SEMA News

On November 3, the SEMA Speed Networking Breakfast, Powered by the SEMA Businesswomen’s Network (SBN), was sold out once again and well attended by both men and women. The breakfast has become the premiere event for networking and provided an avenue for the SBN to celebrate and honor the distinguished careers of three important people.

For the Wheel & Tire Council (WTC), SEMA Show week started with a very successful general membership meeting that included a presentation on technology by SEMA’s Vice President of Vehicle Technology John Waraniak and another by Tim Dietz of Standards Testing Labs, who discussed the history and future of testing standard J2530.

Brian Reese will become the chairman of the Street Performance Council (SPC) at the conclusion of Tyler Tanaka’s term as the current chairman. Under Tanaka’s tutelage, Reese will spend the next two years learning the ropes and developing the skills to steer the council’s Select Committee.

SEMA Member News recently took advantage of the opportunity to ask Reese about his goals now and in the coming years, and we opened the discussion by looking at the decision to combine the SPC reception with the Young Executive Network (YEN) reception and move them to a new night.

As the doors opened for the third installment of the Professional Restylers Organization’s (PRO) NovemberFest reception, attendees were greeted by the select committee, whose members were on hand to welcome guests with a glass stein emblazoned with the increasingly recognizable barmaid logo. From there, the who’s who of the restyling community was treated to German fare consisting of a variety of bratwurst, chicken schnitzel and apple strudel.

For most attendees, the SEMA Show doors do not open until Tuesday morning. For others, arriving early provides additional time for meetings, networking and education. Understanding this, the Manufacturers’ Rep Council (MRC) once again held its annual rep conference on the Sunday afternoon before the Show opening. Each year, the three-hour event begins with a fully catered networking mixer followed by an awards ceremony, and it concludes with an educational presentation.

Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC) volunteers and SEMA staff are busy readying for another MPMC Media Trade Conference. The 15th annual gathering takes place January 24–26, 2012, at the Embassy Suites LAX South in El Segundo, California.

The MPMC Media Trade Conference is a truly unique event that features three days of prescheduled 30-minute meetings between 100 MPMC member manufacturers and editorial staffs from national and international media. The meetings run from 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. each day. There is a 30-minute break in the morning, another break in the afternoon and a one-hour lunch. This schedule provides up to 42 meeting slots over the three days, but additional meetings are often held during breaks, through the lunch period and even after hours.

The Light-Truck Accessory Alliance (LTAA) booth display in upper South Hall at the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas included five outstanding trucks, each sponsored by an LTAA-member company. Not only did the vehicles depict LTAA-member company products in “real life” installations, but each also represented a $1,500 donation to SEMA Cares, for a total of $7,500.

More than 500 hot-rodding enthusiasts crowded the Las Vegas Hilton’s ballroom to hear the distinguished voice of industry legend Dave McClelland announce the Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) award honorees during the 2011 SEMA Show. The standing-room-only audience was treated to an amazing evening that featured the national anthem and presentation of the colors by Nellis Air Force Base, an invocation by Wade Kawasaki, premier networking, a lineup of world-class cars ranging from a ’31 Ford Model A Truck to a ’64 Corvette Coupe and, of course, an awards ceremony that recognized a who’s who of the hot-rodding world.

The annual Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) industry awards reception had a new look and a larger venue this year, and judging from the reactions of the crowd, the changes were successful. The larger space permitted ARMO to bring a vehicle inside the room for atmosphere and made moving around the room and visiting friends at various tables more convenient.

Signing up 200 new member companies at the 2011 SEMA Show was the easy part. There were special Show incentives and discounts for retailers that made SEMA membership a no-brainer for many companies. The goal for SEMA’s membership team now is to retain those members. How do we do that? The same way we retain other SEMA members: Connect them with SEMA’s membership resources and programs.

The annual Young Executives Network (YEN) reception—combined for the first time this year with the Street Performance Council (SPC) reception—was held Tuesday night, November 1, at the Las Vegas Hilton, Pavilion 1&2, during the 2011 SEMA Show. The reception allowed attendees the opportunity to network with peers and industry leaders, including members of the SEMA Board of Directors, SEMA staff and SEMA Hall of Fame members.

Hurst, Street Scene Equipment, Dodge and SEMA teamed up to build a custom Dodge Charger and a Dodge Avenger to benefit the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund (SMSF).

Each year, the SMSF distributes between $100,000 and $150,000 in scholarships to deserving students who plan to pursue careers in the automotive industry. The distributions include awards for vocational schools and two-year, four-year and post-graduate work, with a percentage designated for the families of employees of SEMA-member companies. There is also a Loan Forgiveness Program to help repay student loans for employees of SEMA-member firms. This year, two eBay auctions contributed a record-breaking amount to the SMSF.