Georgian College Auto Show in full gear at Barrie campus

The annual Georgian College Auto Show is in full gear this weekend, bringing together a wide range of cars, brands, students, and families.

The event, now in its 36th year, attracted more than 11,000 visitors last year.

"This weekend's auto show is all about teaching people about the new and innovative technology that is coming to the automotive industry. We have 18 car brands here for everybody to check out. No pressure from salesmen. Feel free to get into the cars, check them out, and ask questions. It's a great time," says Georgian College Media Relations Student Director Luke Reymer.

The weekend has its usual features for car lovers and families.

New highlights of this year's auto show include the Pfaff Porsche track experience, automakers such as Kia and VINFAST making their first appearances, and Brampton Batman stopping by in his Batmobile.

The Auto Show is also a crucial opportunity for Georgian College's Automotive Business program students to connect with prospective employers and apply the skills they learn in the classroom.

"Conflict management, motivating your team, leadership… all these soft skills that employers are really looking for is gained at this auto show," says Auto Show Manager Kristy Atkinson.

Students were tasked with collaborating with automaker representatives and captaining their booths at the weekend festival, simulating real-life sales scenarios.

"I'm super passionate about new cars. But I feel like every car has a story. And I like building the value in that. I think there's a special place for cars in everyone's heart," says Nissan student captain Peter Gabriel.

Toyota student captain Annabelle Baxter hopes to learn the skills she needs to manage her own dealership someday.

"Being a captain helped me definitely gain a lot of skills to manage people. And I got to learn how to manage a team of seven. So it's really useful in putting the school knowledge to actual use and learning that way," says Baxter.

The Auto festival runs through Sunday. Georgian College hopes to continue its trend of its students finding meaningful work within six months of graduating.