Brussels auto show could rise to level of dented Geneva

It is February and for the third year in a row the automotive universe will not be getting ready for the Geneva auto show.

The annual event used to lure the best mix of brands of any show in Europe -- if not the world -- every March.

The industry was prepping to meet at Geneva in March 2020. Stands were built. Plane and hotel reservations were made. Millions and millions of euros were invested.

But just days before the show was scheduled to open the event was canceled due to COVID-19.

The Geneva show is scheduled to move to Qatar this year (no, as crazy as that sounds, it’s true). The organizers have promised to revive the Geneva show in Geneva in 2024.

The chances of that happening seem slim.

Like many other large auto shows the future of the events is unclear. Despite location changes, the IAA moved to Munich in 2021 from Frankfurt, and format tweaks to shift the focus toward mobility, events around the world -- with the exception of China -- have struggle to lure automakers and showgoers.

Mazda Europe CEO Martijn ten Brink told me the industry is to blame for the decline of the large auto snow.

"It was our own fault," he said. "We made it unaffordable."

The price tag to be at a show varies a lot, but the combined cost of the stand and all the logistics involved in participating in the event is estimated to be in the multi-millions.

He added that auto shows became showcases for "the corporate executives to shake hands and drink a coffee" instead of focusing on potential customers.

"Geneva was probably one of the best examples," he said. "It didn't offer a business case from a sales point of view."

At a time when auto shows are struggling for survival, one event that continues to attract a wide array of automotive brands is the Brussels auto show.

Why?

"There is an enormous volume of contracts signed," ten Brink said, "which is why Brussels has always had a very interesting business case. It's a sales show.”

Alfa Romeo boss Jean-Philippe Imparato said that is the main reason why the Stellantis subsidiary made it a point to travel to Brussels.

“The show generates 30 percent of the business each year for our Belgian dealers,” he said.

When asked whether Brussels could one day take on the same importance in Europe as the Geneva show, he said: “It could, maybe with the help of the European Car of the Year event [which took place at the show last month]. But it must keep costs under control.”

Last month Mazda’s ten Brink debuted the automaker's MX-30 plug-in hybrid at the Brussels show. Being there brought up mixed emotions.

"I liked my 5 minutes of fame on stage," he said, "but I don't have to and we don't have to have that, so we will pick the opportunities when they are there.”

That is the strategy most brands are now following.

Opel CEO Florian Huettl said that for his brand “an auto show is a way to communicate to our customers in a relevant and efficient way. It's up to the Brussels show organizers to develop the product, and we will work with them to find a relevant way of using this type of communication.”

Final attendance figures for the Brussels show were underwhelming. The event drew 265,000 visitors, which is less than the 300,000 that organizers hoped for and well below the 600,000 visitors who came in the pre-COVID era.