2020 Charity Preview to Feature Indoor/Outdoor Entertainment, Two Ticket Options, New Dress Code

The 2020 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) annual Charity Preview will be less formal, outdoor as well as indoor, and offer two ticket options. The announcement was made today by 2020 NAIAS Chairman Doug North.
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TCF Center
NAIAS has announced its 2020 Charity Preview will be less formal and outdoor as well as indoor. // File photo

The 2020 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) annual Charity Preview will be less formal, outdoor as well as indoor, and offer two ticket options. The announcement was made today by 2020 NAIAS Chairman Doug North.

The new format is designed to expand the appeal to a broader audience, capitalize on Detroit’s riverfront, and make the glamorous event, scheduled for Friday June 12, 2020, accessible to more people.

“Charity Preview will be a party inside and outside that welcomes both an updated creative black-tie audience as well as late-night summer-chic attired guests,” says 2020 North. “Warm temperatures and late sunsets will make for a spectacular evening in terms of what attendees are going to see and experience at this special night of giving.”

Like the NAIAS itself, the Charity Preview is expanding to Hart Plaza. Entertainment there, emanating from the plaza’s open-air amphitheater, will appeal to the millennial generation and beyond. Tickets for outdoor access only will be $200 and will include multiple corporate engagements as well as street food from some of Detroit’s most popular food trucks, and beer and wine.

Charity Preview guests who want access to the entire indoor/outdoor experience, including the VIP ribbon cutting ceremony inside TCF Center (formerly Cobo Center), can purchase tickets for $400 or a pair for $750. In addition to access to both the indoor and outdoor activities, an all-access ticket includes complimentary cocktails and a selection of hors d’oeuvres representing “A Taste of Detroit.” Capping off the events inside TCF Center will be an appearance by a yet-to-be-announced musical guest on the Atrium stage.

Along with the expansion of the event comes a new dress code. Historically a formal black-tie function, the new all-access dress preference is creative black tie. Those with outdoor access only tickets are expected to be clad summer chic.

“Inside, expect to see splashes of color and fun accents added to black-tie attire,” North says.  “Outdoors, look for semi-formal with a summertime flair.”

The 2020 NAIAS Charity Preview also will have expanded hours. All-access ticket hours start with the 5 p.m. ribbon cutting in the TCF Center Atrium, followed by show floor access from 6-9 p.m., and entertainment in the Atrium from 8:45 to 10 p.m. The outdoor campus will be open to all-access guests from 6-11:30 p.m. Those with outdoor access tickets will be admitted from 8-11:30 p.m.

Tickets for the 2020 NAIAS Charity Preview go on sale Monday, March 16, 2020.

NAIAS also announced that the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor has been added to the list of Charity Preview beneficiaries for 2020. The 1.1-million-square-foot hospital is home to both C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital which provides specialty services for newborns, children, and pregnant women.

The event will continue to benefit eight other children’s charities, including:

  • Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan
  • Boys Hope Girls Hope Detroit
  • Children’s Center
  • The Children’s Foundation
  • The Detroit Auto Dealers Association Charitable Foundation Fund, a fund of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
  • Detroit PAL
  • Judson Center
  • March of Dimes Metro Detroit

Since 1976, the Charity Preview has raised more than $121 million for southeastern Michigan children’s charities – more than $41 million of which was raised in the last 10 years alone.

Key 2020 NAIAS Dates:
The Gallery: Sunday, June 7
Press Preview: Tuesday, June 9 – Wednesday, June 10
AutoMobili-D: Tuesday, June 9 – Thursday, June 11
Industry Preview: Wednesday, June 10 – Thursday, June 11
Charity Preview: Friday, June 12
Public Show: Saturday, June 13 – Saturday, June 20