A creative approach to revamping an iconic event in the midst of a still-changing business climate.

If you Google “North American International Auto Show” (NAIAS), the first website that comes up is the link for Motor Bella. Click that link and you’ll see the classic NAIAS logo blowing up in a haze of colored smoke.

It’s an apt metaphor for what’s going on with the iconic Detroit show. Faced with the daunting challenges of public safety in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, NAIAS officials canceled the show in 2020, with the hopes of resuming the following year. But by December, prospects looked bleak for the 2021 event, too.

It was time for a different plan. The result is Motor Bella, a multifaceted outdoor automotive event that aims to blend traditional auto show manufacturer displays with on-track exhibitions and performance-driving events. The new show is a collaboration between the Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) and M1 Concourse, a recreational motorsports and automotive-event facility in Pontiac, Michigan, featuring a 1.5-mile performance-driving track.

To learn more about the development of this unique event, we recently spoke to outgoing M1 CEO Jordan Zlotoff (see sidebar on his successor) and Brent Snavely, PR director for Motor Bella and NAIAS.

Planning for Motor Bella began in late 2020, just months prior to its formal announcement in January. But while the show may be new, it’s the product of a partnership that stretches back considerably further.

“We’ve had a relationship with DADA for a number of years,” said Zlotoff. “We’ve been staying in communication and looking for opportunities to partner. We were planning on doing some small events as part of the larger network of events for the North American International Auto Show. In 2020, we were approached by DADA with the idea of doing a full encompassed event here at M1 Concourse, different from the auto show because of concerns they had regarding indoor spaces, COVID safety, and health at the TCF Center in Detroit. Then, the 2020 show was canceled altogether.

“So we were planning for 2021 around the same limited events that we thought were going to take place,” continued Zlotoff. “But then DADA asked if we’d be capable of doing a larger activation at M1 Concourse. The conversation really focused around, ‘Did we have the capability? Did we have the availability in our calendar? Did we want to do it?’ And the answer to all those questions was, of course, ‘Yes.’”

The resulting event is expected to be much like the traditional NAIAS, transposed to a COVID-safer outdoor format. But added to that will be a significant performance-driving element, to take advantage of M1 Concourse’s facilities. “There will be a large number of static displays,” Zlotoff said. “The huge lineup of vehicles from all the different brands will be a big part of the event’s footprint. But we also have an opportunity to do some things on our track and our skid pad. We can do things like drifting, autocross, or other dynamic driving activities. We’re also exploring the potential for having an off-road course.”

With these elements, show officials are hoping to expand their audience beyond the usual auto show crowd. “The auto show in the past was a pretty casual event, attracting average, Metro-Detroit families wearing jeans and sneakers,” said Snavely. “Motor Bella will be a little more enthusiast focused. I think it will be more appealing to people in motorsports as well.”

Along with bringing in new attendees, show officials hope M1 Concourse’s performance driving facilities will also attract automakers that generally don’t participate in NAIAS. “There are a lot of brands, particularly foreign ones, that have not been exhibitors at the show,” noted Zlotoff. “We’d like to showcase their vehicles, technology, and performance in a new light, at a different venue.”

Motor Bella 2021 will be open to the public September 23 through September 26. Media and industry events will be held September 21 through September 23. For more information, visit motorbella.com.

SIDE BAR

McGrane NAMED NEW CEO at M1

Former Laguna Seca Raceway Chief Executive Officer Timothy McGrane was recently named the new CEO at M1 Concourse, replacing Jordan Zlotoff, who had been with M1 since 2015. The remainder of M1’s management team is expected to remain in place, according to officials with the Pontiac, Michigan, motorsports facility.

Zlotoff, who had served as M1’s director of business development and director of operations prior to assuming the role of CEO in March 2019, will stay involved in the family ownership structure at M1 and serve as an informal advisor, officials added.

Meantime, McGrane said he looks forward to “furthering the M1 Concourse mission by growing the experiences for our M1 garage owners and Motorsports Club members, as well as developing new and dynamic event concepts.”

In addition to hosting Motor Bella, as well as the new Woodward Dream Show and American Speed Festival, M1 this year will complete an expansion of its garage community, including 82 new private garages totaling 63,000 square feet. And, a 28,500-square-foot event center and trackside public restaurant are scheduled to open in the fall.

—Dan Schechner