Auto show conflicts with Easter

The Seoul Auto Show is set to kick off on April 5 for 11 days, and the show’s organizing committee expects 1 million visitors, including 8,000 international buyers.
But some car experts abroad say they are not happy with the time period because it overlaps with Easter.
An executive from a U.S. carmaker with keen interest in the Korean automobile industry said, “Press day of the Seoul Motor Show is April 5, but that is the same day that the Easter holiday starts in Europe and the United States, because Easter day this year is April 8.” The U.S. executive asked not to be identified.
He said he is not sure how many VIPs from Europe and the United States will attend the Seoul show. Instead, they may choose to go on vacation with their families, “since it is one of the most important and longest holidays in the region.”
Import automakers with plans to showcase their latest models say they are perplexed at the show organizers’ decision to advance the date by two weeks compared with previous years.
In 2005, the show was held from April 28 to May 8.
A manager from the show’s organizing committee said the date has been changed to avoid overlap with the Shanghai Motor Show, which starts on April 18 this year.
A high-ranking worker at a U.S. carmaker supplying vehicles to Korea said all is not lost despite the Easter conflict.
“What saves us to some degree is the fact that no foreign carmakers are taking the wraps off their new models at the Seoul show.”
That has lowered expectations for the show among overseas car experts.
The manager of the Seoul show said the Easter conflict would not affect the number of foreign visitors, arguing that car dealers abroad will have to attend to keep up with the competition.
An official from the Korea Trade and Investment Promotion Agency said even small exporters in Korea refrain from scheduling business events during Easter.

By Kim Tae-jin(JoongAng Ilbo)/ Seo Ji-eun (Staff Writer) [spring@joongang.co.kr]