Central Illinois Auto Show opens Friday
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- Published on Wednesday, 03 April 2013 16:57
- Written by Paul Gordon
Ah, spring. The time when every man's fancy turns to love, baseball, golf and the Central Illinois Auto Show.
At least that's what Rod Dixon is hoping for. As president of the Peoria Metro New Cars Dealers Association, he would like to see 40,000-plus turn out for the 24th Annual Central Illinois Auto Show, which opens Friday at noon at the Peoria Civic Center.
"That is one of the great things about the timing of our show. Sure, we are all busy at our own dealerships when spring gets here, but the season also brings people to the auto show when they are just getting the spring buying fever. It gives them the opportunity to see what's new and available and gives us the chance to show off what we have," Dixon said.
Displays for the 29 auto manufacturers who will be present at this weekened's Central Illinois Auto Show started going up Wednesday at the Peoria Civic Center. Organizers said Toyota will have its largest presence yet at the local show, the largest auto show in downstate Illinois.While no selling or dealing is permitted at the auto show, dealers do get to meet people and network with potential new customers. "It's a good thing for everybody," he said.
Dixon said dealers are more optimistic this year than they've been in recent years about how much interest the auto show will churn. "We're very optimistic here," said Dixon, general manager of Bob Lindsay Honda. "Our numbers are back up to where they were pre-recession. A lot of people are buying because they put it off during the recession and now have no choice but to replace their vehicle but more people are buying because they just want to," he said.
They will be able to see a lot of options this weekend at the Civic Center, he added.
This year there will be 29 auto manufacturers represented at the show, with more than 300 vehicles displayed on every square foot of the Civic Center exhibit hall, theatre lobby and the foyer between them as more than 110,000 square feet will be used for the show, said Carl Bunker of R&B Productions, which is in its 23rd year of producing the show for the New Car Dealers Association.
"This is the largest auto show downstate of Chicago and one of the largest outside a major city in the Midwest. We're kind of a 'B' show, which is still very good because the show sizes are based on population. We do pretty well here. The tech people who come in an set up for the manufacturers all say we do a good job and that we're doing it efficiently. That's what we want to hear," Bunker said Wednesday as crews began uncrating and setting up the displays of the various manufacturers.
It takes more than 40 hours and four days to set up the show, starting with installing the electrical power according to a mapped out grid of the Exhibit Hall floor, then installing the carpet and the plastic over that, marked with the names of which displays go in which place. Then the displays themselves, delivered in 20 semi-truckloads, take a full day to install before the vehicles start moving in.
"It's quite an undertaking every year, but we've gotten pretty good at it. We still enjoy doing it," Bunker said. "We have great crews that come in, the Civic Center people are very efficient and we have a lot of great volunteers."
Show times are noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Dixon said there again will be a lot of activities for families and kids to enjoy while at the show, which cost $5 to get in for those 16 and older. Those under 15 are free if accompanied by an adult and Friday is half-price for seniors 60 and older. Sunday is family day with two adults and children admitted for $8 all day.As usual, the high-end vehicles to be displayed at this weekend's Central Illinois Auto Show will be kept in the Civic Center Theatre lobby, behind the glass entrance shown here. The vehicles will be displayed by Autohaus of Peoria.
"We have a lot of great attractions this year that will appeal to anybody," Dixon said. "We want people to come down and see the cars, of course, but we also want them to come and have fun."
Attractions include:
- Appearances by pro football players Sherrick McManus of the Chicago Bears, a Richwoods High School graduate, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, and Andy Studebaker, a Eureka High School alumnus who most recently was a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. The St. Louis Rams cheerleaders will appear from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
- Megan Erwin, Miss Illinois, will be at the show from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and will speak about distracted driving.
- A CarCode Scavenger Hunt will take place all weekend. Attendees will get the chance to win various prizes by using their cell phones to scan a code, which enters them into the contest.
- Magician Rob Thompson will do shows each day as well as walk the floors of the exhibits.
- Marvel Comics superheroes Ironman and Spiderman will walk around for photo opportunities, as will Sponge Bob SquarePants and Nora. Jugglers, clown, stilt walkers and face painters will be on hand, as well.
- A NASCAR simulator, which gives people the chance to see what it's like in the cockpit of a NASCAR racer.
- The Red Cross will conduct a blood drive from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
- Special giveaways will include items from Batteries and Things.com, Red Carpet Car Wash, McDonalds, Reynolds Cinemas and a Buy-One-Get-One adult admission tickets available at CEFCU member locations.
But the real stars of the show will be the vehicles on display, Dixon said.
"The most popular ones are always the sports cars and the prototypes, as well as the high-end stuff. The auto show gives people the chance to sit in cars they otherwise will probably never own," he said.
Dixon said based on sales at dealerships he again expects people to gravitate to pick-up trucks, "which today are almost as luxurious as cars," and SUVs. Vans remain popular, as well, he said.
SUVs have remained popular for more than a decade "because customers want and need people-movers but don't want to drive around in a minivan and look like soccer moms," he said.
Again this year the Peoria Metro New Car Dealers Association will donate a portion of proceeds from the auto show to charity. Last year the association made donations to the South Side Mission, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Young Life.
