Business Tools

Top Reasons to Exhibit at the SEMA Show

By John Santos

Applications for booth space are now being accepted for the 2019 SEMA Show, taking place November 5–8, in Las Vegas.

The SEMA Show provides manufacturers of automotive parts and accessories with tools and resources to help them succeed. Whether it’s connecting with buyers, increasing brand awareness or making new business connections, the SEMA Show is where automotive parts manufacturers go to do business.

The following are some of the best reasons to exhibit at the SEMA Show:

  • Quality Buyers: Buyers at the SEMA Show come prepared to do business. Forty percent of them represent executive management with 87% of all buyers responsible for making or recommending what products their company will purchase.
  • Global Buyers: About 25% of all buyers in attendance come from outside the United States. This gives exhibitors a great opportunity to expand their markets overseas. As automotive customization grows worldwide, diversifying into other markets is a great way to grow one’s business.
  • New Products Showcase: Products in the showcase gain added exposure by being displayed in the No. 1 destination for buyers and media. Products are also photographed and included in future issues of SEMA News, and sent to journalists who further promote the products in their magazines and website. All exhibitors qualify for one free entry into the showcase, and there is a category for products that do not meet the criteria for new products to be displayed as featured products.
  • Media Exposure: Thousands of media attend the SEMA Show each year, giving exhibitors the opportunity to be included in newspapers and magazine articles, online stories, television and radio programs and even podcasts. To help connect exhibitors with journalists, exhibitors are invited to post press releases in the SEMA Show Online Media Center at no cost, as well as provide press kits and press releases in the Media Center during the week of the Show.
  • Directory Listing: All exhibitors are included in the SEMA Show Directory. The hard-copy directory is printed and sent to 48,000 industry professionals and distributed onsite at the Show. The directory listing is also included in the SEMA Show Pocket Guide, SEMA Show Daily, website and mobile app.
  • Breakfast and Banquet Tickets: All exhibitors qualify to receive complimentary tickets to the New Products Breakfast (Tuesday, November 5) and the Industry Awards Banquet (Thursday, November 7). The New Products Breakfast is held in the morning on the first day of the Show, before the Show opens, and features the New Product Awards announcements. The Industry Awards Banquet, considered by many to the be industry’s premier event, features prestigious awards for the Person of the Year, Manufacturer of the Year and others. Tickets to the banquet are available to all Showgoers for a nominal fee, but exhibitors qualify to receive complimentary tickets based on the booth size.
  • SEMA Cruise and SEMA Ignited: While the SEMA Show is a trade-only event not open to the public, exhibitors are able to reach consumers through the SEMA Cruise and SEMA Ignited. Both events, held on Friday evening at the end of the day, are open to consumers. Vehicles from the SEMA Show parade through the SEMA Cruise and are invited to display at SEMA Ignited. Additional branding opportunities are available to exhibitors through the two events.
  • SEMA Membership: SEMA members receive a discount on their SEMA Show booth space. Additionally, SEMA members have access to all association programs and benefits, including research, education, SEMA Garage, SEMA Data Co-op and more. While association membership is for a company, all employees of the company are able to utilize the benefits.

Manufacturers of automotive parts and accessories can begin securing their booth space at www.SEMAShow.com/buyabooth. For more information, visit www.SEMAShow.com or contact sales@sema.org.