Discover how SEMA can help specialty-equipment market businesses in 2008 by attending the State of the Association presentation, Thursday, February 7, at 12:00 p.m., at SEMA Spring Expo/SEMA OFFROAD in Indianapolis. All SEMA members are invited to attend, entrance is free, and we're even providing lunch.

Held annually, the SEMA State of the Association traditionally features SEMA executives discussing current programs and informing members about what to expect in the coming year. The 2008 program will feature a new format, with television personality and current SEMA Board member Dennis Gage moderating the hour-long presentation. Gage will be joined by SEMA Chairman Jim Cozzie, SEMA Chairman-Elect Rick Rollins and SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting, as they explore what the association is doing to assist members and overcome today’s tough economic challenges. Discussions will include topics, such as hiring and training, legislation, research, vehicle technology and more.

Those attending in person will be able to talk directly with Cozzie, Rollins and Kersting, and learn what specific programs are available to help them, whether they are manufacturers, jobbers, distributors, retailers, installers or in another category within the industry. Members unable to attend in person may participate in a live webcast of the event or listen to a recorded version afterwards. Details about both these opportunities will be available at www.sema.org.

To attend the State of the Association presentation, e-mail Peter MacGillivray at peterm@sema.org.

Registration for SEMA Spring Expo and SEMA OFFROAD, February 8–9, 2008, is in full swing and available for attendees online by visiting www.semaspringexpo.com and www.semaoffroad.com. The spring events deliver the acclaimed SEMA Show experience to the Indianapolis area and surrounding regions. With a special emphasis on trucks and SUVs, exhibitors will display a variety of products and services covering accessories, restyling, wheels and tires, and mobile electronics.

To see all industry manufacturers exhibiting at SSE/SOR, click here.

Additionally, make sure to watch for Ford's 2008 Styling Awards for Best Use of Accessories on a Ford truck/SUV. Awards will be judged by Ford's Warren Nally and are available to any Ford truck/SUV on display at SEMA Spring Expo/SEMA OFFROAD.

For more information about the events, contact Gary Vigil at: garyv@sema.org.

The SEMA National Education Conference, scheduled April 10–11 in Nashville, is a concentrated, two-day leadership program developed exclusively for automotive specialty-equipment executives. With the knowledge shared at this conference, you'll discover how to lead your company to new levels of success. You'll receive real-world skills for immediate application, targeted information presented specifically for the automotive specialty-equipment industry and inspiration to make the necessary changes to more easily and effectively meet the challenges of a rapidly changing future.

Dr. Chris Przirembel, vice president of research at Clemson University, will focus on emerging technologies in the automotive and motorsports industries from a research perspective, based on technological challenges and issues related to advanced materials, alternative fuels, computational modeling and advanced manufacturing.

Thursday, April 10
12:00 p.m. –1:00 p.m. (includes lunch)
Speaker: Dr. Chris Przirembel
Title: "Driving the Future Through Innovation"

For more on NEC, please visit www.sema.org/nec.

Filler for eNews

Dates and locations for several upcoming SEMA-sponsored shows and activities have been announced. Details are:

SEMA-member companies have posted several new listings for job opportunities at www.sema.org/classifieds. Working for a SEMA-member company has many advantages. In addition to working for a company that supports and contributes to the success of the overall industry, being employed by a SEMA-member company enable the employee to participate in webinars, access free market research, join SEMA committees and more. The newest classified listings posted under Positions Available include:

SEMA members: Have a job opening that you need filled? Members are invited to post classified ads on www.sema.org/classifieds free of charge. Categories available are: Positions Available, Positions Wanted, Rep Opportunities, WD Opportunities, For Sale, Items Wanted, Business Opportunities and Internships. Visit the site for details.

In November 2007, mainstream consumers were asked in a random telephone survey what form their vehicle would take after modification. According to SEMA research, 27% said they would opt for street performance products, followed by restyling (23%), off-road (17%) and restoration (12%).

This is a significant shift from the previous month’s survey, in which 43% of mainstream consumers indicated a preference to restyling products, with street performance a distant second (13%).

For more industry-specific research, visit www.sema.org/research.

In December, the SEMA PADI improved by six points, or 9.0%, going to 77 and reversing the drop experienced in previous months from 75 in September. In December 2007, approximately 21-million American households indicated that they had plans to purchase performance parts and accessories within the next three months.

Overall, the SEMA PADI showed strong increases from April to August, trailed off from September through November, and rebounded in December. This may be an indication of the sales cycle we find for many of the industry’s products. The index and three subindices (for each product segment) are based on the responses to the following questions:

• How likely are you to purchase specialty accessories and appearance products, such as interior trim, restyling products, graphics, a sunroof, etc., for your vehicle in the next three months? Would you say very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely or not at all likely?

• How likely are you to purchase racing and performance products, such as internal engine parts, drivetrain, exhaust system, fuel system and ignition components designed to improve performance through increased durability, capability or dependability for your vehicle in the next three months? Would you say very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely or not at all likely?

• How likely are you to purchase wheels, tires and suspension components, such as specialty shocks, struts, lowering packages, lift kits, custom wheels, performance tires or performance brakes, not including regular brake changes for your vehicle in the next three months? Would you say very likely, somewhat likely not very likely or not at all likely?

The indices track consumer plans to purchase performance parts and/or accessories within the next three months after each respective survey. Grouped by major product segments, consumers indicate they are most inclined to purchase wheels, tires and suspension products during the next three months, followed closely by racing and performance parts.

Although similar to economic indexes, the index SEMA has been working on isn’t designed to report past activity, but rather consumer expectations of future purchases from our industry. SEMA began developing the Performance Parts and Accessories Demand Index (PADI) in January 2007. The purpose of the index is to track anticipated demand for performance parts and accessories, such as specialty-appearance products, racing and performance products, and wheels, tires and suspension products.

The SEMA PADI is a weighted composite index set to an initial value of 100 based on demand levels between January 2007 and March 2007. During those months, between 25% and 30% of consumers reported plans to purchase performance parts and/or accessories during the next 90 days.

Over the last three months, on average, midsize cars (24%) and pickups (19%) were the most common target vehicles for personalization, followed by fullsize cars (15%) and compacts (14%). When consumers were asked what form their vehicle would take after customization in December, the most common answer was that it would be general personalization (restyling) at 68%, with street performance coming in second at 7%, while off-road and restoration tied for third with 6% each.

Although the PADI is not a precise measure of absolute future-purchasing activity, it is nonetheless a tool for understanding and predicting industry sales. There are two ways of interpreting the PADI: direction (whether the index is rising or falling) and values (which provide a guide as to the degree of change in consumer expectations for purchasing industry products).

Methodology
SEMA has contracted with TechnoMetrica to gather the data used in building and maintaining the PADI. Each month TechnoMetrica uses a Random Digit Dial (RDD) telephone survey to collect the survey data. Typically, the responses total between 850 and 1,000 in any given month. The margin of error is normally within the plus or minus 3%–4% range. SEMA will provide monthly reports on the results of the PADI.

For more industry-specific research, please visit www.sema.org/research.

The next SEMA webinar will provide members with insight on how to earn tax credit for research and development efforts.

Title: “Research and Development Tax Credit”

Presenter: Steve Brunson, co-founder of Meridian Tax Advisors

When: Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 10 a.m. (PST)

Why You Should Attend: Numerous aftermarket companies invest time and manpower into improving their product or processes. Companies that incorporate research and development towards product innovation and product improvements would qualify for a significant tax break known as Section 41 Research & Development Tax Credit. Learn all about the Research & Development Tax Credit and the substantial tax savings it may provide your company by taking part in this webinar.

February 14 Webinar

SEMA members are encouraged to mark their calendars for SEMA's February 14 webinar, “Building an Online Parts Presence: How to Use the Internet to Maximize Your Parts Business," presented by Famous Rhodes, director of parts and accessories, eBay Motors. Rhodes explores how to use the Internet to build a complementary sales channel for your parts inventory. According to January 2007 Nielsen/Net ratings, eBay Motors is the most visited automotive website on the planet with over 12 million visitors each month. Tune in to this webinar to learn how you can use the Internet to reach more customers and gain more exposure for your aftermarket business.

Title: “Building an Online Parts Presence: How to Use the Internet to Maximize Your Parts Business"

Presented by:  Famous Rhodes, director of parts and accessories, eBay Motors

When: Thursday, February 14, 2008 at 10 a.m. (PST)

What's a Webinar?

The SEMA webinar program brings the world-class business seminars featured during the SEMA Show Education Week right to your desktop. Different business-building sessions are constantly being added to the program, offering members the latest insight and practices from today’s leading speakers. All SEMA webinars are conducted live and are open to all employees of SEMA-member companies free of charge. To participate, all you need is a computer with Internet access and a telephone.

All SEMA webinars are available to download anytime by clicking here. To view upcoming presentations that you can attend via the telephone and Internet, click here.

Doug Evans Heads Up SEMA Political Action Committee

Doug Evans

SEMA is pleased to announce Doug Evans of Source Interlink as the new chairman of the SEMA Political Action Committee (PAC). The SEMA PAC brings together the resources of SEMA members and the industry to form a larger cumulative voice on Capitol Hill. PACs are funded by personal contributions, since associations such as SEMA are prohibited from using association funds to make political contributions. However, SEMA is allowed to fund all administrative costs of running the PAC, so 100% of the contributions made to the SEMA PAC are used to help elect industry-friendly legislators. In addition to participating in the SEMA PAC, Evans serves on the SEMA Board of Directors. For more information on the PAC, visit www.sema.org/pac.

Bill Wagner Named Chairman of SEMA Show Committee

Bill Wagner

Bill Wagner of Winfield Consumer Products/Husky Liners has been named chairman of the SEMA Show Committee. The SEMA Show Committee works year-round to review policies and procedures related to the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Wagner also serves on the SEMA Board of Directors. Details about the SEMA Show are available at www.SEMAshow.com.

New changes to the annual SEMA State of the Association address are making it easier than ever to discover how the association can help businesses in the automotive specialty-equipment market. All SEMA members are invited to attend the 2008 event on Thursday, February 7, at 12:00 p.m., in Indianapolis.

Held annually, the SEMA State of the Association has traditionally featured SEMA executives discussing current programs and informing members about what to expect in the coming year. The 2008 program will feature a new format, with television personality and current SEMA Board member Dennis Gage moderating the hour-long presentation. Gage will be joined by SEMA Chairman Jim Cozzie, SEMA Chairman-Elect Rick Rollins and SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting, as they explore what the association is doing to assist members and overcome today’s tough economic challenges. Discussions will include topics, such as hiring and training, legislation, research, vehicle technology and more.

Also new this year, the event will be held in conjunction with the SEMA Spring Expo/SEMA OFFROAD shows. Those attending the SEMA State of the Association in person will be able to talk directly with Cozzie, Rollins and Kersting, and learn what specific programs are available to help them—whether they are manufacturers, jobbers, distributors, retailers, installers or in another category within the industry.

There is no cost to attend, and lunch will be provided. SEMA members simply need to mark their calendars for Thursday, February 7, 12:00 p.m., and e-mail Peter MacGillivray at peterm@sema.org.

Members unable to attend in person may participate in a live webcast of the event or listen to a recorded version afterwards. Details about both these opportunities will be available at www.sema.org.