Perth Motor Show Returning In August

The Perth Motor Show is back, but can it succeed where the aborted 2011 Brisbane Motor Show could not? Organiser Premiere Events believes it can, and for a change, Perth's status as one of the world's most remote major cities may be just what it needs.

While Brisbane's relative proximity to Sydney and Melbourne led manufacturers to abandon the Queensland event, Premiere Events, along with the Motor Trade Association of Western Australia (MTA-WA) and the WA Chamber of Automotive Industries - the event's owners - are convinced Perth's isolation will justify a second show each year.

Speaking with TMR today, Premiere Events Director Peter Woods said that while the show is still in the early stages of development, his team is in the process of locking in manufacturer support.

"We're working closely with the Motor Trades Association and it's generally agreed that with the distance and isolation, Western Australia needs a show of its own," Mr Woods said.

Mr Woods pointed to the success of the Perth Motorcycle Show - also run by Premiere Events - as a sign of what can be achieved in the west.

"What we're working towards is an ongoing, sustainable show," Mr Woods said. "Last year more than 23,000 people attended the Motorcycle Show - more than Melbourne and Sydney. It's that success that has spurred this renewed push to bring the Perth Motor Show back."

This year's event will be the first Perth Motor Show since it was cancelled after 2008; the affect on manufacturers' marketing budgets as a result of the GFC seeing them withdraw support for the Perth show.

"It won't be as big as the shows in Sydney and Melbourne, but we'll working hard to build a show that people will want to come to, where they can see as many new models as possible," Woods said.

The 2011 Perth Motor Show is scheduled to run over one weekend, from August 19 to 21. With the Australian International Motor Show hitting Melbourne in early July, the MTA-WA and Premiere will be hoping to get as many as possible of this year's east coast debuts over to the west.

[Photos by Matt Jelonek]