I was invited by Ford Canada to attend the 2015 Ford North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) Digital Summit. It’s an Exclusive VIP Event where the Digital Influencers from around the world get to meet together and cover one of the largest North American Auto Shows in Detroit. I was among the lucky 21 Canadian Digital Influencers representing Canada, while the rest came from United States and around the world internationally.
It’s a 3-day Media Trip Event. So far, I had posted about my Day 1 & Day 2 itinerary of my Ford NAIAS Media Trip, lets check out the activities that I did on this final day of the media trip.
Day 3 – Ford NAIAS Media Trip
1) Woke up nice and early from a good night sleep at the Westin Hotel.
2) Got dressed and looking fresh on another full-day of exciting Ford NAIAS activities.
3) Met up with the rest of the Ford Digital Influencers for a buffet breakfast that was provided by Ford. This time, I decided to opt for my “sunny side up” eggs instead of the ommlette at the egg station, just to mix things up. I love surprises and out of the ordinary.
4) Hop on the tour bus provided by Ford and go straight to the Cobo Centre, where the Detroit International Auto Show took place.
5) The day was still early, so we got some free time to walk around the Ford Blue Oval. Some digital influencers decided to grab some more breakfast or grabbed a coffee. Some already started tweeting or instagramming. As for myself, I realized some peeps received a toy version of the all-new 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor pickup truck. All they need to do was to text to a special number and a representative will spot them and hand them the Ford Raptor Toy Truck. I wanted one so I texted. While I was waiting for my own toy truck, one of the Ford Staff, Anson received his, so he and I went up to the Ford Tunnel to follow instructions on how to build this toy truck.
6) The Ford Tunnel had stairs that guided us up into the 2nd level. It overlooked the entire Ford Blue Oval display, it’s a great view of the entire showroom. Some Ford staff were there to show us around and told us the history of Ford Motors and Ford Racing. There was also a section where peeps like Anson can follow step-by-step instructions on how to assemble the Ford Raptor toy truck. I was amazed how detail the Ford Raptor toy truck was made. It’s impressive!
7) Meet & greet with Ford President & CEO, Mark Fields. That was quite cool to see him chatting with our digital influencers.
8) Then, I decided to check out the Q & A Panel at the Blue Oval. The executives & video gamers were on hand to discuss their projects working together, on how to build a nice video games with real-life cars.
9) I saw the Lincoln Press Conference was about to begin, so I went and found a good spot to watch the press conference.
10) An orchestra began the press conference.
11) The all-new Lincoln MKX was introduced.
12) I checked out the Lincoln “Black Label” showroom.
13) Ate lunch
14) Hop on the tour bus to visit the Ford Rouge Factory Tour. Ford Rouge Factory is a historical but yet went through a number of evolution phases in the car assembly history. Ford Rouge Factory is currently home of the building of 2015 North American Truck of the Year, Ford F-150.
15) The Ford Rouge Factory Tour experience comprised of a multiple-part tour. First we went inside The Legacy Theatre. A look at the amazing history of this world-class manufacturing facility.
16) Then we walked next door to the Manufacturing Innovation Theatre. Using amazing special effects, the audience got to visualize how a F-150 truck was made. That’s including the vehicle design, assembling it, test drive experience. The platform that our seats were located will vibrate to give us a greater experience and closer feel to the assembling of the truck. It was so cool!
17) The Living Roof gave us a view of the living roof and other sustainable features that were installed around the Ford Rouge Plant. It was a carefully, well-thought out greening initiative made by Ford.
18) The best part of the tour had FINALLY arrived! Which was the Assembly Plant Walking Tour. We had the opportunity to view how a Ford F-150 truck was built, from a truck bed, to installing sunroofs to the final assembling of the entire truck for quality control assurance testing.
19) After the tour, we went to the Legacy Gallery. It was like a chronological time line showcasing the birth of the Ford vehicles being built here in Rouge Factory. It also talked about the lives of the people back in the days and how important and how much impact Ford had brought into the lives of many people in terms of jobs, economy and the convenience of a true vehicle that can move people from one place to another.
20) Took the tour bus back to hotel. Ready to pack and depart back to my “Home Sweet Home” Toronto!
MoVernie Fun Fact: Did you know…that every 60s, a brand new Ford F-150 pickup truck is born at the Rouge Factory? That’s amazing! I think that’s impressive! Imagine all the different parts are being created, then along the assembly line, plug every part in and 60s, boom! You got yourself a new ride!
MoVernie Bucket List: It has always been one of my life-long bucket list that one day I wish to arrive at one of a car companies factory site, go to the sales office (if they ever have one), place an order of a “MoVernie” ride. I will choose the colour body paint, all the options of the ride and watch it being assemble in front of my eyes and boom a few minutes later, I will see my hot new ride coming off the assembly line. And I will drive it off the factory. I think that will be a very unforgettable experience. I hope this experience will come true in the near future!
End of Day 2 of my MoVernie Ford NAIAS Media Trip.
Got no time to visit NAIAS? No worries, MoVernie got you covered! Check out the pictures of the Ford Shelby GT350R below. Follow me on Instagram (@RealMoVernie) for more awesome pictures and videos!
MoVernie Lifestyle on the MOVE 