people in crowds. Trump has dismissed the severity of the outbreak, made demonstrably false claims about the nature of the virus and – true to form – politicized the crisis – by saying over and over again that his opponents and the media are politicizing it.
“We have already been in communication with many of our exhibitors and partners and are confident that the new dates for the 2020 Show will make for another successful event,” claimed Mark Schienberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, which owns the show.
Two people, a man and woman, with confirmed covid-19 have been hospitalized in intensive care units in New York City, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement Thursday morning, raising the state’s total to 13 cases.
Due to the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing public-health crisis and to protect the health and well-being of our guests and members, IMPA has canceled the meeting scheduled for Wednesday 18 March. We thank the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, sponsors of the (recently rescheduled – eventually to be canceled? – editor) New York International Automobile Show.
Representatives from the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA), show sponsor, will tell us at the March 18th IMPA meeting why events like the New York International Automobile Show remain a solid marketing spend for manufacturers. GNYADA President Mark Schienberg and Chris Stommel, president of Foresight Research, will discuss the Power of Auto Shows and take questions from members and guests.