By Phoebe Wall Howard, For The Detroit News
Sue Brady is working every minute of every day because the countdown has begun.
As the new producer of the 2026 Detroit Auto Show, Brady has promised to bring the Motor City tradition to life at Huntington Place in ways few people can imagine.
No pressure.
This is a woman who thrives in situations that would make lesser humans wither.
Brady, whose company “Badass Meetings and Media” is based in Columbus, Ohio, describes herself as an experience architect, an unflappable director and a memory maker. Those who work with her have publicly posted that she has a wicked sense of humor.
Everything comes to life for 12 days of car brands, music concerts and philanthropy that will include not just cars and new tech but high-profile speakers, glamorous events with unique luxury cars, Detroit Grand Prix race car drivers, constant music performances, drive tracks and virtual reality that shows people what the industry holds in terms of future jobs and inspiration. A new immersive overland adventure section on the show floor will spotlight vehicles and gear designed for rugged terrain and extended outdoor travel. There will be a little track for children in the atrium area and a ton of events for families, plus live interviews shared on the Jumbotron.
“There’s no sleeping now,” Brady told me. This is her first Detroit Auto Show. It officially runs Jan. 14-25, including the charity preview event — known by everyone as the auto prom — on Friday, Jan. 16.
But special public events at Huntington Place actually begin sooner. Ford Motor Co. hosts “Detroit Proud: Off-Road Edition” on Tuesday, Jan. 13, from 6-8 p.m., with “tailgating” that starts at 7 p.m. The event will showcase news about the Bronco SUV, plus Raptor and Tremor versions of the Expedition and Explorer SUVs, and Lobo versions of the F-150 and Maverick pickups. That same night includes the ritzy Gallery Fundraiser, benefiting Forgotten Harvest food bank.
Brady is no stranger to high expectations and big events. She worked with ABC Sports and ESPN. Execs at Procter & Gamble tapped her to produce their high-level events throughout the United States, Germany, Asia and Switzerland. Another company tapped her to produce a tech conference in Ireland.
In Detroit, the challenges are real and by every objective measure, daunting.
“Ultimately, I’m responsible for content and storytelling,” Brady told me.
How she ended up in charge
The show has morphed over the years from a destination for hundreds of journalists from all over the world covering news from automakers to a consumer-focused event. News executives in radio, TV and print often grumble now that things ain’t like they used to be and the good days are behind us.
But Sam Klemet, executive director of the Detroit Auto Show, running operations for the first time since he transitioned into the role in 2025, boldly challenges critics who say greatness can’t be achieved. He feels like people need to overhaul their expectations and just breathe.
We live in a time when families sit together on a couch, glued to their phones — often doom-scrolling the internet. Go into a restaurant and watch couples not talk to each other. See children in strollers at the grocery store staring at tablet screens. It seems like people interact in real life so rarely now. It’s time to reclaim time together. And that’s part of the vision.
A survey of Detroit Auto Show visitors last year revealed 30% attended for the first time ever. They aren’t comparing their experience to 1995 or 2010. They’re in the now. That’s why Klemet recruited Brady, to reframe how people see the event with the goal of having it change so dynamically each day that people come from all over Michigan, the region and the country to experience something different. Not one visit, many visits.
While the annual event has changed dramatically in recent years, global and national press are credentialed this year to come back and chronicle the show’s evolution.
Last year, Brady flew to Detroit to observe the auto show and offer tough-love feedback of what went right and wrong and how things might change. In the coming days, she’s overseeing everyone from content creators to electricians and stagehands hanging motors and lighting truss.
“It was a transition year. What we felt like it needed was a lot of hype, engagement, experiences, storytelling and bringing the community together,” Brady said. “We’ll have music, a huge Jumbotron with great videos, in-house hosts who tell stories, plus things like a warm clothing drive, shelter pets for adoption, a blood drive, vision testing, diabetes screening. There will be cool things to do every day while responding to community needs. It is going to be massive. The goal is to create unforgettable memories. I don’t think it’s just cars. It will be a multi-sensory festival.”
Brady worked with Klemet, the former president and CEO of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, to overhaul the group’s excellence awards shows at Motor City Casino. Her reputation is widely established within media circles.
‘It feels right’
Jeff Gilbert, an automotive reporter at WWJ-AM (950) who has covered the Detroit Auto Show for more than 30 years, said: “Sam is an idea machine. I have seen this guy come up with idea after idea to invigorate the show.”
Too often, journalists focus on how things impact them, said Gilbert, who is president of the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards.
“The day of making this the Super Bowl of auto shows and meeting with their executives is past. This show isn’t about journalists anymore. It’s about consumers,” he said. “We’re back to the basics. It’s not bad. It’s not good. It just is.”
Yet even as journalism has changed, the auto show is still generating content but more on a do-it-yourself basis. They have a team of former reporters putting together human stories and interviews with real people and juicing the energy in ways that reflect a culture that enjoys TikTok and personal images.
Knowing that about 1 in 3 people going to the auto show have zero expectations creates a unique opportunity, said Todd Szott, chair of the 2026 Detroit Auto Show. He co-owns Szott Auto, which sells Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Jeep, Ford and Toyota vehicles in Oakland County.
“Everything is new to them,” he said. “A lot of us have a lot of history. But now, it’s hard to describe, but it feels right. Detroit is coming together to reflect, celebrate and look at what’s going to happen with our industry. One of the reasons we do the show is to keep the Motor City the Motor City, keep Michigan the center of mobility.”
And it’s working, Szott said.
He pointed to last year’s 100,000 test rides on four tracks at Huntington Place with Jeep, Ford and other brands. “Those tracks bring a lot of energy. The New York Auto Show has one test track indoors in the basement, not on the main show floor. To see the activity and hear everyone — it’s a different show than it used to be, but it’s so interactive. Things for the kiddos will be really, really cool. We did not have that last year.”
On a mission
The team on site will also be creating videos for use during the show and afterward.
“We live in an Instagram world,” Szott said. “The old model would be holding a press conference to tell a story. With the help of Sue, we’re able to create content that we’ll share all year, beyond the show floor.”
Justin Rose, a former WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) sports reporter and anchor who won multiple Emmy awards, is playing a key role in the show, too.
“So many lives are touched by the automotive industry. We are on a mission to make this show an event you can’t miss — especially for people who might not typically think they have a relationship with it. We have things for fans who love their football and their cars, car collectors who run multimillion-dollar garages,” Rose said. “Working with Sue, we’re going to take the auto show to the next level.”
When people go downtown, they won’t want to leave, Brady predicted.
And they might even come back for more.
“I grew up in Cleveland, a city that has a lot of similarities with Detroit. Both have salt-of-the-earth people in a hard-working town that’s very, very proud,” Brady said. “To be able to tell the story of the city to all the guests we’ll welcome is a huge deal to me.”
2026 Detroit Auto Show
- Jan. 13: Gallery Fundraiser, 7-10 p.m.
- Jan. 14-15: Media and Industry Days: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Jan. 16: Charity Preview, 5-9 p.m.
- Jan. 17-24: Public Show, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Jan. 25: Public Show Finale, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Public show tickets: Adults, $25; seniors 65 and older, $15; children 3-12, $10; children 2 and younger, free; family pass (two adults, three children, $60; advance group sales of 30 or more Public Show tickets, $18 before 9 a.m., Jan. 17.
