By AJ Carney

To recognize attendees who make education a priority, new for 2018, SEMA Education will highlight regular seminar attendees as Power Users.

Participation in SEMA Show Education has grown exponentially over the last several years as professionals and small-business owners look to keep current on the latest trends and technologies affecting the automotive industry.

To recognize attendees who make education a priority, new for 2018, SEMA Education will highlight regular seminar attendees as Power Users. Interested?

It’s easy to launch your Power User status at the 2018 SEMA Show:

• Visit the Quad, located in the upper North Hall (outside N251).
• Snag your free custom lanyard and Power User pass.
• Attend three seminars throughout the week. That’s right, any three you want!
• At the end of each seminar you attend, see the room ambassador on your way out and get your user pass hole-punched.
• Stop back by the Quad and snag your limited-edition SEMA swag while supplies last.

“Individuals and companies recognize the value of business education and are making an investment in professional development,” said Zane Clark, SEMA’s senior director of education. “We are seeing company after company incorporating education into their strategic Show plans this year to ensure that they are maximizing their time and resources on-site.”  

At the close of the Show, attendees will receive a Power User questionnaire to help gauge the pulse of SEMA’s ever-evolving education program. Your feedback will help drive the 2019 seminar schedule. Learn more about the program.  

For questions, email AJ Carney, SEMA’s senior manager of education services.

Get started, register for your first seminar today! Recommended seminars:

• SEMA Suggested: 3 Seminars Featuring Automotive Personalities.
• SEMA Suggested: Market Research Trends to Help Your Business.
• SEMA Suggested: 3 Seminars on How to Leverage Data in Decision Making.

By AJ Carney

To recognize attendees who make education a priority, new for 2018, SEMA Education will highlight regular seminar attendees as Power Users.

Participation in SEMA Show Education has grown exponentially over the last several years as professionals and small-business owners look to keep current on the latest trends and technologies affecting the automotive industry.

To recognize attendees who make education a priority, new for 2018, SEMA Education will highlight regular seminar attendees as Power Users. Interested?

It’s easy to launch your Power User status at the 2018 SEMA Show:

• Visit the Quad, located in the upper North Hall (outside N251).
• Snag your free custom lanyard and Power User pass.
• Attend three seminars throughout the week. That’s right, any three you want!
• At the end of each seminar you attend, see the room ambassador on your way out and get your user pass hole-punched.
• Stop back by the Quad and snag your limited-edition SEMA swag while supplies last.

“Individuals and companies recognize the value of business education and are making an investment in professional development,” said Zane Clark, SEMA’s senior director of education. “We are seeing company after company incorporating education into their strategic Show plans this year to ensure that they are maximizing their time and resources on-site.”  

At the close of the Show, attendees will receive a Power User questionnaire to help gauge the pulse of SEMA’s ever-evolving education program. Your feedback will help drive the 2019 seminar schedule. Learn more about the program.  

For questions, email AJ Carney, SEMA’s senior manager of education services.

Get started, register for your first seminar today! Recommended seminars:

• SEMA Suggested: 3 Seminars Featuring Automotive Personalities.
• SEMA Suggested: Market Research Trends to Help Your Business.
• SEMA Suggested: 3 Seminars on How to Leverage Data in Decision Making.

By Jason Catullo

Veteran Showgoers know that creating a plan is key to making the most of their SEMA Show experience. With the new SEMA Show Mobile App, locating exhibitors anywhere at the Show, scanning products in the New Products Showcase, viewing the Show's layout and scheduling education seminars have been made easier than ever.  

To quickly navigate the Las Vegas Convention Center, the app will take you where you want to go from anywhere on the Show floor. Simply enter your current location by booth number, exhibitor name or room number, then enter the destination you want to go, and the app will supply you with the best route.

In one of the main attractions of the SEMA Show—the New Products Showcase—Showgoers can use the app to scan a company’s products, receive details and photos, have the case where the product is located highlighted on the Showcase layout and receive directions to that exhibitor's booth.

“The updated, responsive SEMA Show Mobile App is the one tool that all attendees should download,” said SEMA Trade Shows Director Tom Gattuso. “It’s designed to keep Showgoers informed, on time and in touch, so they can return to their businesses having taken advantage of all the Show has to offer.”

Other app features include a “Maps” section that contains the layouts of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s halls and grounds, an “Events” tab that includes the times and locations of the Show’s seminars and special events and the “Celebrity Appearance” button that features the schedule of all of the special appearances by notable industry celebrities and personalities.

Download the SEMA Show Mobile App from www.SEMAShow.com/app, the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

By Jason Catullo

Veteran Showgoers know that creating a plan is key to making the most of their SEMA Show experience. With the new SEMA Show Mobile App, locating exhibitors anywhere at the Show, scanning products in the New Products Showcase, viewing the Show's layout and scheduling education seminars have been made easier than ever.  

To quickly navigate the Las Vegas Convention Center, the app will take you where you want to go from anywhere on the Show floor. Simply enter your current location by booth number, exhibitor name or room number, then enter the destination you want to go, and the app will supply you with the best route.

In one of the main attractions of the SEMA Show—the New Products Showcase—Showgoers can use the app to scan a company’s products, receive details and photos, have the case where the product is located highlighted on the Showcase layout and receive directions to that exhibitor's booth.

“The updated, responsive SEMA Show Mobile App is the one tool that all attendees should download,” said SEMA Trade Shows Director Tom Gattuso. “It’s designed to keep Showgoers informed, on time and in touch, so they can return to their businesses having taken advantage of all the Show has to offer.”

Other app features include a “Maps” section that contains the layouts of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s halls and grounds, an “Events” tab that includes the times and locations of the Show’s seminars and special events and the “Celebrity Appearance” button that features the schedule of all of the special appearances by notable industry celebrities and personalities.

Download the SEMA Show Mobile App from www.SEMAShow.com/app, the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

By Jason Catullo

Veteran Showgoers know that creating a plan is key to making the most of their SEMA Show experience. With the new SEMA Show Mobile App, locating exhibitors anywhere at the Show, scanning products in the New Products Showcase, viewing the Show's layout and scheduling education seminars have been made easier than ever.  

To quickly navigate the Las Vegas Convention Center, the app will take you where you want to go from anywhere on the Show floor. Simply enter your current location by booth number, exhibitor name or room number, then enter the destination you want to go, and the app will supply you with the best route.

In one of the main attractions of the SEMA Show—the New Products Showcase—Showgoers can use the app to scan a company’s products, receive details and photos, have the case where the product is located highlighted on the Showcase layout and receive directions to that exhibitor's booth.

“The updated, responsive SEMA Show Mobile App is the one tool that all attendees should download,” said SEMA Trade Shows Director Tom Gattuso. “It’s designed to keep Showgoers informed, on time and in touch, so they can return to their businesses having taken advantage of all the Show has to offer.”

Other app features include a “Maps” section that contains the layouts of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s halls and grounds, an “Events” tab that includes the times and locations of the Show’s seminars and special events and the “Celebrity Appearance” button that features the schedule of all of the special appearances by notable industry celebrities and personalities.

Download the SEMA Show Mobile App from www.SEMAShow.com/app, the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

President Trump signed the “Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017” (S. 791) into law. Senator Gary Peters’ (D-MI) legislation directs the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to enter into a partnership agreement to develop an intellectual property (IP) protection training program and educational materials. The law also requires the training program to educate small businesses on domestic and international IP protection when developing business plans and growth strategies. Additionally, the bill directs the agencies to use existing materials to develop the training program, which may be provided either online or at physical locations, including at an SBA Small Business Development Center and the USPTO headquarters and regional offices.

For more information, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

President Trump signed the “Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017” (S. 791) into law. Senator Gary Peters’ (D-MI) legislation directs the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to enter into a partnership agreement to develop an intellectual property (IP) protection training program and educational materials. The law also requires the training program to educate small businesses on domestic and international IP protection when developing business plans and growth strategies. Additionally, the bill directs the agencies to use existing materials to develop the training program, which may be provided either online or at physical locations, including at an SBA Small Business Development Center and the USPTO headquarters and regional offices.

For more information, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

President Trump signed the “Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017” (S. 791) into law. Senator Gary Peters’ (D-MI) legislation directs the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to enter into a partnership agreement to develop an intellectual property (IP) protection training program and educational materials. The law also requires the training program to educate small businesses on domestic and international IP protection when developing business plans and growth strategies. Additionally, the bill directs the agencies to use existing materials to develop the training program, which may be provided either online or at physical locations, including at an SBA Small Business Development Center and the USPTO headquarters and regional offices.

For more information, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

By SEMA Editors

The Society of Collision Repair Specialists’ (SCRS) OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit will be held Thursday, November 1, at the 2018 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The Summit will feature three sessions, each designed to host discussion between companies and individuals who are able to highlight emerging trends that influence vehicle repairability and collision industry preparation.

The second session, entitled “The Evolution of OEM Networks and Expectations,” will take place November 1, from 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

In this 90-minute panel discussion, representatives from General Motors, Mercedes-Benz USA, Nissan Group of America and Volvo Cars USA will share details of their distinct program structures and elaborate on how the expectations have evolved to their present state.

As vehicle architecture and technology advance, so do the expectations of those performing repairs. Specialization and commitment to repair procedure adherence become increasingly more paramount, and many automakers have shifted their models of creating OEM collision-repair networks to ensure that consumers have vetted options if collision-repair services become necessary.

The session will be moderated by Aaron Clark, vice president, technical compliance for Assured Performance Network, and David Gruskos, president, Reliable Automotive Equipment Inc.

Panelists will include:

• John Eck, General Motors Co.
  Collision Manager, Customer Care & Aftersales    
• Kenneth Park, Volvo Cars USA
  Certified Collision Program Manager
• Ben Cid, Mercedes-Benz USA
  Collision Business Manager
• Mark Zoba, Nissan Group of America
  Manager, Collision Network Growth & Strategy

There has never been a better time to gain an understanding of what OEMs expect of the collision-repair community. To secure your spot to learn directly from General Motors, Volvo Cars USA, Mercedes-Benz USA and Nissan Group of America about their certified networks, visit www.scrs.com/rde.

The final afternoon session, to be held from 3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., will explore “The Future Impact of Telematics, Technology, Transportation and the Collision Industry.” For this two-hour session, SCRS welcomes back TEDx speaker and author of “The Zero Dollar Car” John Ellis of Ellis & Associates. Ellis is an expert in big data and how it will change the business models of the world’s leading sectors. For this session, SCRS has brought together thought leaders with OEM, technology, claims and fleet backgrounds to explore how the future of automotive technology inside the vehicle will change external interactions in the event of a loss. Whether communicating with individuals or associated organizations, there is a great deal of development in the area where technology interfaces and telematics data will impact collision-repair business models.

Panelists will include:

• Andreas Hecht, CCC Information Services
  SVP, general manager OEM   
• Derik Reiser, Enterprise Holdings Inc.
  AVP, technology innovation
• Charlene Wehman, Subaru of America Inc.
  cross-car line planning manager – telematics
• James Levendusky, Verisk
  vice president, telematics

The panelists will share direct experience in their world of connectivity, and help the repair audience consider and understand the work being done to integrate point-of-impact data, telematics and connectivity between respective parties. Most importantly, attendees will gain visibility into what that connectivity means to repairers, the work they do on the shop floor and their relationship to the consumer and others in the process.

Register for all three sessions of the 2018 OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit, or visit www.scrs.com/rde.

The other session included in the 2018 OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit includes:

9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
“The Rules—and Challenges—of Structural Repair on Modern Architecture”

In addition, registration is open for the SCRS’ IDEAS Collide Showcase, Friday, November 2, from 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Register now for the IDEAS Collide Showcase, or visit www.scrs.com/rde.

“The IDEAS Collide Showcase was really to take an approach similar to TED Talks, but with the SCRS twist of being specific to the collision-repair industry,” shares SCRS Vice Chairman Brett Bailey. “We introduced it by calling for speakers that were willing to explore big ideas worthy of consideration, but capable of delivering those ideas in a condensed timeframe.”

The two-hour program will tackle topics that either highlight disruption or provide solution in the collision-repair industry. Ten speakers will deliver fast-paced presentations designed to stimulate thought, innovation and resolution of business challenges with brash, outspoken and thought-provoking concepts. The lineup includes:

• Jeff Hendler     
  owner, JD Hendler/Associates
• M. Scott Ulnick
  managing principal, Ducker Worldwide
• Dan Langford
  innovation director, Nevada Center for Advanced Mobility
  Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development
• Pete Tagliapietra
  president, NuGen IT
• Kevin Dunn
  CEO, Decisely
• Amir Hever
  CEO, UVeye
• John Shoemaker
  business development manager, BASF Automotive Refinish North America
• Matthew Doude
  associate director, Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems
  Mississippi State University
• Jason Verlen
  SVP product management, strategy and marketing, CCC Information Services
• John Ellis
  principal, Ellis & Associates
  Author, The Zero Dollar Car

The IDEAS Collide Showcase will be included in the Full Series Pass option available at www.scrs.com/rde, or as a stand-alone session that can be selected online.

For more information about SCRS, or to join as a member, visit www.scrs.com, call 877-841-0660 or email info@scrs.com.

By SEMA Editors

The Society of Collision Repair Specialists’ (SCRS) OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit will be held Thursday, November 1, at the 2018 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The Summit will feature three sessions, each designed to host discussion between companies and individuals who are able to highlight emerging trends that influence vehicle repairability and collision industry preparation.

The second session, entitled “The Evolution of OEM Networks and Expectations,” will take place November 1, from 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

In this 90-minute panel discussion, representatives from General Motors, Mercedes-Benz USA, Nissan Group of America and Volvo Cars USA will share details of their distinct program structures and elaborate on how the expectations have evolved to their present state.

As vehicle architecture and technology advance, so do the expectations of those performing repairs. Specialization and commitment to repair procedure adherence become increasingly more paramount, and many automakers have shifted their models of creating OEM collision-repair networks to ensure that consumers have vetted options if collision-repair services become necessary.

The session will be moderated by Aaron Clark, vice president, technical compliance for Assured Performance Network, and David Gruskos, president, Reliable Automotive Equipment Inc.

Panelists will include:

• John Eck, General Motors Co.
  Collision Manager, Customer Care & Aftersales    
• Kenneth Park, Volvo Cars USA
  Certified Collision Program Manager
• Ben Cid, Mercedes-Benz USA
  Collision Business Manager
• Mark Zoba, Nissan Group of America
  Manager, Collision Network Growth & Strategy

There has never been a better time to gain an understanding of what OEMs expect of the collision-repair community. To secure your spot to learn directly from General Motors, Volvo Cars USA, Mercedes-Benz USA and Nissan Group of America about their certified networks, visit www.scrs.com/rde.

The final afternoon session, to be held from 3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., will explore “The Future Impact of Telematics, Technology, Transportation and the Collision Industry.” For this two-hour session, SCRS welcomes back TEDx speaker and author of “The Zero Dollar Car” John Ellis of Ellis & Associates. Ellis is an expert in big data and how it will change the business models of the world’s leading sectors. For this session, SCRS has brought together thought leaders with OEM, technology, claims and fleet backgrounds to explore how the future of automotive technology inside the vehicle will change external interactions in the event of a loss. Whether communicating with individuals or associated organizations, there is a great deal of development in the area where technology interfaces and telematics data will impact collision-repair business models.

Panelists will include:

• Andreas Hecht, CCC Information Services
  SVP, general manager OEM   
• Derik Reiser, Enterprise Holdings Inc.
  AVP, technology innovation
• Charlene Wehman, Subaru of America Inc.
  cross-car line planning manager – telematics
• James Levendusky, Verisk
  vice president, telematics

The panelists will share direct experience in their world of connectivity, and help the repair audience consider and understand the work being done to integrate point-of-impact data, telematics and connectivity between respective parties. Most importantly, attendees will gain visibility into what that connectivity means to repairers, the work they do on the shop floor and their relationship to the consumer and others in the process.

Register for all three sessions of the 2018 OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit, or visit www.scrs.com/rde.

The other session included in the 2018 OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit includes:

9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
“The Rules—and Challenges—of Structural Repair on Modern Architecture”

In addition, registration is open for the SCRS’ IDEAS Collide Showcase, Friday, November 2, from 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Register now for the IDEAS Collide Showcase, or visit www.scrs.com/rde.

“The IDEAS Collide Showcase was really to take an approach similar to TED Talks, but with the SCRS twist of being specific to the collision-repair industry,” shares SCRS Vice Chairman Brett Bailey. “We introduced it by calling for speakers that were willing to explore big ideas worthy of consideration, but capable of delivering those ideas in a condensed timeframe.”

The two-hour program will tackle topics that either highlight disruption or provide solution in the collision-repair industry. Ten speakers will deliver fast-paced presentations designed to stimulate thought, innovation and resolution of business challenges with brash, outspoken and thought-provoking concepts. The lineup includes:

• Jeff Hendler     
  owner, JD Hendler/Associates
• M. Scott Ulnick
  managing principal, Ducker Worldwide
• Dan Langford
  innovation director, Nevada Center for Advanced Mobility
  Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development
• Pete Tagliapietra
  president, NuGen IT
• Kevin Dunn
  CEO, Decisely
• Amir Hever
  CEO, UVeye
• John Shoemaker
  business development manager, BASF Automotive Refinish North America
• Matthew Doude
  associate director, Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems
  Mississippi State University
• Jason Verlen
  SVP product management, strategy and marketing, CCC Information Services
• John Ellis
  principal, Ellis & Associates
  Author, The Zero Dollar Car

The IDEAS Collide Showcase will be included in the Full Series Pass option available at www.scrs.com/rde, or as a stand-alone session that can be selected online.

For more information about SCRS, or to join as a member, visit www.scrs.com, call 877-841-0660 or email info@scrs.com.