Lalaland, aka Los Angeles, Auto Show Redux
Thirty claimed product introductions, lots of interviews, chats with colleagues and friends … all in a day and half is a lot of car reveals anywhere, but especially in LA. Maybe it is the image of Tinseltown.
The wrong way three hour time difference, playing constant catch-up, almost missing critical timelines, getting sleepy too often, information overload, gridlock and traffic jams beyond compare, humungous hotel bills, poor food at the show, loosing your car in the cavernous parking garage – but it is LA. Nice place to visit sort-of could not live here except if on a big-time expense account.
My top ten observations from the show’s reveals in different locations often separated by a rather long walk more times than I care to remember and frankly, I didn’t go to all the presentations.
- Biggest crowd of media types – Ford
- Second biggest crowd – Hyundai
- Loudest, cacophonous music … again – Audi
- Most boring speech – still in process
- Best looking video – BMW
- Missing item – schlep bag from show
- Best rumor – who will replace Fritz?
- Second best rumor – why did Lutz return to Detroit so soon?
- Best no-pitch presentation – Roll-Royce reception with good champagne
- Biggest surprise – two Hyundai reveals
The lush, luxuriant, verdant, leafy, grassy, green scene and scenarios are getting boring. If you were not promoting, exhibiting, showcasing, defining an ecological and environmental vehicle or two, fuhgetaboutit! Being green is being seen.
Swinging and not so swinging soirees
What’s an auto show without parties? Not an auto show. Even as the times seem to be improving economically, the mood was not gleeful, nor was it totally somber either.
Among those touted as being the most sought for tickets or invitations were: The Mercedes event at Jay Leno’s; the Ford Fiesta bash at the Hollywood Palladium; the Rolls-Royce semi-private event at an owners home high off Mulholland Drive; the Hyundai surprise guest gather in downtown LA and, of course, the dine and drives in West LA, Beverly Hills and one I heard was in Malibu.
Star sightings?
Did not see or hear of any.
Stage Settings
This was not the show for new and uber expensive booths, stands or venues. Lots of big screen television sets, no double-deckers, not much food, but lots of lattes and water, big press kits not memory sticks but the LA Show’s media center is a good place to work, it has almost enuf computers, Starbucks and Diet Cokes.
Sad stories
The dearth of writing assignments – paid or freebies — from any medium; we just can’t make money from our website no matter how hard we try; we can’t loose any more paid subscribers; hearing bad news about colleagues health problems;
Upshot?
A shaken industry battling a weak global economy and still weakening U.S. economy while the politicians in Washington fiddle.