The Miami International Auto Show, a decades-old fall fixture at the Miami Beach Convention Center, will not roll out this year, leaving exhibitors and car fans without the region’s biggest showroom of new models and exotics. The quiet announcement offers few public details and suddenly scrambles the fall convention plans for dealers, vendors and tourism partners who usually bank on the event.
Miami Beach communications director Melissa Berthier told the Miami Herald that the event "is not taking place at the Miami Beach Convention Center this year," and that the auto show "is actively discussing future dates with the venue." The industry group that presents the show declined to comment to the paper, keeping the official explanation parked firmly in neutral.
Long Run in Miami Beach
The Miami International Auto Show has been presented by the South Florida Automobile Dealers Association for more than five decades and has long used the Miami Beach Convention Center as its home base, with the event typically scheduled in the October to November window, according to the show’s official site Miami Auto Shows. The 10-day program has mixed manufacturer booths, classic-car displays, indoor EV test tracks and exotics into one sprawling package, turning it into a major seasonal draw for locals and regional visitors. That blend of family-friendly attractions, dealer marketing and vendor booths is a big part of the show’s footprint in the city.
This is not the first interruption. The show was canceled in 2020 during the pandemic and was postponed in 2017 because of Hurricane Irma, the Miami Herald notes. The paper also quoted former show manager Richard Baker describing past efforts to modernize the presentation, a reminder that organizers have already tried different formats to keep the event feeling current.
What It Means for Miami Beach
Taking the auto show off the calendar removes a reliable burst of booth rentals, hotel nights and weekend spending that exhibitors and nearby businesses count on each fall. The show’s own marketing has highlighted experiential elements such as indoor EV test tracks and celebrity appearances, underscoring how the event functioned as both a sales and public-relations showcase and a tourism magnet, according to Miami Auto Shows. Local dealers and vendors have told previous editions that the exposure helps launch new models and accessory sales, benefits the city and its hospitality sector will not see this season.
What’s Next
For now, the public timeline is short and vague. The city says dates are under discussion, and the show’s organizers have not posted an alternative schedule. Anyone who typically exhibits, visits or books around the usual fall run is being left to refresh the show’s official site and the Miami Beach Convention Center calendar, waiting to see when, or if, the event shifts back into gear.
