SEMA News—September 2014

EVENTS
By Clint Simone

First-Time Exhibitor Case Study:

How Fusion Brakes Handled Its Very First SEMA Show

Thousands of companies exhibit at the SEMA Show each year, and tens of thousands of industry buyers come to the Show for the sole purpose of discovering new products and companies. Of the more than 2,000 exhibitors at the typical SEMA Show, some 400 to 600 are there for the first time. Many are small companies that bring never-before-seen products. In many cases, their decision to exhibit at the SEMA Show represents their single largest marketing cost of the year.

SEMA News: So many first-time exhibitors forget that they need to have a strategy to make sure attendees can find them. What did you do before the SEMA Show to attract buyers to your booth?

Clifford Leonard: We put together some advertisements in Performance Racing Industry (PRI) magazine before the Show to get some exposure with dealers and distributors. We wanted to send out postcards but, unfortunately, did not find the time to put everything together. In addition, we advertised in the SEMA Show Daily Racing & Performance section that was hosted by PRI.

SN: Once you got to the Show, what did you do to get people into your booth?

CL: Our biggest asset for attracting a lot of people was having a Porsche 997.2 GT3 RS in our booth. Having a nice car definitely helps turn a lot of heads, so if you have the funds to do so, I would recommend to at least do a 10-x20-ft. booth to squeeze a car in. Of course, the actual product, booth graphics and in-Show advertising also attracted a lot of customers.

SN: How did you staff your booth? How many people did you bring? What were their roles or job responsibilities?

CL: We somehow crammed six people into our 10x20 booth with the Porsche, two tables and four chairs. It was like the ultimate game of Tetris. As far as their responsibilities, I wanted to make sure that we created a smooth way to funnel the right visitors in the right direction. Up front, the first people you would speak to were sales. If the conversation was marketing related, we had two marketing guys to speak with. After that, any serious buyers would speak with the executives and decision-makers at the booth.

SN: You obviously learned a lot from your first SEMA Show. What will you do differently at the 2014 Show, and what do you recommend for new exhibitors?

CL: We are beefing up our booth to a 20x20 this year. We also felt pretty unprepared before the Show (which we hear is common with everyone), so we’ve started planning several more months in advance. Fusion is definitely planning on throwing in more advertisements, and we will likely have a lot more meetings now that we have some good traction.

Exhibiting at the SEMA Show for the first time can be very stressful. My advice is to follow the SEMA Show Deadline Checklist and definitely contact your rep with any questions, as they can be pretty helpful in showing you the ropes. It’s important that you rent a lead-retrieval system for the booth. The lead retrieval makes life so much easier to exchange information and follow up with pre-qualified leads. In addition, this is the largest automotive trade show in the country. With that said, buy your hotel rooms far in advance to avoid limitations and price hikes. Finally, I would lay out your booth before you get there. It helps to see how everything will fit, as there are a lot of regulations regarding what you can and can’t do.

SEMA News—September 2014

EVENTS
By Clint Simone

First-Time Exhibitor Case Study:

How Fusion Brakes Handled Its Very First SEMA Show

Thousands of companies exhibit at the SEMA Show each year, and tens of thousands of industry buyers come to the Show for the sole purpose of discovering new products and companies. Of the more than 2,000 exhibitors at the typical SEMA Show, some 400 to 600 are there for the first time. Many are small companies that bring never-before-seen products. In many cases, their decision to exhibit at the SEMA Show represents their single largest marketing cost of the year.

SEMA News: So many first-time exhibitors forget that they need to have a strategy to make sure attendees can find them. What did you do before the SEMA Show to attract buyers to your booth?

Clifford Leonard: We put together some advertisements in Performance Racing Industry (PRI) magazine before the Show to get some exposure with dealers and distributors. We wanted to send out postcards but, unfortunately, did not find the time to put everything together. In addition, we advertised in the SEMA Show Daily Racing & Performance section that was hosted by PRI.

SN: Once you got to the Show, what did you do to get people into your booth?

CL: Our biggest asset for attracting a lot of people was having a Porsche 997.2 GT3 RS in our booth. Having a nice car definitely helps turn a lot of heads, so if you have the funds to do so, I would recommend to at least do a 10-x20-ft. booth to squeeze a car in. Of course, the actual product, booth graphics and in-Show advertising also attracted a lot of customers.

SN: How did you staff your booth? How many people did you bring? What were their roles or job responsibilities?

CL: We somehow crammed six people into our 10x20 booth with the Porsche, two tables and four chairs. It was like the ultimate game of Tetris. As far as their responsibilities, I wanted to make sure that we created a smooth way to funnel the right visitors in the right direction. Up front, the first people you would speak to were sales. If the conversation was marketing related, we had two marketing guys to speak with. After that, any serious buyers would speak with the executives and decision-makers at the booth.

SN: You obviously learned a lot from your first SEMA Show. What will you do differently at the 2014 Show, and what do you recommend for new exhibitors?

CL: We are beefing up our booth to a 20x20 this year. We also felt pretty unprepared before the Show (which we hear is common with everyone), so we’ve started planning several more months in advance. Fusion is definitely planning on throwing in more advertisements, and we will likely have a lot more meetings now that we have some good traction.

Exhibiting at the SEMA Show for the first time can be very stressful. My advice is to follow the SEMA Show Deadline Checklist and definitely contact your rep with any questions, as they can be pretty helpful in showing you the ropes. It’s important that you rent a lead-retrieval system for the booth. The lead retrieval makes life so much easier to exchange information and follow up with pre-qualified leads. In addition, this is the largest automotive trade show in the country. With that said, buy your hotel rooms far in advance to avoid limitations and price hikes. Finally, I would lay out your booth before you get there. It helps to see how everything will fit, as there are a lot of regulations regarding what you can and can’t do.

SEMA News—September 2014

EVENTS
By Clint Simone

First-Time Exhibitor Case Study:

How Fusion Brakes Handled Its Very First SEMA Show

Thousands of companies exhibit at the SEMA Show each year, and tens of thousands of industry buyers come to the Show for the sole purpose of discovering new products and companies. Of the more than 2,000 exhibitors at the typical SEMA Show, some 400 to 600 are there for the first time. Many are small companies that bring never-before-seen products. In many cases, their decision to exhibit at the SEMA Show represents their single largest marketing cost of the year.

SEMA News: So many first-time exhibitors forget that they need to have a strategy to make sure attendees can find them. What did you do before the SEMA Show to attract buyers to your booth?

Clifford Leonard: We put together some advertisements in Performance Racing Industry (PRI) magazine before the Show to get some exposure with dealers and distributors. We wanted to send out postcards but, unfortunately, did not find the time to put everything together. In addition, we advertised in the SEMA Show Daily Racing & Performance section that was hosted by PRI.

SN: Once you got to the Show, what did you do to get people into your booth?

CL: Our biggest asset for attracting a lot of people was having a Porsche 997.2 GT3 RS in our booth. Having a nice car definitely helps turn a lot of heads, so if you have the funds to do so, I would recommend to at least do a 10-x20-ft. booth to squeeze a car in. Of course, the actual product, booth graphics and in-Show advertising also attracted a lot of customers.

SN: How did you staff your booth? How many people did you bring? What were their roles or job responsibilities?

CL: We somehow crammed six people into our 10x20 booth with the Porsche, two tables and four chairs. It was like the ultimate game of Tetris. As far as their responsibilities, I wanted to make sure that we created a smooth way to funnel the right visitors in the right direction. Up front, the first people you would speak to were sales. If the conversation was marketing related, we had two marketing guys to speak with. After that, any serious buyers would speak with the executives and decision-makers at the booth.

SN: You obviously learned a lot from your first SEMA Show. What will you do differently at the 2014 Show, and what do you recommend for new exhibitors?

CL: We are beefing up our booth to a 20x20 this year. We also felt pretty unprepared before the Show (which we hear is common with everyone), so we’ve started planning several more months in advance. Fusion is definitely planning on throwing in more advertisements, and we will likely have a lot more meetings now that we have some good traction.

Exhibiting at the SEMA Show for the first time can be very stressful. My advice is to follow the SEMA Show Deadline Checklist and definitely contact your rep with any questions, as they can be pretty helpful in showing you the ropes. It’s important that you rent a lead-retrieval system for the booth. The lead retrieval makes life so much easier to exchange information and follow up with pre-qualified leads. In addition, this is the largest automotive trade show in the country. With that said, buy your hotel rooms far in advance to avoid limitations and price hikes. Finally, I would lay out your booth before you get there. It helps to see how everything will fit, as there are a lot of regulations regarding what you can and can’t do.

SEMA News—September 2014

SEMA Show Online Media Center Yields Product Exposure

Here are a few press release tips from SEMA’s Show management:

• Use a strong, short headline that catches the attention of the reader.
• Keep the press release brief. Introduce the product without added fluff. Readers want to know what the press release is about right from the beginning.
• Include a photo when you can. Many editors use only releases that have photos. Submit photos in a high-resolution (300 dpi) image format.
• Always include your booth number and contact information.

The SEMA Show Online Media Center is available on the web at www.SEMAShow.com/press.

SEMA News—September 2014

SEMA Show Online Media Center Yields Product Exposure

Here are a few press release tips from SEMA’s Show management:

• Use a strong, short headline that catches the attention of the reader.
• Keep the press release brief. Introduce the product without added fluff. Readers want to know what the press release is about right from the beginning.
• Include a photo when you can. Many editors use only releases that have photos. Submit photos in a high-resolution (300 dpi) image format.
• Always include your booth number and contact information.

The SEMA Show Online Media Center is available on the web at www.SEMAShow.com/press.

SEMA News—September 2014

SEMA Show Online Media Center Yields Product Exposure

Here are a few press release tips from SEMA’s Show management:

• Use a strong, short headline that catches the attention of the reader.
• Keep the press release brief. Introduce the product without added fluff. Readers want to know what the press release is about right from the beginning.
• Include a photo when you can. Many editors use only releases that have photos. Submit photos in a high-resolution (300 dpi) image format.
• Always include your booth number and contact information.

The SEMA Show Online Media Center is available on the web at www.SEMAShow.com/press.

SEMA News—September 2014

SEMA Show Online Media Center Yields Product Exposure

Here are a few press release tips from SEMA’s Show management:

• Use a strong, short headline that catches the attention of the reader.
• Keep the press release brief. Introduce the product without added fluff. Readers want to know what the press release is about right from the beginning.
• Include a photo when you can. Many editors use only releases that have photos. Submit photos in a high-resolution (300 dpi) image format.
• Always include your booth number and contact information.

The SEMA Show Online Media Center is available on the web at www.SEMAShow.com/press.

SEMA News—September 2014

SEMA Show Online Media Center Yields Product Exposure

Here are a few press release tips from SEMA’s Show management:

• Use a strong, short headline that catches the attention of the reader.
• Keep the press release brief. Introduce the product without added fluff. Readers want to know what the press release is about right from the beginning.
• Include a photo when you can. Many editors use only releases that have photos. Submit photos in a high-resolution (300 dpi) image format.
• Always include your booth number and contact information.

The SEMA Show Online Media Center is available on the web at www.SEMAShow.com/press.

SEMA News—September 2014

SEMA Show Online Media Center Yields Product Exposure

Here are a few press release tips from SEMA’s Show management:

• Use a strong, short headline that catches the attention of the reader.
• Keep the press release brief. Introduce the product without added fluff. Readers want to know what the press release is about right from the beginning.
• Include a photo when you can. Many editors use only releases that have photos. Submit photos in a high-resolution (300 dpi) image format.
• Always include your booth number and contact information.

The SEMA Show Online Media Center is available on the web at www.SEMAShow.com/press.

SEMA News—September 2014

HERITAGE

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archives

Is Your Future in the Automobile Industry?

Were you to park a ’14 Chevy Malibu next to a ’56 Bel Air and open the hoods of each, the contrast would be remarkable. The Malibu’s short, wide engine bay is so full of plastic covers, tubes, hoses, wires, bottles and other equipment that the car’s four-cylinder engine is barely visible—if at all. The Bel Air’s Turbo-Fire V8, on the other hand, stands out in the ’56 Chevy’s spacious engine compartment, covered in bright orange paint and hooked to a canister air cleaner, a couple of radiator hoses and little else. Ask any shadetree mechanic why he prefers to work on old collector cars over today’s computer- and emissions-controlled vehicles and the answer usually comes down to: “They were so much simpler then.”

And yet, back when that ’56 Chevy was new, it too, was a complex piece of machinery (relatively speaking), requiring skilled technicians to keep it running properly. Finding and training those techs was a challenge in those days. As Jeff Cooper wrote in the February 1957 issue of Motor Trend, “…literally millions of new cars, all loaded with complex and hurriedly assembled automatic gadgets, and all fitted with engines souped to power outputs far beyond original design loads, continue to pour out of the factories and onto the roads.” In 1940, before World War II, “…there were 72 relatively simple vehicles per mechanic, whereas in 1965 there will be 103 very complicated vehicles for each man to repair and maintain.”

Vocational training was the solution to this situation, wrote Cooper. “The day is passing when any youngster with a strong back and a willingness to get his hands greasy can pick up a few bucks tinkering with cars while he casts about for something better. The future ‘Doctor of Automotive Maintenance’ is going to be a highly skilled, well-informed professional type more comparable to an orthopedic surgeon than to a specialized, single-purpose laborer. And he will be rewarded with appropriate payment and prestige.”

Cooper’s story then became essentially a two-page commercial for National Schools, a vocational training facility in Los Angeles that also offered courses in radio, television and electronics. Automotive tech students went through a full-year program (18 months if they were taking the class at night) that started with “…the basic physics of the internal combustion engine and proceeds through such subjects as chassis, tools and automotive electricity to diesel-electric power, advanced tuning and automatic transmissions. Mechanisms for all types of automatic gadgetry are fully covered.”

In the photo, a National Schools instructor (center) is offering “…actual experience to more advanced students as they gain practical knowledge of how to diagnose and repair engine diseases. The correct use of time- and labor-saving equipment is heavily stressed.”

Makes you wonder what the industry will be like in another half century.