BTC News

Attendee and media registration for the 2012 SEMA Show is now open at www.SEMAshow.com/register. The annual trade-only event takes place Tuesday-Friday, October 30-November 2, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bringing many years of specialty parts and aftermarket data management accomplishments to the table, DATAgility, Inc. of Chicago has been engaged to provide on-boarding, data sync and data quality services for the new SEMA Data Co-op.

Performance Racing Industry (PRI), producers of the motorsports business magazine and trade show, finalized plans to be purchased by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). The transaction is set to close in late March 2012.

Eleven individuals will be running for seats on the SEMA Board of Directors election, taking place in May. The candidates are vying for five open seats within three categories.

Bringing 30 years of specialty parts aftermarket experience to the table, Jon Wyly has been hired to launch and manage the new SEMA Data Cooperative.

SEMA News, the official publication of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), is extending the content of the monthly magazine to include in-depth coverage of industry suppliers on a regular basis.

Applications are now available to exhibit at the 2012 SEMA Show, the premier automotive trade event where manufacturers of specialty parts and accessories connect face-to-face with more than 60,000 quality buyers from throughout the world. The application, also called the Exhibitor Space Rental Agreement (ESRA), is available at www.semashow.com/buyabooth.

Manufacturers may now sign up at www.semashow.com/exhibitor-summit to attend the third annual SEMA Show Exhibitor Education Summit, taking place April 2-4, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Presented by Show staff who know first-hand how to best navigate the SEMA Show, the Exhibitor Education Summit is an intensive program designed to connect exhibitors with key individuals and provide participants with up-to-the-minute insights into the Show.

SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, is now accepting nominations for its Hall of Fame. Created in 1969, the SEMA Hall of Fame is the most prestigious award presented to an individual by the association. It is designed to honor outstanding persons in the industry who have enhanced the stature of, or significantly contributed to, the industry and/or association's growth.

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and its Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) and Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) Councils this year announced July 13, 2012 as “Collector Car Appreciation Day.”  The date marks the third commemoration in what has become an annual event to raise awareness of the vital role automotive restoration and collection plays in American society.  SEMA and its councils are again working to secure a Congressional resolution to recognize the day’s significance.  The industry endeavors to preserve our nation’s automotive heritage while providing well-paying, high-skilled jobs nationwide.  Collector Car Appreciation Day is a singular tribute to the collector car industry and the millions of hobbyists it supports.

Applications for automotive scholarships are now available through the 2012 SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund (SMSF) at www.sema.org/scholarships.  Students preparing for careers in the auto or auto parts industries may be eligible for cash awards ranging from $1,000-$4,000.

The vehicles have been tallied and the exhibitors have spoken. The second annual SEMA Award was presented to the Chevrolet Camaro for the Hottest Car, the Fiat 500 for the Hottest Sport Compact Car, the Ford F-Series for the Hottest Truck and the Jeep Wrangler for the Hottest 4x4-SUV. The winners were announced this morning at the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, today announced the winners of the New Products Showcase Awards held at the 2011 SEMA Show. The event recognizes the most cutting-edge automotive products either on the market or about to hit the market. This year, nearly 2,000 new products were submitted for consideration.

The Ford F-Series was named the Hottest Truck at the 2011 SEMA Show making it the second consecutive year to receive SEMA Award which recognizes outstanding vehicles that specialty-equipment manufacturers believe are the best platforms for accessorizing and that showcase this year’s coolest products.

The Jeep Wrangler was named the Hottest 4x4-SUV at the 2011 SEMA Show making it the second consecutive year to receive such an honor. The SEMA Award recognizes outstanding vehicles that specialty-equipment manufacturers believe are the best platforms for accessorizing and that showcase this year’s coolest products.

The Fiat 500 was named the Hottest Sport Compact at the 2011 SEMA Show making it the first vehicle to take home honors in the newest SEMA Award category and beating out a dozen competitors. The SEMA Award recognizes outstanding vehicles that specialty-equipment manufacturers believe are the best platforms for accessorizing and that showcase this year’s coolest products.

The Chevrolet Camaro was named the Hottest Car at the 2011 SEMA Show making it the second consecutive year to receive such an honor. The SEMA Award recognizes outstanding vehicles that specialty-equipment manufacturers believe are the best platforms for accessorizing and that showcase this year’s coolest products.

You're invited to attend the opening press conference/breakfast of the 2011 SEMA Show, where the industry's hottest vehicle models will be announced as the 2011 SEMA Award Winners.

Among the many celebrities making special appearances at the 2011 SEMA Show will be Chip Foose, award-winning automotive designer and television celebrity. SEMA Show attendees will be able to meet Foose as he signs autographs in the Ideas Alive: Featuring the New Products Showcase area on several days during the week.

The U.S. Department of Commerce named SEMA as one of the five recipients of the Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) for 2011. As a result, SEMA will receive $500,000 in matching funds over the next three years to support U.S. manufacturers that export automotive specialty-equipment products to booming emerging international markets. The grant is intended to stimulate U.S. exports of specialty-equipment products as part of the Administration's National Export Initiative, which aims to double U.S. exports by 2014 in support of several million U.S. jobs.

The 2011 SEMA Show will feature a one-day program specifically designed to teach car dealers best practices for integrating accessories at dealerships for increased revenue. Called Dealer Day, the program recognizes that accessories influence more than one million vehicle sales - a finding confirmed by a recent AutoPacific study.

The SEMA Education Institute (SEI) will once again host the SEMA Online Marketing Conference at the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Monday, October 31. The paid conference, sponsored by eBay Motors, will kick off the SEMA Show (November 1-4) by gathering top Internet marketing experts and educators from throughout the U.S. to share their knowledge and proven strategies for online marketing success.

The deadline to submit a product for the SEMA Show New Products Showcase and receive a discounted price is October 7. While the first product-category submission is still free after October 7, each additional product category submitted is $150 (as opposed to $75). Entries submitted onsite are accepted based on space availability.

The SEMA Board of Directors recently approved a motion to decrease the size of the Board. The initiative reflects their consensus that a smaller Board would improve the quality of discussion and reduce cost, and is now being voted upon by SEMA’s entire membership.