By Alan Josse
 The SEMA Show New Products Showcase is annually the No. 1 destination for buyers and provides exhibitors a simple way to build additional company and product awareness away from their booths. | |
As exhibitors prepare for the 2014 SEMA Show Priority Booth Selection Process, many are strategizing exactly where the best place is for them to exhibit. The Priority Booth Selection Process runs May 5–23, 2014. Here are a few planning techniques for companies to consider regarding booth locations and attracting buyers.
Product Category: First and foremost, be aware that the SEMA Show is sectionalized by various categories. In order to qualify for a particular Show section, a minimum of 75% of the products or services on display and the marketing materials being distributed must be specific to that section.
Product Display: While location may impact who visits your booth, there are many other factors that have a greater influence on where buyers go. In fact, buyers cited product displays as the biggest factor that drew them to booths at the 2013 SEMA Show. Nearly 90% of buyers said product displays influenced them to stop at a booth, followed by vehicle displays, product demonstrations, and the layout or design of a booth. Location was only cited by 24% of buyers, making it the seventh item down on the list.
Pre-Show Marketing: Seventy-one percent of buyers come to the SEMA Show with a plan and a list of exhibitors that they want to see. Targeted mailings, advertising in industry publications, and distributing press releases are all effective ways exhibitors can promote and drive traffic to the booths.
New Products Showcase: Most buyers visit the New Products Showcase, and more than half of all buyers from the 2013 SEMA Show said that they visited an exhibitor as a result of seeing a product in the showcase. Highlighting your products in the New Products Showcase is a great way to increase booth traffic and product and company awareness.
Exhibitors are encouraged to contact their account rep for more ideas on how to increase booth traffic and addtional ways to increase awareness at the SEMA Show. Call 909-396-0289 or e-mail sales@SEMA.org to learn more. For additional information on the 2014 SEMA Show or to secure a booth for the November 4–7 event, get started at www.SEMAShow.com.
Alan Josse is the SEMA Account Rep for Trucks, SUVs & Off-Road, Powersports & Utility Vehicles, and Restoration Marketplace. He can be reached at alanj@SEMA.org or 909-978-6666.