This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit this June has been officially cancelled in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
TCF Center, the venue of the 2020 NAIAS, is also expected to be converted into a temporary field hospital, in line with the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency’s directive.
NAIAS Executive Director, Rod Alberts said, “With the more than 100 convention centres and facilities around the country being considered to potentially serve as temporary hospitals, it became clear to us that TCF Center would be an inevitable option to serve as a care facility to satisfy our community’s urgent health needs.
“Although we are disappointed, there is nothing more important to us than the health, safety and well-being of the citizens of Detroit and Michigan, and we will do what we can to support our community’s fight against the coronavirus outbreak,” Alberts added.
One of the show’s hallmark, the Charity Preview event, will also be cancelled along with the show. Show officials are discussing plans for a fundraising event later this year to benefit the children’s charities that were designated as beneficiaries of the 2020 Charity Preview.
NAIAS Chairman, Doug North said, “We know these organizations rely on the money raised at Charity Preview to fund many wonderful support services for the most vulnerable in our community. With this in mind, we will be in touch with the charities in the near future to present some ideas.”
All tickets purchased for the 2010 Detroit motor show will be fully refunded, while ticket holders for the Charity Preview event will be given the choice to donate the proceeds of their refund to the beneficiaries.
