STATEMENT ON KCMO MAYOR LUCAS COMMENT ON AUTO SHOW MOVE
During an interview on KCMO-710 radio, KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas stated that “the Kansas legislature currently has a bill based solely on stealing the decades-running auto show from Bartle Hall to the Kansas suburbs. Unbalanced regionalism at its finest.â€
As CEO of the Automobile Dealers Association of Kansas City and Producer of the Kansas City Auto Show, I’d like to respond to Mayor Lucas’ comments.
The Auto Show move was initiated by ADAKC, in part, due to the pandemic and the unlikeliness of being able to hold our event indoors in early March. The opportunity to reinvent the Auto Show at an outside location in June allows us to hold a more innovative, interactive, and experiential event. An outside venue also allows for more social distancing and other COVID protocols. We believe these changes will benefit consumers across the entire metro area.
We cannot publicly announce where the Auto Show may be moving, as there are administrative tasks underway, but any proposed relocation by the Auto Show is rooted in staging the best possible event for the greater Kansas City community.
We welcome a conversation with the Mayor about the circumstances that led to this proposed move.
Larry Carl
CEO, Automobile Dealers Association of Kansas City
Producer, Kansas City Auto Show
