Introduction
The Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) was held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre by the FCAI on behalf of its members from October 9-19, 2008.
This is the premier event to showcase what the Australian and international automotive industries have to offer and in these changing times AIMS 2008 carried the appropriate theme of “prepare yourself”.
More than 400 vehicles were displayed with more than forty of them new to the market. The event included half a dozen concept cars and at least three world premieres.
A new innovation for AIMS 2008 was Super Car Central. This concept brought together some of the rarest, most exotic, hand-crafted cars and was one of the highlights of the event.
The motor show was conducted in challenging circumstances and drew a total attendance of 136,480 – down 44.3 per cent on the 2007 result.
AIMS 2008 was undertaken as the global financial crisis was emerging and the growing economic uncertainty contributed to a lower than expected attendance figure.
The decision by a number of key brands not to participate also adversely affected public perceptions of the event.
Future strategy
In 2008 the FCAI began investigating the future direction of motor shows in Australia in an attempt to find a sustainable model that met the new demands of vehicle brands.
The FCAI undertook discussions with the organiser of the Melbourne International Motor Show, the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC), on the development of an agreement for the joint staging of the Australian International Motor Show.