Wealth Auto Show a multimillion-dollar effort

... Event started as two ADA exhibitions cancelled

Mel Cooke, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Garth Walker of the Wealth brand, which makes its auto-show debut at the National Arena on November 26 and 27, said that "it is not cheap".

"It is a multimillion-dollar effort," he said.

Still, Walker is confident, noting, "we have sponsorship and we are quite comfortable that patrons will come out and support the event". Walker said the entry fee, $600 for adults, with children under 12 years free, makes it "obvious that we are catering for all". The show runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on both days.

Two years ago, The Gleaner reported that the Automobile Dealers Association (ADA) had cancelled its 2009 motor show because of market downturn and lagging sales. It would have cost $10 million to stage. Then, in January this year, The Gleaner reported that the ADA had again cancelled its motor show, slated for February 25-27 at Sabina Park, with ADA chairman Kent LaCroix saying a new date would be determined, although he could not say if it would be in 2011. LaCroix said the main obstacle was cost, estimating that the ADA would have had to spend up to $20 million to put on the three-day show.

And in 2009, The Gleaner reported that the Jamaica Used Car Dealers Association spent $1.5 million to put on its first auto show at the Police Officers' Club, Hope Road, St Andrew.

Automotives asked Walker if the show is pitched at the wealthy and, laughing, he said, "Don't be intimidated by the name! We are going to have a wide cross section of cars at the show". Plus, he pointed out, "wealth is not only monetary. It is good health, good family, good job, aspiring to be wealthy".

Scotiabank is the title sponsor and exclusive financial partner for the Wealth Auto Show, with JIIC the exclusive insurance company.

"We realised that, for some time, the market has not seen a car show," Walker said, pointing to the postponement of two consecutive stagings of the biennial ADA show.

Other shows

There have been other shows in the ADA event's absence, though none on the scale of the motor show. In late August, the Scotiabank Centre in downtown Kingston and Executive Motors put on a two-day show of Mazda models at the corner of Duke and Port Royal Streets in downtown Kingston.

Walker listed a number of car brands already confirmed for the Wealth Auto Show, among them Mazda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Peugot, Audi, Land Rover, Range Rover, Volkswagen, Jaguar and Honda. "We sent out a general call and these are the ones that responded immediately," he said.

He emphasised that it will be a show in the true sense of the word, as the cars will not merely be on display. "With just the whole execution and standard of the event, we are raising the bar," Walker said. "With just the whole look and feel of the event, layout and décor, patrons are definitely going to be wowed," he said.

"The plan is to raise the bar on how car shows are executed."

Leighton Davis is a long-time automobile buff, with a stock of Motor Trend and Road & Track magazines. He pointed out that the Wealth brand is lifestyle-oriented and "because of how we manage that brand, the expectations from people are high".

"They expect First-World standard," he said. So, Davis emphasised, "it will not be the run-of-the-mill auto show", lighting and décor a strong part of the event. A lifestyle element will also be included.

While Davis wishes that more brands were on-board, he is happy with the response to this first-time event. Plus, he said, "the brands we do have will have a lot of models. I know we will have 30 to 40 cars on show".

The Wealth Auto Show is the newest part of a brand, which already includes Wealth Magazine and the 'Wealth Magazine Business Access' television show. It is intended to be an annual event.