Peter Palmer: NAIAS Floor Plan Revealed

It takes roughly 12 weeks for over 1,500 skilled union laborers to build the elaborate displays inside the Cobo Center for the North American International Auto Show. The overhead lighting alone for NAIAS takes nearly two weeks, compared to other auto shows that take two weeks for their entire set-up.

“Beyond the inherent excitement that comes with completely redesigned exhibit builds, is the long-term commitment automakers make to NAIAS by investing tens of millions of dollars in these attention-grabbing displays,” said Paul Sabatini, 2016 NAIAS Chairman.

NAIAS estimates over $200 million has been spent by automakers and tier one suppliers on their 2016 exhibits. Displays will be interactive and informative, conveying the specific message of each brand accordingly. Sabatini adds the unique exhibits will only be seen in Detroit.

Recently, the layout was announced and for 2016, approximately 70 percent of the show floor is completely new. The revamped NAIAS floor plan took more than two years to develop and went through more than 160 revisions. The significant changes were needed to meet specific automaker requests while reflecting changes in the industry overall.

To help attendees better navigate, NAIAS has partnered with IBM to create an interactive show floor app. In addition to providing a full layout, the app will utilize beacon technology embedded on the show floor to help guide attendees around the exhibit hall.

NAIAS runs January 11th through the 24th with the Charity Preview being held on January 15th.

*Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog.net and resides in Detroit, Michigan.