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Carsales Staff30 Mar 2015
NEWS

Exhibitors praise Australian Motoring Festival

And joint organisers, the RACV and VACC, claim the first interactive event of its kind was a resounding success

The inaugural Australian Motoring Festival has hit all its targets, according to exhibitors Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Isuzu Ute, Toyota and Volvo.

Event organisers, the RACV and VACC, estimate more than 25,000 visitors passed through the gates over the four days the new, 'interactive' motor show was open to Melbourne-based car enthusiasts.

"We were pleased with the festival attendance, in light of facing a very busy event weekend in Melbourne with the ICC Cricket World Cup, the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival," said Geoff Gwilym, VACC Executive Director, as quoted in a press release.

The numbers cited fall a long way short of a traditional 'Melbourne Motor Show' of old, but that event typically ran for a week and a half, with a lot more exhibitors present to draw in enthusiasts. As a first-off event, the Australian Motoring Festival shows some promise, but needs more exhibitors to get behind it for 2016.

"We have been absolutely overwhelmed by the reaction from the public at the Australian Motoring Festival," said Herbert Appleroth, CEO of Ferrari Australasia.

"Overall it has been a very positive experience for Ferrari, our owners and fans alike. Our showcase vehicle LaFerrari drew a large number of people to the Ferrari Pavilion at the event, along with our current range and classic vehicles on display.

"We had large queues throughout the weekend for the interactive elements of our exhibition, with something on offer for the whole family including simulators, slot cars and kids ride in cars. It's really exciting to be a part of an event like this, and we look forward to seeing the festival grow in future years."

The iconic Italian sporting brand has not been known for its high-profile presence at the Australian International Motor Show in either Melbourne or Sydney in earlier years. But proving a point about the cost of leasing floor space previously, Ferrari apparently spared little expense on its exhibit at the Australian Motoring Festival. Something like $30 million worth of vehicles from Scuderia Ferrari were on display.

For Mercedes-Benz, Isuzu and Volvo, the interactive nature of the event was exploited fully, to the apparent advantage of the brands.

"The Australian Motoring Festival was the perfect platform for Mercedes Benz to demonstrate and display the latest technology and products from our brand," said Jerry Stamoulis, Manager of Public Relations and Product Communications at Mercedes-Benz Australia.

"It was the first public display of the CLA Shooting Brake and the show stopping AMG GT S in Australia, which were welcomed by our current customers and potential future clients. We look forward to seeing how the event will evolve in 2016."

Toyota occupied a relatively small plot on the showgrounds site, but scored a sale for one of its local dealers within an hour of opening, after a punter took a shine to the 86 on display.

"We're looking forward to the event growing bigger and better in future years, and it was great to have the opportunity to be involved from year one," said Jeremy Watson, Regional Marketing Manager at Toyota Australia.

"Overall we've had a fantastic experience throughout the past four days at the festival. There was a consistently high volume of foot traffic at the Toyota stand over the weekend, and we received a lot of sales enquiries from the public about the models on display."

Some of the exhibits were clearly thrown together to fill out vacant space at the last moment, but more than traditional motor shows, the Australian Motoring Festivals offered something for everyone, with dodgems and remote-controlled cars for the kids, and historic vehicle displays for fans of older cars.

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