If there’s one common thing about the people all around the world together, it’s the love they have for diverse varieties of automobiles. Auto shows are traditionally one of the most anticipated events in the experiential domain, and they attract millions from all over the globe every year.
These automobile events are not only used by marketers as a platform to promote their latest products, but also to test out ideas and concept vehicles in order to get a gauge on consumer enthusiasm. And while there are literally multiple events of this genre happening every year around the world, only a few turn out to be major crowd pullers.
Here at EE, we are going to take a look at the 6 of worlds biggest and best auto experiential events across the globe-
Goodwood Festival of Speed
The Goodwood Festival of Speed, which sounds more like some sort of Renaissance festival, is held every year in West Sussex, England. The festival is known to attract crowds of approximately 100,000 on each of the three days on which it is held. The festival itself is held on the grounds of the Goodwood estate, a location with very important ties to British automotive history, and features historic motor racing vehicles, enabling fans to see F1 machines as well as cars and motorbikes from motor racing history all at one place.
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Pebble Beach, UNITED STATES: Historic automobiles fill the 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach Golf Links during the 56th annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 20 August 2006 in Pebble Beach, California. As many as 175 vintage cars from around the world were on display during the show. AFP photo Tony AVELAR (Photo credit should read TONY AVELAR/AFP/Getty Images)[/caption]
(The Unofficial) Woodward Dream Cruise
Held in the third week of August in Detroit, this is a classic car event along Woodward Avenue. The WDC Event spans much of the avenue, from Pontiac through Ferndale in Oakland County, Michigan, all the way to the State Fair Grounds inside the Detroit city limits, just south of 8 Mile Road. An estimated one million spectators attended the 2009 Woodward Dream Cruise as it features roughly 40,000 classic cars each year from around the globe. Spectators can see muscle cars, street rods, custom, collector and special interest vehicles dating across several decades.
Pebble Beach Car Week
Numerous events are organized at California’s Pebble Beach area over the summer, including auctions, cocktail hours, and of course, judging vehicles. The famed Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is a part of the annual Monterey Car Week festivities, and often includes several celebrities and some of the world’s richest individuals as its attendees. Cars are often auctioned off for millions of dollars over the course of the week, and many of the world’s rarest models are on display as well.
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Visitors look at cars displayed during the opening day of the Paris Motor Show at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, on September 29, 2012. The event runs from September 29 to October 14. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS SAMSON (Photo credit should read THOMAS SAMSON/AFP/GettyImages)[/caption]
Auto Shanghai
China is quickly becoming addicted to cars, and that is what makes it such a vital target for the automotive industry at large. The country being the home to a huge number of people and potential customers, the event Auto Shanghai is held every two years, and saw its birth during the 1980s.The show has become a strong staging event for North American and European car companies to show off their latest creations to the Asian market, and is sure to only grow in importance every time it is held. The Auto Shanghai 2013, with a combined show space of 280,000 square meters, brought together 2,000 Chinese and foreign exhibitors from 18 countries and 1,300 complete vehicles were on display at the event, which include 69 concept cars and 91 new energy vehicles, while 111 new models had their world debuts at the event.
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ROYAL OAK, MI - AUGUST 17: (CAR FEATURE 1 of 5) More than a million and a half car enthusiasts line a 16 mile stretch of Woodward Avenue between Detroit and Pontiac, Michigan to watch approximately 30,000 classic and antique cars cruise by during the 8th Annual Woodward Dream Cruise August 17, 2002 in Royal Oak, Michigan. The Cruise is the world's largest one day auto event. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)[/caption]
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (is the world’s oldest active sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France. The event commonly referred to as “the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency,” is considered to be one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world as racing teams have to balance speed with the cars’ ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining mechanical damage, and manage the cars’ consumables, primarily fuel, tyres, and braking materials.
The endurance of the drivers is also at display, as drivers frequently stay behind the wheel for over two hours before handing duties over to a relief driver during a pit stop. Drivers then grab what food and rest they can before returning to drive another stint. The event is organized by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and runs on the Circuit de la Sarthe, a circuit containing a mix of closed public roads and specialist racing circuit.
A Night of Destruction
This event features a night of unmatched local racing, much similar to a demolition derby on speed, nights of destruction include any number of nonsensical such as car bowling, rollover contests, cars racing in reverse, and a bizarrely imaginative array of figure-eight races. The chain race ties two cars nose to tail; the front car has no brakes and the back car has no engine, leaving fantastic opportunities for drivers to hang each other out to dry in the intersection. In the boat-trailer race, each car tows a trailer with a boat strapped to it and often flings the boat off the trailer at high speed. Camper races follow the same format but with more asbestos. The event signifies mayhem and collision at its finest and more interesting than the race itself is the attendees that it attracts.
