Taking The Detroit Auto Show International: A Former Journa

Because of the success of a carefully planned, well-executed communications strategy, the automotive press granted the Detroit Auto Dealers Association annual dealers' show international status a full 2 months before it opened. Accounts from the Detroit auto press were used to stimulate interest in the international automotive community. Patrick Fitzgerald, a public relations (PR) executive, joined the auto dealers in May 1988 with the explicit challenge of reshaping the media's view of the annual show. He distributed stories by reporters to an evolving list of auto journalists worldwide. Fitzgerald knew that attracting journalists to cover the show was crucial to its success. He relied on the auto press to tell the emerging story of the transformation of a local auto show into one of the world's best. European shows hold press days on Tuesday and Wednesday, so Fitzgerald moved the Detroit show's press days to Wednesday and Thursday to accommodate deadline considerations.