78th Salon International De L'Auto Geneve

TITLE: International Geneva Motor Show

WHERE: Geneva, Switzerland

WHEN: Annually, usually in early MarchNEXT: March 8-18 2012 (Media March 8-9)STATUS: Europe’s premiere annual new-car expo

Geneva is Europe’s first big motor show of the year and is a favourite for world premieres as it falls just as the Northern Hemisphere is thawing out for spring in early March.

It was first run in 1905 and in the past few years Geneva has progressively taken over from past Italian expos such as the Turin motor show in being big on concept car debuts.

Geneva is always well-attended by the world’s automobile manufacturers despite the fact that Switzerland does not actually have a major car-manufacturing base. The Salon International de l'Auto is held at the Geneva Palexpo near the country’s capital.

In 2011 there were 735,000 visitors to the show and 10,000 media representatives and 260 exhibitors.

Car industry executives and motoring journalists generally appreciate the Palexpo’s compact dimensions, which makes it easier to cross to the many conferences held during press days than, say, the vastness of the IAA in Frankfurt.