Auto Expo 2010 is now behind us, and your faithful correspondent can truthfully confess that despite getting requisite documentation in order, he did not visit what was, in one instance, described as ‘madness – good for the exhibitors from a visibility perspective, but other than that there was a lot of pushing, shoving, stampedes, and not really being able to look at cars or bikes as such.’ On the one day during which it was actually possible for me to go, the only Sunday in the timeline available, when it was also open to the public – the police came in and shut down what they thought was an increasingly hazardous event.

The fact remains that Pragati Maidan is simply not geared up to handle what is the Kumbh Mela of motoring in India, and providing special ‘media days’ doesn’t really make for truth in reportage. For one, everybody with a digital camera is nowadays an editor at the very least. Next, there are a large number of bag and goodie collectors on the prowl at such events, and being ostensibly from the media makes this even easier. And most of all, the Auto Expo in India is now a living, breathing and organic entity by itself – much bigger than what the organisers could have even hoped for
14 years ago.

So, to put it across in simple terms, which is to say from the point of view of the ‘non-media public,’ this is what some of us, who sat down after the show, discussed – this is what we’d like to see in the future. And since the Auto Expo is a big brand by itself, it is now time to grow the brand, or perish in its own inertia levels. So here’s to more Auto Expos – in more avatars than one:

1) The Green Auto Expo – preferably a mobile exhibition, ideally mounted on railway wagons, and carted around all over the country. Achieve multiple objectives with one investment, and on top of that, spread the message to the remotest corner of the country. Aspiration serving for potential automobile consumers does not get better than reaching out to them at railway stations. And it’s green in every way.

2) The Export Auto Expo – has to be extremely exclusive and operated from locations which can be well secured. Old unused airports can be one option, with strict control on who enters and who doesn’t, like at the air show organised in Bengaluru. This is the game-changer as far as the Indian automobile industry is concerned.

3) The Classic Auto Expo – face it, there was only one Woodstock. Likewise, there is only one Auto Expo, and it will be a grand circus no matter what. Nothing beats Pragati Maidan for this event – with some old-fashioned motorcycles in death-defying acts too. Why not?

4) The Future-is-here Auto Expo – this would be an opportunity not just for the automobile industry, but also for the pure academic home inventers, as well as R&D facilities. Based strictly on merit, this can become a world leader in terms of showcasing what is beyond new – maybe even a little crazy, as the horse-less carriage was considered at one time. Turn-by-turn at engineering colleges is one option for this particular event.

In addition, further subsets for 2-wheelers, 4-wheelers, commercial vehicles – the works. But these are operational details, and will work themselves out. We have more brands of 2-wheelers and commercial vehicles in India now than we have states, so there’s enough to go around, as any automobile company sponsored event will show you.

The big ticket here, and certainly the organisers probably realise it, is that they’ll need to work hard to get the right kind of visitors to the matching Auto Expo. Crowds thronging to catch a glimpse of Bollywood stars may make for great ‘thud factor’ on the public relations front the next day, but what are those who have come to do business saying? And here, serious visitors like bankers and investors are really saying, ‘never again will we time our visits for automobile related business to the Auto Expo.’

And that’s a shame, because the Auto Expo remains a great show. One that makes us proud as Indians – with a ‘wow, look at us, we got here’ kind of awe. The question of the right audience needs to be addressed – not by exclusion, but by larger inclusion. The organisers will have to cater for a larger variety of visitors, and to segment them into multiple Auto Expos appears to be the only way, which, if one looks at it dispassionately, is a win-win for all concerned.

Veeresh Malik malik@autox.in