CIAS once again delivered a unique and fully immersive experience in 2025

It’s perhaps hard to believe that I’ve been involved with the Canadian International AutoShow for 30 years. But what’s interesting about CIAS is that it is always exciting, with something new, fresh and different every year. In looking back on the 2025 Canadian International AutoShow, if there was one aspect that stood out, it is the show’s ability to consistently be a major attraction for consumers, as well as providing prominent brand exposure and car buying value to manufacturers and their franchised dealers.

I think this has become particularly apparent since now, in 2025 we are moving well beyond the COVID-19 era, and this helps illustrate that the large attendance numbers we’ve been seeing at the event over the last few years were not simply in response to the pandemic lockdowns.

Involving and immersive
For CIAS 2025, there were some significant changes. Under the “Total Immersion” banner, our goal was to provide an involving and immersive experience. Not only did this include engaging consumers and getting them excited about vehicle ownership and the new car buying experience, but also appealing to people from all walks of life with different automotive related interests.

The Canadian International AutoShow really is the one place where you can experience the entirety of the automotive industry. Attractions like Camp Jeep, the indoor EV test track and outdoor test drive experiences are all designed to reinforce that concept, along with other elements that have consistently proved to be popular with attendees including AutoExotica, Cobble Beach classic car displays, vendor showcases and motor sport exhibits.

Each year, feedback from the AutoShow is considered for the planning of the next event and from our post show surveys we ask consumers what features they liked, what improvements can be made and what they would like to see going forward. The dialogue between us and attendees is a critical element of the show and I think that level of communication between us and our audience is a major reason why this event has been so successful over the years and is now leading among auto shows across North America.

Three pillars
There are three major pillars we consider when planning each CIAS event. These are to inform, educate and entertain our audience. If we can accomplish these three objectives, then we’ve hit our target. Often, people don’t realize the extent of vehicles available in the Canadian marketplace, and a good example is EVs. Prior to COVID-19 we would have around six EVs on display. This year, for our indoor test track experience, we had about 50 EV models on display, with 25 that attendees could be test driven firsthand. The ability to present the diversity of the auto industry in a truly visceral format where consumers can come, touch, feel, talk, learn and really connect is what makes CIAS truly unique. And it’s something brands simply can’t replicate through digital marketing, print, radio, or television media formats.

For the OEMs, one of the greatest values of the AutoShow, is the ability to make personal connections with consumers and their brands and understand what resonates most. In brief, it enables them to engage and share their brand experience, resulting in a winning outcome for consumers, OEMs, dealers, the show and the industry. This becomes particularly important in an environment where solid sales and consumer experiential support is vital, especially as the automotive market continues to rapidly evolve.