Record low attendance for AIMS

Just 135,000 people attended last month's Australian International Motor Show, including industry representatives

This year’s Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) attracted just 135,050 visitors – just 969 more than its record-low attendance of 134,081 two years ago in Sydney. And, figures provided by AIMS organisers to car companies this week included 5224 people at the Thursday media/industry preview day, before the show officially opened to the public on Friday, October 19.

Discounting those people (which would likely have included car company executives, journalists, dealers, VIPs and stand-builders), this year’s Sydney motor show attracted a record low of just 129,826. The figure is less than half the all-time high attendance figure of about 320,000 set in 2001, when Holden’s new Monaro was unveiled, as well as the crowds that attended in 2000 (260,000), 2002 (290,000), 2003 (260,000) and 2004 (270,000).

Sydney motor show attendance figures have been in decline since 2004, with 253,000 attending in 2005, 222,000 in 2006, 200,000 in 2007 and 137,000 in 2008. That year was the last time the Sydney and Melbourne shows were held in the same year, following a deal for the AIMS to alternate between Australia’s two largest capital cities on an annual basis.

According to figures obtained by motoring.com.au, 9411 people attended the 2012 show on the first day (versus 7919 on the same day of the last Sydney show in 2010), followed by 20,121 on Saturday (v 24,121), 22,736 on Sunday (v 25,442), 5843 on Monday (v 6603), 7080 on Tuesday (v 7094), 8097 on Wednesday (v 7368), 8698 on Thursday (v 8258), 9745 on Friday (v 10,536), 20,446 on Saturday (v 20,745) and 17,649 on last Sunday’s final day (v 15,995).

Event director Russ Tyrie was unavailable for comment, but previously said more than 58,000 people attended the first three public days of the show – up about 1000 on the 2010 Sydney show.

Just 27 brands exhibited at this year’s AIMS, following no-shows by major luxury brands including BMW, Audi, Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Lotus and Volvo, although many mainstream brands reported strong retail sales to the people who visited their stands.

Last month’s Sydney show was the last to be held at the Darling Harbour convention centre before it moves to the Homebush Bay Olympic site in August 2014. The next Australian International Motor Show will be held in July 2013 in Melbourne, which traditionally attracts bigger crowds than Sydney – despite the relatively heavy foot traffic outside the inner-city venue in Australia’s largest capital city.

Regardless of where it is held, however, Australia’s biggest motor show has followed the recent trend of other international motor shows held this year in Geneva (March) and Paris (September), where spectator numbers were also down.

However, 1,231,416 people still attended the 2012 Paris show (including more than 12,000 journalists from 113 countries), with more than 100 world debuts helping maintain its position as the world’s biggest automotive extravaganza. The French show alternates on an annual basis with the Frankfurt show in Germany.

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Written byMarton Pettendy

Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalists

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