For the second show, activities were moved to the Michigan State Fairgrounds Colosseum, where it was held from 1954 to 1960. For the fourth event in 1956, the Michigan Hot Rod Association (MHRA) hired local band and sporting-event promoter Don Ridler to help the show reach a broader audience. Ridler served as the show's first true promoter until his death in 1963. The following year, the Michigan Hot Rod Association (MHRA) created a "best in show" award for Autorama, named after the man who made the biggest impact in the show's first eleven years, and thus the Ridler Award was born.