Earlier this year, in mid-March to be exact, the Quebec Auto Show had just taken place and the Calgary event was just under way when the coronavirus hit Canada and caused a nationwide shutdown of public events. Now, with cases surging as the second wave of the pandemic hits most regions of the country, organizers of the two auto shows have chosen to cancel the 2021 editions.
The move comes three weeks after organizers of the Montreal Auto Show, normally held in January, pulled the plug on the 2021 edition of that event; they will put together a virtual online auto show instead.
Organizers of the event officially known as the Calgary International Auto and Truck Show held a meeting recently and decided it was more prudent to cancel the event rather than risk putting anyone’s health at risk. The costs associated with preparing for a show that might never have been held surely had a hand in leading organizers to pull the plug for 2021.
“Like everyone else, we are unsure what the landscape will look like a few months from now, so the only responsible decision we could make was to cancel the show and the gala for 2021.”
- Calgary auto show executive manager Jim Gillespie
Those responsible for putting together the Quebec City event were clearly facing the same realities, and reached the same conclusions. Organizers cited the length of prep time required as well as the expense and the effort required to prepare for the event, with low odds that it would go ahead.
“Protecting visitors and ensuring the quality of their experience remain our main priorities. It would be unrealistic to think we could produce a Quebec International Auto Show on as grand a scale as in past years, while respecting the sanitation regulations imposed by Public Health.”
- Quebec City auto show general manager Charles Drouin
Fingers crossed for 2022, then.
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