Brisbane 2009 motor show cancelled

Australian manufacturers and importers have long been biting their nails at the increasing costs of attending our three most significant motor shows.

Now, the worldwide economic downturn has forced their collective hands, effectively bringing about the cancellation of next year's Brisbane motor show originally scheduled for February 6-15.

The show was cancelled after a "number of key brands" decided not to participate in the 2009 event.

"We appreciate the decisions of manufacturers and importers to not come to Brisbane has largely been forced upon them by budget cuts by their overseas masters," the Brisbane motor show's organising chairman Chris Beecham said.

This comes against a backdrop where major local and overseas shows are also feeling the pinch.

According to Chris Beecham: "The recent Australian International Motor Show in Sydney was without many brands, Los Angeles show last week was down and manufacturers were reviewing their commitments to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January."

Increasingly, car companies have been rationalising their attendance plans for local motor shows, particularly the major events in Sydney and Melbourne. This has resulted in appearances by some car-makers at just one show during the past few years, bringing organisers to discuss merging the Sydney and Melbourne events and alternating yearly between the two capitals.

This year a significant number of car-makers including Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Mini, Jaguar and Aston Martin decided not to participate in the Sydney show, with the Melbourne event suffering from similar decisions earlier in the year.

Despite the seemingly inevitable merging and bi-annual running of the Sydney and Melbourne shows, Brisbane organizers say they are planning to run their event again in 2010.

"We will return in 2010 with a fresh and relevant focus. Along with the economic circumstances that have caused this decision, the motor industry is clearly re-evaluating its involvement in motor shows and we will meet that challenge," Beecham said.

The average cost to a car-maker of making a show appearance is understood to be around $1 million, which represents for many a major slice of the annual marketing budget.

Pictures courtesy Karen Easton/REP

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