KLIMS 2010 - The Bad

The gimmick-in-chief - BumblebeeOne might think that my entry yesterday was overly optimistic. I hope to balance things out today. As I mentioned, the exhibition was not perfect, and sadly, it was not of international standard, not due to organisation, but due to participation, or lack of it. None of the top marques were on the parade. There was no Mercedes - apart from the models brought by Naza which was on a look only, no touch basis. There was no BMW. There was no Volvo. There was no Audi. There was no Citroen. Well, you got the picture. Those who were present were of middle rung rather than the top brands.

I have made my point of the female models on parade everywhere. It was to the extend that they may be the main attraction. To add extra ‘pulling’ power, the organiser also had to resort to the usual gimmick of the bringing in element of the extravagance it to augment the situation. The local motor show then become synonymous with ‘BatMobiles’, and for the extra umph, they brought in Bumblebee this time around. Well the charm would soon wear off, and for those who actually came to visit to see a car show, this may not cut it! We go to motor shows to see cars …… well, that was what we hoped for.

This boy certainly knew what he was looking for - a lorry!I was very clear as to what I was looking for when I enter the show floor. We were looking for two things, the first being car interior accessory. Our minivan was a reconditioned Estima from Japan and I was exploring as to whether we can get the entertainment and navigation systems upgraded, or at least updated. Puan Anita also wanted to get some interior trimmings done … well, typical girl’s stuff. The second half of the first hall seemed to be filled with accessories, but they were keener on exterior parts - lights, flywheels, tinting, aerodynamics etc. There were also a few stalls doing GPS tracking and alarm device, which we already had installed. We managed to pick up a few contacts which we will check out in the coming weeks.

The BatmobileThe second item on our list was to survey for a new small car for 2012. I think my Kelisa will pick up by then. It was close to 10 years now and it has been a great servant. We have already have a saloon as well as the minivan. Therefore, I just needed a small car to ferry me to work and meetings. Maybe another Perodua or a new Proton. I ended up falling in love with a Honda hybrid. My point here is, without a clear map, one may not be able to find what they were looking for, will not learn of the choices they had in front of them. Maybe, with the ticket, the organiser should provide a promo or goody-bag. Something basic, full of sponsor logos, filled with product info, maps and brochures. Again, a missed opportunity. Some mugs or memorabilia would not go to waste I was sure.

Less of this please - the look ony, no touch policy from NazaThe layout could have also been improved. A designated area for special interest a la the area for motorcycles would be great. Maybe we should have one big hall dedicated for just green technology, rather than each car maker having a small space on their floor plan where the hybrids were featured. We, as the visitors seemed to have to go to each and every vendors, and possibly track back if we wanted to compare the specs. Hand-outs and brochure were also limited at each stalls, and even if they had some give-aways, there were no bags for us to stow them into. The can do well with separate area for accessories, compact, SUVs, MPVs and luxury saloons.

The next issue I had was the entrance fee. RM10 may be more acceptable. RM20 was a downright rip-off, especially on the TV, the organisers believe that such exhibitions is important to market the motoring products in order to expand the local market. If so, it should be us the public to pay for their expansion. The entrance fee should be heavily subsidised by the vendors instead. We certainly do not owe them anything to put on such show. The venue could also be better. Let me be bold to suggest that it should be held, say in Putrajaya or even KL Convention Center, to do without the traffic nightmare which a lot of people were complaining about. I was quite surprised that there were hardly any traffic police presence. Maybe there were no VIP visiting on the day.

At even tackier exhibit - a 1Malaysia child bucket seat, signed by a Minister.I visited the show on a public holiday, and with planning, the organiser should make the day’s event more family orientated. There were extra floor space I observed which can be filled for kids activities, maybe have clowns walking around the show floors to keep them entertained. Maybe some balloons and face-painting. Just a thought. It was pretty clear that more thought be put in to identify the target audience. There should also be satellite promotion site for instance KLCC and Bukit Bintang to spread information to the public as to what the show was about. I dread to think that the organiser has felt that it has been such a successful event, that there were no need for more audience.

All in all, there were weaknesses which should be looked into. I think this should be made into an annual event, may be at an alternative venue. More thought need to be given as to identify their target audience to maximise the experience as well effort made to attract the top marques in. We certainly can do with less of the Naza attitude of only see but no touch. It was frankly so 90s.