SEMA News - September 2010

By Jason Catullo

Make the Most of Your SEMA Show Investment

Boost your SEMA Show experience by utilizing the tips outlined below. Whether it’s your first SEMA Show or your twenty-first, taking advantage of this collection of programs and freebies will have you hitting the Show floor in stride. 

Display Your New Product for Free

SEMA presents a New Products Showcase at the SEMA Show each year exclusively for exhibitors, providing an outstanding opportunity for each one to introduce new products, packaging and merchandising to the industry. All products entered are professionally photographed, and the photos are then made available to media for use in newspapers, magazines, websites and other outlets.

For 2010, the first product entered into the New Products Showcase by each company is free by using the company’s exhibitor password. Additional entries are $75 if entered by October 8. After October 8, entries are $150 each.

For more information, call 909/978-6742 or e-mail SEMAShow@sema.org.

Up to 1,000 lbs. of Freight Delivered to Your Booth for Free

SEMA Show management and Freeman—the company that handles the event design, décor and movement of exhibit materials in and out of the Las Vegas Convention Center—are offering free material handling for qualified exhibitors at the 2010 SEMA Show.

To qualify for the service, a company’s total exhibit freight must weigh 1,000 lbs. or less and must arrive in a privately owned or rental vehicle (car, pickup, minivan, U-Haul, trailer or rig) driven by an employee. Exhibitors check in at the Freeman POV Service Desk at each hand-carry location, and Freeman will unload and deliver the freight to their booths at no charge. Companies that utilize the free service but then ship additional freight to the Show will be charged the on-site material rate for all of the freight shipped.

If the exhibitor’s total exhibit freight exceeds 1,000 lbs., the free service is not available.

For more information, contact the General Service Contractor at 702/579-1700.

Press Material Distribution

Exhibitors may disseminate news material, press releases and press kits through the SEMA Show Media Center. The Media Center serves as a home base for the thousands of editors and reporters who attend the Show. By making news and information available there, exhibitors can maintain a constant flow of company information to media members.

SEMA recommends delivering news materials before Monday, November 1, to ensure that the exhibitors’ items are available for the media when they arrive. The Media Center will be open from 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 29–Sunday, October 31, and on Monday, November 1, from 7:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. for the delivery of press materials. SEMA suggests stocking 75 to 100 copies of each release or kit and checking the inventory periodically throughout the week. For more information, e-mail pr@sema.org.

Free Meeting Rooms in Members Lounge

Complimentary conference meeting space is available at the 2010 SEMA Show in the Grand Lobby Mezzanine Members Lounge (near North and Central Halls). The rooms, available exclusively to SEMA, Tire Industry Association and SCRS members, can accommodate up to 10 people for a maximum of one hour. Rooms are not available to non-
exhibiting manufacturers.

Rooms can only be reserved for two non-consecutive one-hour time slots per day and may be reserved in advance or on site based on availability.

For more information, call Tricia Hanisko at 702/450-7662 x247.

Get Your Products on More Show Vehicles

	All products entered into the New Products Showcase are professionally photographed, and the photos are made available to the media.

SEMA Show exhibitors: Generate more buzz for your products by offering them to builders through the Products for Project-Vehicle Builders list. Available now until days prior to the opening of the 2010 SEMA Show, the list—featured each week in SEMA eNews—includes the exhibitors that are offering products to SEMA Show project-vehicle builders. The list is accessed by hundreds of builders looking for the pieces that add extra flair to their builds. To participate, send your company name, contact information, a description of the products you’re offering and the address of a website where the products can be viewed to eNews@sema.org. Be sure the e-mail subject line reads “Products List.” Note: Project-vehicle builders will contact your company directly, so make sure your contact information is accurate.

The latest submissions to the list, open only to 2010 SEMA Show exhibitors, will be included each week in SEMA eNews.

Recruit Manufacturers’ Reps

Each year, the SEMA Show draws manufacturers’ reps from sales agencies across the country. If your company is looking for a manufacturer’s representative to enhance sales and marketing efficiency, don’t miss this opportunity to find the best rep for your business.

Complete the “Manufacturers’ Representative Matching” form located in the SEMA Show Exhibitor Services Manual online. The deadline to complete the forms is Friday, October 15.

Your information will be posted in the MRC Manufacturers’ Rep Center (Las Vegas Convention Center, Room C102) at the 2010 SEMA Show so that reps looking for product lines can contact your company directly.

International Outreach Throughout the Year

The SEMA International Buyers’ Guide is an easy way to expand your business to buyers around the world. An exclusive directory of exhibitors interested in growing their sales outside of the United States, the SEMA International Buyers’ Guide is distributed to every international buyer attending the 2010 SEMA Show and throughout the year at international trade shows.

It will also be available at more than 50 U.S. embassies throughout the world, including offices in Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Italy, Brazil and South America, and at major global trade shows.

Contact Linda Spencer to find out how to be included in this guide and for more information on all of SEMA’s international programs.

Free Scheduled Press Conferences

Exhibitors making newsworthy announcements that may appeal to a wide-reaching group of media may want to consider holding a press conference during the SEMA Show. Press conferences are ideal for communicating news to several reporters quickly and efficiently.

All press conferences are scheduled by SEMA and are included in an official schedule that is promoted to the media. Exhibitors may submit an application to hold a press conference before the deadline on September 3, 2010. There is no cost to hold a press conference.

To apply for a press conference or to learn more, visit here. Additional questions may be sent to pr@sema.org, or you may call 909/978-6723.