Charity Preview returns, Detroit Auto Show co-chair praises return
(CBS DETROIT) - "We had one goal, to make this week special," says Thad Szott, the president of Detroit Auto Dealers Association and co-chair of the Detroit Auto Show.
As the North American International Detroit Auto Show continues, the Charity Preview welcomes guests to one of the most high-profile events in Detroit.
From the governor, to dinosaurs, Huntington Place was the place to be Friday night.
Szott says the dynamic of auto shows was changing regardless of the pandemic, and all the pandemic really did was amplify that.
"In the last three years, we've really been striving hard. How do we create new energy, what do we need to do and it really came down to a few different things," says Szott.
He explained that changing the date to a warmer month, working around manufacturing and interactivity for guests were the three main points of emphasis as the event returned after three and a half years.
Over the past 25 years, the Charity Preview has raised more than $100 million dollars for children's charities. Some of those including Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, The Children's Center, The Children's Foundation and more.
Szott says it's an event like this that not only gets those non-profits funding they need, but also breathes new life into the city during the entire time the auto show is in town.
"It's a big, big two weeks for them and everybody knows it's basically our Super Bowl every year and we get that opportunity every year because you can keep hustling and keep reinventing things and we're really excited to even make some more changes for next year," Szott said.