SEMA News—October 2012

EVENTS
With Steve Campbell

A Few Minutes With Chuck Schwartz

The Chairman of ConvExx Talks About Priorities at the SEMA Show

	Chuck Schwartz has accrued many honors since becoming a trade show producer in 1976. He was elected to the SEMA Hall of Fame in 2010 following nearly 30 years as the producer of the SEMA Show.

Chuck and Susan Schwartz, both of whom are Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), are the driving forces behind ConvExx, the company that manages the SEMA Show. They bring more than 45 years of experience in exhibition production and management to the Show, and their company includes eight additional team members who carry CEM credentials.

Chuck Schwartz has accrued many honors since becoming a trade show producer in 1976. For instance, he was elected chairman of the International Association of Exhibitions & Events in 1999, served on the IAEE board of directors for seven years, received the IAEE Pinnacle Award and is an Auto International Association Hall of Fame winner. He was also elected to the SEMA Hall of Fame in 2010 following nearly 30 years as the producer of the SEMA Show.

The Schwartzes began producing the Show in 1982 as Epic Enterprises before creating ConvExx in 2001, and they have worked closely with SEMA staff to grow the Show into the complex and all-encompassing automotive extravaganza that it has become today. In fact, Chuck has attended every SEMA Show since its inception, first as a buyer, once as an exhibitor and then as the producer of the event.

ConvExx now produces and manages exhibitions, shows and conferences throughout the country, with services that include sales, marketing and logistics both before and during each event. We could think of no one better than Chuck Schwartz to quiz about what exhibitors, buyers and media should know in the run-up to the 2012 SEMA Show.

SEMA News: What is the first thing that exhibitors should do when they arrive to set up for the SEMA Show?

Chuck Schwartz: Assuming they’ve received their badges in the mail (which they can do by registering prior to October 8), the first priority for exhibitors is to find their booth location within the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). They should next check to ensure that all of their freight has arrived. If it hasn’t arrived yet, check with the closest service desk or floor managerfor assistance.

There are signs above every service desk that say “Services Available.” In the North Hall, the service desk is upstairs near Room N263C. In the Central Hall, the service desk is near the Ford booth but underneath the concourse (down the steps and through the doors beside the concession stands). In the upper and lower South Halls, the service desks can be found in the meeting rooms at the east end of each hall. Around the hall are concierges with portable tablets who can assist you in finding freight, checking or ordering services and assisting with Show information.

Freeman has the ability to look at most major carriers’ sites and help to track freight. Exhibitors should be sure that they have all of their freight tracking numbers with them when they arrive at the SEMA Show site, even if they don’t plan to set up that day.

	The SEMA Show—the world’s premier automotive trade event—has been housed in the Las Vegas Convention Center for three decades. Nobody knows the place better than ConvExx CEO Chuck Schwartz.

SN: What is Freeman? What services does it offer?

CS: Freeman is an exhibition service contractor, which means that it handles many of the services needed to set up and then dismantle a show. Freeman provides material handling, furniture, carpet, electrical, exhibit rentals, labor to set up pre-made booths and supply air, gas and other services to exhibitors.

Freeman staff can be found at the service desks along with representatives that can supply audio/visual equipment, telephones and Internet, floral arrangements and lead-retrieval systems.

SN: How can exhibitors get the best bang for their buck at this year’s SEMA Show?

CS: Be prepared. Order your electrical, furniture, lead retrieval and audio/visual equipment early to take advantage of the best discounts. Meet with your Show staff so they know what’s expected of them and what your company’s goals are. Know the Show Office phone number onsite (702-943-3505), and don’t be afraid to call and ask questions.

Show Management is willing to review your exhibit layout even before you arrive in Las Vegas and will advise you of any problems immediately so that you can fix them before you go, which is much less costly than fixing them onsite. We’ll also make suggestions on efficient and cost-effective materials to use.

SN: What is the most often missed opportunity for SEMA Show exhibitors?

CS: The Ideas Alive: Featuring the New Products Showcase and the Featured Product Showcase. The first product is free. Every buyer spends time in this area looking for the latest innovation that can make his or her business a success. Although the New Products Awards are billed as a contest, that’s not the most important feature of the Showcase. It’s the visibility to thousands of buyers and the media. The items entered in the Showcase can be shipped to the new products area before the Show and then be shipped back to the exhibitor’s office after the Show. For complete information about the Ideas Alive: Featuring the New Products Showcase, including shipping to and from the Show, go to www.SEMAShow.com/newproducts and click on the link to the Rules & Guidelines.

SN: What is the hottest new program for exhibitors at the 2012 SEMA Show?

CS: We have new floorplan software on the SEMA Show website, and it provides exhibitors with a number of valuable features. Every exhibitor should be sure to go to the site (www.SEMAShow.com/floorplan) and update their listing and products, as attendees can search by products as well as by company name and booth number.

SN: Where can buyers find information about the SEMA Show, such as exhibitor locations, educational opportunities and the answers to frequently asked questions?

CS: The SEMA Show website at www.SEMAShow.com has all the answers. It includes the interactive floorplan we talked about earlier as well as lists and descriptions of all the seminars, the ability to create calendars of events and lists of booths an attendee might wish to see. It’s got separate sections for exhibitors, attendees and media, with appropriate content for each category. It truly is a one-stop information library.

	The floor of the SEMA Show may seem like a maze, but the electronic map available online is a great navigation tool and also provides contact information and descriptions of every exhibitor.

SN: How can buyers make the most out of their limited time with so many exhibitors to see?

CS: Use the calendar on the Show website, www.SEMAShow.com, to choose educational sessions and to locate priority exhibitors in advance of the Show. Be sure to visit the Ideas Alive: Featuring the New Products Showcase and Featured Products areas to find new products. Use the electronic scanners provided onsite to collect information and then visit the exhibitors whose products are relevant to your business. And be sure to read the pre-Show information in SEMA News so that you’ll know about Show highlights and exhibitor specials.

SN: How can buyers ensure that they locate all of the exhibitors that are pertinent to their market segments?

CS: Again, check www.SEMAShow.com to easily find every registered exhibitor. The exhibitor listings include not only contact information but also a company profile and product or service categories. Even those in the First Time & Featured Exhibitor sections are noted with the icon from their appropriate section, and there is also a link that allows you to search by section if you’re specifically looking for, say, restoration products or racing and performance products.

SN: What is the best new program for buyers at the 2012 SEMA Show?

CS: Use the calendar and interactive floorplan on www.SEMAShow.com to choose educational sessions and note exhibitors both before the Show and onsite. SEMA is working on a mobile app for Apple and Droid smartphones that will also provide search functions. It should be up by the time you read this.

SN: What is the most important thing that media attendees should know about covering the SEMA Show?

CS: The media need to become familiar with the Media Center, located on the Skybridge between the Central and South Halls. It contains not only computers with Internet connections and preloaded with common software, but also lounge areas, meeting rooms, a press room where many of the SEMA Show press conferences are held and a distribution area where exhibiting companies place a variety of press releases and other materials in both print and electronic formats. The Media Center is open throughout the Show, and there are always staff available there who can either answer frequently asked questions or get the answers quickly.

SN: Are there any post-Show programs that attendees, buyers or the media should be aware of?

CS: Attendees and exhibitors can track the companies they talked to through Buyer Connect from CompuSystems, which is listed in the exhibitor manual section of the Show website (www.SEMAShow.com/esm) under Lead Retrieval Scanner Rental. A week or so after the SEMA Show, exhibitors will receive a list of the companies or individuals who swiped their cards at the exhibitors’ booths, and buyers will receive a list of the exhibitors whose booths they visited and where they swiped their cards for easy follow up.

Media should visit www.SEMAdigital.com, which houses thousands of high-resolution images for download following the Show. The photos include not only all of the new products that were entered in the New Products Showcase—including exhibitor contact information—but also images of the display vehicles, many of the celebrities who attended, shots from press conferences and much more, and they’re all authorized for any legitimate press use.

SEMA News—October 2012

EVENTS
With Steve Campbell

A Few Minutes With Chuck Schwartz

The Chairman of ConvExx Talks About Priorities at the SEMA Show

	Chuck Schwartz has accrued many honors since becoming a trade show producer in 1976. He was elected to the SEMA Hall of Fame in 2010 following nearly 30 years as the producer of the SEMA Show.

Chuck and Susan Schwartz, both of whom are Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), are the driving forces behind ConvExx, the company that manages the SEMA Show. They bring more than 45 years of experience in exhibition production and management to the Show, and their company includes eight additional team members who carry CEM credentials.

Chuck Schwartz has accrued many honors since becoming a trade show producer in 1976. For instance, he was elected chairman of the International Association of Exhibitions & Events in 1999, served on the IAEE board of directors for seven years, received the IAEE Pinnacle Award and is an Auto International Association Hall of Fame winner. He was also elected to the SEMA Hall of Fame in 2010 following nearly 30 years as the producer of the SEMA Show.

The Schwartzes began producing the Show in 1982 as Epic Enterprises before creating ConvExx in 2001, and they have worked closely with SEMA staff to grow the Show into the complex and all-encompassing automotive extravaganza that it has become today. In fact, Chuck has attended every SEMA Show since its inception, first as a buyer, once as an exhibitor and then as the producer of the event.

ConvExx now produces and manages exhibitions, shows and conferences throughout the country, with services that include sales, marketing and logistics both before and during each event. We could think of no one better than Chuck Schwartz to quiz about what exhibitors, buyers and media should know in the run-up to the 2012 SEMA Show.

SEMA News: What is the first thing that exhibitors should do when they arrive to set up for the SEMA Show?

Chuck Schwartz: Assuming they’ve received their badges in the mail (which they can do by registering prior to October 8), the first priority for exhibitors is to find their booth location within the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). They should next check to ensure that all of their freight has arrived. If it hasn’t arrived yet, check with the closest service desk or floor managerfor assistance.

There are signs above every service desk that say “Services Available.” In the North Hall, the service desk is upstairs near Room N263C. In the Central Hall, the service desk is near the Ford booth but underneath the concourse (down the steps and through the doors beside the concession stands). In the upper and lower South Halls, the service desks can be found in the meeting rooms at the east end of each hall. Around the hall are concierges with portable tablets who can assist you in finding freight, checking or ordering services and assisting with Show information.

Freeman has the ability to look at most major carriers’ sites and help to track freight. Exhibitors should be sure that they have all of their freight tracking numbers with them when they arrive at the SEMA Show site, even if they don’t plan to set up that day.

	The SEMA Show—the world’s premier automotive trade event—has been housed in the Las Vegas Convention Center for three decades. Nobody knows the place better than ConvExx CEO Chuck Schwartz.

SN: What is Freeman? What services does it offer?

CS: Freeman is an exhibition service contractor, which means that it handles many of the services needed to set up and then dismantle a show. Freeman provides material handling, furniture, carpet, electrical, exhibit rentals, labor to set up pre-made booths and supply air, gas and other services to exhibitors.

Freeman staff can be found at the service desks along with representatives that can supply audio/visual equipment, telephones and Internet, floral arrangements and lead-retrieval systems.

SN: How can exhibitors get the best bang for their buck at this year’s SEMA Show?

CS: Be prepared. Order your electrical, furniture, lead retrieval and audio/visual equipment early to take advantage of the best discounts. Meet with your Show staff so they know what’s expected of them and what your company’s goals are. Know the Show Office phone number onsite (702-943-3505), and don’t be afraid to call and ask questions.

Show Management is willing to review your exhibit layout even before you arrive in Las Vegas and will advise you of any problems immediately so that you can fix them before you go, which is much less costly than fixing them onsite. We’ll also make suggestions on efficient and cost-effective materials to use.

SN: What is the most often missed opportunity for SEMA Show exhibitors?

CS: The Ideas Alive: Featuring the New Products Showcase and the Featured Product Showcase. The first product is free. Every buyer spends time in this area looking for the latest innovation that can make his or her business a success. Although the New Products Awards are billed as a contest, that’s not the most important feature of the Showcase. It’s the visibility to thousands of buyers and the media. The items entered in the Showcase can be shipped to the new products area before the Show and then be shipped back to the exhibitor’s office after the Show. For complete information about the Ideas Alive: Featuring the New Products Showcase, including shipping to and from the Show, go to www.SEMAShow.com/newproducts and click on the link to the Rules & Guidelines.

SN: What is the hottest new program for exhibitors at the 2012 SEMA Show?

CS: We have new floorplan software on the SEMA Show website, and it provides exhibitors with a number of valuable features. Every exhibitor should be sure to go to the site (www.SEMAShow.com/floorplan) and update their listing and products, as attendees can search by products as well as by company name and booth number.

SN: Where can buyers find information about the SEMA Show, such as exhibitor locations, educational opportunities and the answers to frequently asked questions?

CS: The SEMA Show website at www.SEMAShow.com has all the answers. It includes the interactive floorplan we talked about earlier as well as lists and descriptions of all the seminars, the ability to create calendars of events and lists of booths an attendee might wish to see. It’s got separate sections for exhibitors, attendees and media, with appropriate content for each category. It truly is a one-stop information library.

	The floor of the SEMA Show may seem like a maze, but the electronic map available online is a great navigation tool and also provides contact information and descriptions of every exhibitor.

SN: How can buyers make the most out of their limited time with so many exhibitors to see?

CS: Use the calendar on the Show website, www.SEMAShow.com, to choose educational sessions and to locate priority exhibitors in advance of the Show. Be sure to visit the Ideas Alive: Featuring the New Products Showcase and Featured Products areas to find new products. Use the electronic scanners provided onsite to collect information and then visit the exhibitors whose products are relevant to your business. And be sure to read the pre-Show information in SEMA News so that you’ll know about Show highlights and exhibitor specials.

SN: How can buyers ensure that they locate all of the exhibitors that are pertinent to their market segments?

CS: Again, check www.SEMAShow.com to easily find every registered exhibitor. The exhibitor listings include not only contact information but also a company profile and product or service categories. Even those in the First Time & Featured Exhibitor sections are noted with the icon from their appropriate section, and there is also a link that allows you to search by section if you’re specifically looking for, say, restoration products or racing and performance products.

SN: What is the best new program for buyers at the 2012 SEMA Show?

CS: Use the calendar and interactive floorplan on www.SEMAShow.com to choose educational sessions and note exhibitors both before the Show and onsite. SEMA is working on a mobile app for Apple and Droid smartphones that will also provide search functions. It should be up by the time you read this.

SN: What is the most important thing that media attendees should know about covering the SEMA Show?

CS: The media need to become familiar with the Media Center, located on the Skybridge between the Central and South Halls. It contains not only computers with Internet connections and preloaded with common software, but also lounge areas, meeting rooms, a press room where many of the SEMA Show press conferences are held and a distribution area where exhibiting companies place a variety of press releases and other materials in both print and electronic formats. The Media Center is open throughout the Show, and there are always staff available there who can either answer frequently asked questions or get the answers quickly.

SN: Are there any post-Show programs that attendees, buyers or the media should be aware of?

CS: Attendees and exhibitors can track the companies they talked to through Buyer Connect from CompuSystems, which is listed in the exhibitor manual section of the Show website (www.SEMAShow.com/esm) under Lead Retrieval Scanner Rental. A week or so after the SEMA Show, exhibitors will receive a list of the companies or individuals who swiped their cards at the exhibitors’ booths, and buyers will receive a list of the exhibitors whose booths they visited and where they swiped their cards for easy follow up.

Media should visit www.SEMAdigital.com, which houses thousands of high-resolution images for download following the Show. The photos include not only all of the new products that were entered in the New Products Showcase—including exhibitor contact information—but also images of the display vehicles, many of the celebrities who attended, shots from press conferences and much more, and they’re all authorized for any legitimate press use.

SEMA News—October 2012

EVENTS
With Steve Campbell

A Few Minutes With Chuck Schwartz

The Chairman of ConvExx Talks About Priorities at the SEMA Show

	Chuck Schwartz has accrued many honors since becoming a trade show producer in 1976. He was elected to the SEMA Hall of Fame in 2010 following nearly 30 years as the producer of the SEMA Show.

Chuck and Susan Schwartz, both of whom are Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), are the driving forces behind ConvExx, the company that manages the SEMA Show. They bring more than 45 years of experience in exhibition production and management to the Show, and their company includes eight additional team members who carry CEM credentials.

Chuck Schwartz has accrued many honors since becoming a trade show producer in 1976. For instance, he was elected chairman of the International Association of Exhibitions & Events in 1999, served on the IAEE board of directors for seven years, received the IAEE Pinnacle Award and is an Auto International Association Hall of Fame winner. He was also elected to the SEMA Hall of Fame in 2010 following nearly 30 years as the producer of the SEMA Show.

The Schwartzes began producing the Show in 1982 as Epic Enterprises before creating ConvExx in 2001, and they have worked closely with SEMA staff to grow the Show into the complex and all-encompassing automotive extravaganza that it has become today. In fact, Chuck has attended every SEMA Show since its inception, first as a buyer, once as an exhibitor and then as the producer of the event.

ConvExx now produces and manages exhibitions, shows and conferences throughout the country, with services that include sales, marketing and logistics both before and during each event. We could think of no one better than Chuck Schwartz to quiz about what exhibitors, buyers and media should know in the run-up to the 2012 SEMA Show.

SEMA News: What is the first thing that exhibitors should do when they arrive to set up for the SEMA Show?

Chuck Schwartz: Assuming they’ve received their badges in the mail (which they can do by registering prior to October 8), the first priority for exhibitors is to find their booth location within the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). They should next check to ensure that all of their freight has arrived. If it hasn’t arrived yet, check with the closest service desk or floor managerfor assistance.

There are signs above every service desk that say “Services Available.” In the North Hall, the service desk is upstairs near Room N263C. In the Central Hall, the service desk is near the Ford booth but underneath the concourse (down the steps and through the doors beside the concession stands). In the upper and lower South Halls, the service desks can be found in the meeting rooms at the east end of each hall. Around the hall are concierges with portable tablets who can assist you in finding freight, checking or ordering services and assisting with Show information.

Freeman has the ability to look at most major carriers’ sites and help to track freight. Exhibitors should be sure that they have all of their freight tracking numbers with them when they arrive at the SEMA Show site, even if they don’t plan to set up that day.

	The SEMA Show—the world’s premier automotive trade event—has been housed in the Las Vegas Convention Center for three decades. Nobody knows the place better than ConvExx CEO Chuck Schwartz.

SN: What is Freeman? What services does it offer?

CS: Freeman is an exhibition service contractor, which means that it handles many of the services needed to set up and then dismantle a show. Freeman provides material handling, furniture, carpet, electrical, exhibit rentals, labor to set up pre-made booths and supply air, gas and other services to exhibitors.

Freeman staff can be found at the service desks along with representatives that can supply audio/visual equipment, telephones and Internet, floral arrangements and lead-retrieval systems.

SN: How can exhibitors get the best bang for their buck at this year’s SEMA Show?

CS: Be prepared. Order your electrical, furniture, lead retrieval and audio/visual equipment early to take advantage of the best discounts. Meet with your Show staff so they know what’s expected of them and what your company’s goals are. Know the Show Office phone number onsite (702-943-3505), and don’t be afraid to call and ask questions.

Show Management is willing to review your exhibit layout even before you arrive in Las Vegas and will advise you of any problems immediately so that you can fix them before you go, which is much less costly than fixing them onsite. We’ll also make suggestions on efficient and cost-effective materials to use.

SN: What is the most often missed opportunity for SEMA Show exhibitors?

CS: The Ideas Alive: Featuring the New Products Showcase and the Featured Product Showcase. The first product is free. Every buyer spends time in this area looking for the latest innovation that can make his or her business a success. Although the New Products Awards are billed as a contest, that’s not the most important feature of the Showcase. It’s the visibility to thousands of buyers and the media. The items entered in the Showcase can be shipped to the new products area before the Show and then be shipped back to the exhibitor’s office after the Show. For complete information about the Ideas Alive: Featuring the New Products Showcase, including shipping to and from the Show, go to www.SEMAShow.com/newproducts and click on the link to the Rules & Guidelines.

SN: What is the hottest new program for exhibitors at the 2012 SEMA Show?

CS: We have new floorplan software on the SEMA Show website, and it provides exhibitors with a number of valuable features. Every exhibitor should be sure to go to the site (www.SEMAShow.com/floorplan) and update their listing and products, as attendees can search by products as well as by company name and booth number.

SN: Where can buyers find information about the SEMA Show, such as exhibitor locations, educational opportunities and the answers to frequently asked questions?

CS: The SEMA Show website at www.SEMAShow.com has all the answers. It includes the interactive floorplan we talked about earlier as well as lists and descriptions of all the seminars, the ability to create calendars of events and lists of booths an attendee might wish to see. It’s got separate sections for exhibitors, attendees and media, with appropriate content for each category. It truly is a one-stop information library.

	The floor of the SEMA Show may seem like a maze, but the electronic map available online is a great navigation tool and also provides contact information and descriptions of every exhibitor.

SN: How can buyers make the most out of their limited time with so many exhibitors to see?

CS: Use the calendar on the Show website, www.SEMAShow.com, to choose educational sessions and to locate priority exhibitors in advance of the Show. Be sure to visit the Ideas Alive: Featuring the New Products Showcase and Featured Products areas to find new products. Use the electronic scanners provided onsite to collect information and then visit the exhibitors whose products are relevant to your business. And be sure to read the pre-Show information in SEMA News so that you’ll know about Show highlights and exhibitor specials.

SN: How can buyers ensure that they locate all of the exhibitors that are pertinent to their market segments?

CS: Again, check www.SEMAShow.com to easily find every registered exhibitor. The exhibitor listings include not only contact information but also a company profile and product or service categories. Even those in the First Time & Featured Exhibitor sections are noted with the icon from their appropriate section, and there is also a link that allows you to search by section if you’re specifically looking for, say, restoration products or racing and performance products.

SN: What is the best new program for buyers at the 2012 SEMA Show?

CS: Use the calendar and interactive floorplan on www.SEMAShow.com to choose educational sessions and note exhibitors both before the Show and onsite. SEMA is working on a mobile app for Apple and Droid smartphones that will also provide search functions. It should be up by the time you read this.

SN: What is the most important thing that media attendees should know about covering the SEMA Show?

CS: The media need to become familiar with the Media Center, located on the Skybridge between the Central and South Halls. It contains not only computers with Internet connections and preloaded with common software, but also lounge areas, meeting rooms, a press room where many of the SEMA Show press conferences are held and a distribution area where exhibiting companies place a variety of press releases and other materials in both print and electronic formats. The Media Center is open throughout the Show, and there are always staff available there who can either answer frequently asked questions or get the answers quickly.

SN: Are there any post-Show programs that attendees, buyers or the media should be aware of?

CS: Attendees and exhibitors can track the companies they talked to through Buyer Connect from CompuSystems, which is listed in the exhibitor manual section of the Show website (www.SEMAShow.com/esm) under Lead Retrieval Scanner Rental. A week or so after the SEMA Show, exhibitors will receive a list of the companies or individuals who swiped their cards at the exhibitors’ booths, and buyers will receive a list of the exhibitors whose booths they visited and where they swiped their cards for easy follow up.

Media should visit www.SEMAdigital.com, which houses thousands of high-resolution images for download following the Show. The photos include not only all of the new products that were entered in the New Products Showcase—including exhibitor contact information—but also images of the display vehicles, many of the celebrities who attended, shots from press conferences and much more, and they’re all authorized for any legitimate press use.

SEMA News—October 2012 

EVENTS
By Steve Campbell

Product Knowledge Direct From the Source

SEMA Show Product Training Sessions Provide First-Hand Education

	Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show, providing attendees with a complete understanding of how their products can best be used and marketed.

Providing product training to retailers and installers helps them sell. Understanding what a product does allows the end user to take advantage of its full capabilities. The SEMA Show will help bring both concepts to fruition through a series of product training sessions that will be conducted by exhibitors, allowing a complete understanding of how products can best be installed, used and marketed.

Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show. The 30-minute sessions (with an additional 30 minutes set aside for room and demonstration preparations) are intended to allow exhibitors to show retailers or other potential customers how products are used. Each participating exhibitor will have access to an LCD projector for use with a laptop computer as well as a podium with a microphone, and exhibitors may also use their own demonstration equipment.

For instance, InstantAutoSite.com will explain how to use phone-call tracking to improve the return on investment for pay-per-click marketing, including topics such as creating multiple campaigns by product category, dividing campaigns into ad groups, guidelines for landing pages and using dynamic call tracking software on websites and landing pages.

Another exhibitor, Wagner Systems Inc. will present a session on the basics of powdercoating, which will cover application
equipment, powdercoating processes and troubleshooting problems on finished products. And Net Driven, an Internet marketing and website-solutions company, will offer a session on using online resources to grow an automotive business effectively and economically, including search-engine optimization, social media and search-engine marketing. Bartec USA, a leader in developing diagnostic tools for tire-pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), will use its session to showcase its full product line and explain how the tools function.

	Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show. The 30-minute sessions are intended to allow exhibitors to show retailers or other potential customers how products are used.

“TPMS is a pretty hot topic in the tire and wheel industry right now,” said Scot Holloway, CEO of Bartec, now in its seventh year as a SEMA Show exhibitor. “All vehicles from model year ’08 and beyond in the United States have to have TPMS. The challenge for the aftermarket is to be able to service those vehicles. At our product session, we will talk about TPMS in the context of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requirement that the systems be operable when they leave a repair facility.”

Some of the Bartec tools connect through the onboard diagnostics port, Holloway said, and all of them work with the sensors inside each wheel that monitor pressure and temperature and report that back to the car’s system using a radio-frequency signal. The product training session will allow the company to use hands-on training as well as video to explain how its tools should be used.

The sessions will be held in the meeting rooms adjacent to the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and exhibitors may apply to host a session until October 12, 2012. The cost is $125 per session, which is due with the session application. (An application must be completed for each session.) Exhibitors wishing to apply for a session may visit here.

The sessions are free to SEMA Show attendees, who may find further information and a list of currently scheduled sessions. Lists of sessions will also be included in the first issue of the 2012 SEMA Show Daily newspaper, which will be mailed to exhibitors and attendees in late September, and the SEMA Show Pocket Directory, which will be distributed at the SEMA Show.

Exhibitors who wish to receive further information may contact Susan Schwartz at meeting@SEMA.org or 702-216-5858. 

SEMA News—October 2012 

EVENTS
By Steve Campbell

Product Knowledge Direct From the Source

SEMA Show Product Training Sessions Provide First-Hand Education

	Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show, providing attendees with a complete understanding of how their products can best be used and marketed.

Providing product training to retailers and installers helps them sell. Understanding what a product does allows the end user to take advantage of its full capabilities. The SEMA Show will help bring both concepts to fruition through a series of product training sessions that will be conducted by exhibitors, allowing a complete understanding of how products can best be installed, used and marketed.

Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show. The 30-minute sessions (with an additional 30 minutes set aside for room and demonstration preparations) are intended to allow exhibitors to show retailers or other potential customers how products are used. Each participating exhibitor will have access to an LCD projector for use with a laptop computer as well as a podium with a microphone, and exhibitors may also use their own demonstration equipment.

For instance, InstantAutoSite.com will explain how to use phone-call tracking to improve the return on investment for pay-per-click marketing, including topics such as creating multiple campaigns by product category, dividing campaigns into ad groups, guidelines for landing pages and using dynamic call tracking software on websites and landing pages.

Another exhibitor, Wagner Systems Inc. will present a session on the basics of powdercoating, which will cover application
equipment, powdercoating processes and troubleshooting problems on finished products. And Net Driven, an Internet marketing and website-solutions company, will offer a session on using online resources to grow an automotive business effectively and economically, including search-engine optimization, social media and search-engine marketing. Bartec USA, a leader in developing diagnostic tools for tire-pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), will use its session to showcase its full product line and explain how the tools function.

	Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show. The 30-minute sessions are intended to allow exhibitors to show retailers or other potential customers how products are used.

“TPMS is a pretty hot topic in the tire and wheel industry right now,” said Scot Holloway, CEO of Bartec, now in its seventh year as a SEMA Show exhibitor. “All vehicles from model year ’08 and beyond in the United States have to have TPMS. The challenge for the aftermarket is to be able to service those vehicles. At our product session, we will talk about TPMS in the context of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requirement that the systems be operable when they leave a repair facility.”

Some of the Bartec tools connect through the onboard diagnostics port, Holloway said, and all of them work with the sensors inside each wheel that monitor pressure and temperature and report that back to the car’s system using a radio-frequency signal. The product training session will allow the company to use hands-on training as well as video to explain how its tools should be used.

The sessions will be held in the meeting rooms adjacent to the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and exhibitors may apply to host a session until October 12, 2012. The cost is $125 per session, which is due with the session application. (An application must be completed for each session.) Exhibitors wishing to apply for a session may visit here.

The sessions are free to SEMA Show attendees, who may find further information and a list of currently scheduled sessions. Lists of sessions will also be included in the first issue of the 2012 SEMA Show Daily newspaper, which will be mailed to exhibitors and attendees in late September, and the SEMA Show Pocket Directory, which will be distributed at the SEMA Show.

Exhibitors who wish to receive further information may contact Susan Schwartz at meeting@SEMA.org or 702-216-5858. 

SEMA News—October 2012 

EVENTS
By Steve Campbell

Product Knowledge Direct From the Source

SEMA Show Product Training Sessions Provide First-Hand Education

	Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show, providing attendees with a complete understanding of how their products can best be used and marketed.

Providing product training to retailers and installers helps them sell. Understanding what a product does allows the end user to take advantage of its full capabilities. The SEMA Show will help bring both concepts to fruition through a series of product training sessions that will be conducted by exhibitors, allowing a complete understanding of how products can best be installed, used and marketed.

Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show. The 30-minute sessions (with an additional 30 minutes set aside for room and demonstration preparations) are intended to allow exhibitors to show retailers or other potential customers how products are used. Each participating exhibitor will have access to an LCD projector for use with a laptop computer as well as a podium with a microphone, and exhibitors may also use their own demonstration equipment.

For instance, InstantAutoSite.com will explain how to use phone-call tracking to improve the return on investment for pay-per-click marketing, including topics such as creating multiple campaigns by product category, dividing campaigns into ad groups, guidelines for landing pages and using dynamic call tracking software on websites and landing pages.

Another exhibitor, Wagner Systems Inc. will present a session on the basics of powdercoating, which will cover application
equipment, powdercoating processes and troubleshooting problems on finished products. And Net Driven, an Internet marketing and website-solutions company, will offer a session on using online resources to grow an automotive business effectively and economically, including search-engine optimization, social media and search-engine marketing. Bartec USA, a leader in developing diagnostic tools for tire-pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), will use its session to showcase its full product line and explain how the tools function.

	Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show. The 30-minute sessions are intended to allow exhibitors to show retailers or other potential customers how products are used.

“TPMS is a pretty hot topic in the tire and wheel industry right now,” said Scot Holloway, CEO of Bartec, now in its seventh year as a SEMA Show exhibitor. “All vehicles from model year ’08 and beyond in the United States have to have TPMS. The challenge for the aftermarket is to be able to service those vehicles. At our product session, we will talk about TPMS in the context of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requirement that the systems be operable when they leave a repair facility.”

Some of the Bartec tools connect through the onboard diagnostics port, Holloway said, and all of them work with the sensors inside each wheel that monitor pressure and temperature and report that back to the car’s system using a radio-frequency signal. The product training session will allow the company to use hands-on training as well as video to explain how its tools should be used.

The sessions will be held in the meeting rooms adjacent to the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and exhibitors may apply to host a session until October 12, 2012. The cost is $125 per session, which is due with the session application. (An application must be completed for each session.) Exhibitors wishing to apply for a session may visit here.

The sessions are free to SEMA Show attendees, who may find further information and a list of currently scheduled sessions. Lists of sessions will also be included in the first issue of the 2012 SEMA Show Daily newspaper, which will be mailed to exhibitors and attendees in late September, and the SEMA Show Pocket Directory, which will be distributed at the SEMA Show.

Exhibitors who wish to receive further information may contact Susan Schwartz at meeting@SEMA.org or 702-216-5858. 

SEMA News—October 2012 

EVENTS
By Steve Campbell

Product Knowledge Direct From the Source

SEMA Show Product Training Sessions Provide First-Hand Education

	Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show, providing attendees with a complete understanding of how their products can best be used and marketed.

Providing product training to retailers and installers helps them sell. Understanding what a product does allows the end user to take advantage of its full capabilities. The SEMA Show will help bring both concepts to fruition through a series of product training sessions that will be conducted by exhibitors, allowing a complete understanding of how products can best be installed, used and marketed.

Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show. The 30-minute sessions (with an additional 30 minutes set aside for room and demonstration preparations) are intended to allow exhibitors to show retailers or other potential customers how products are used. Each participating exhibitor will have access to an LCD projector for use with a laptop computer as well as a podium with a microphone, and exhibitors may also use their own demonstration equipment.

For instance, InstantAutoSite.com will explain how to use phone-call tracking to improve the return on investment for pay-per-click marketing, including topics such as creating multiple campaigns by product category, dividing campaigns into ad groups, guidelines for landing pages and using dynamic call tracking software on websites and landing pages.

Another exhibitor, Wagner Systems Inc. will present a session on the basics of powdercoating, which will cover application
equipment, powdercoating processes and troubleshooting problems on finished products. And Net Driven, an Internet marketing and website-solutions company, will offer a session on using online resources to grow an automotive business effectively and economically, including search-engine optimization, social media and search-engine marketing. Bartec USA, a leader in developing diagnostic tools for tire-pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), will use its session to showcase its full product line and explain how the tools function.

	Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show. The 30-minute sessions are intended to allow exhibitors to show retailers or other potential customers how products are used.

“TPMS is a pretty hot topic in the tire and wheel industry right now,” said Scot Holloway, CEO of Bartec, now in its seventh year as a SEMA Show exhibitor. “All vehicles from model year ’08 and beyond in the United States have to have TPMS. The challenge for the aftermarket is to be able to service those vehicles. At our product session, we will talk about TPMS in the context of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requirement that the systems be operable when they leave a repair facility.”

Some of the Bartec tools connect through the onboard diagnostics port, Holloway said, and all of them work with the sensors inside each wheel that monitor pressure and temperature and report that back to the car’s system using a radio-frequency signal. The product training session will allow the company to use hands-on training as well as video to explain how its tools should be used.

The sessions will be held in the meeting rooms adjacent to the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and exhibitors may apply to host a session until October 12, 2012. The cost is $125 per session, which is due with the session application. (An application must be completed for each session.) Exhibitors wishing to apply for a session may visit here.

The sessions are free to SEMA Show attendees, who may find further information and a list of currently scheduled sessions. Lists of sessions will also be included in the first issue of the 2012 SEMA Show Daily newspaper, which will be mailed to exhibitors and attendees in late September, and the SEMA Show Pocket Directory, which will be distributed at the SEMA Show.

Exhibitors who wish to receive further information may contact Susan Schwartz at meeting@SEMA.org or 702-216-5858. 

SEMA News—October 2012 

EVENTS
By Steve Campbell

Product Knowledge Direct From the Source

SEMA Show Product Training Sessions Provide First-Hand Education

	Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show, providing attendees with a complete understanding of how their products can best be used and marketed.

Providing product training to retailers and installers helps them sell. Understanding what a product does allows the end user to take advantage of its full capabilities. The SEMA Show will help bring both concepts to fruition through a series of product training sessions that will be conducted by exhibitors, allowing a complete understanding of how products can best be installed, used and marketed.

Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show. The 30-minute sessions (with an additional 30 minutes set aside for room and demonstration preparations) are intended to allow exhibitors to show retailers or other potential customers how products are used. Each participating exhibitor will have access to an LCD projector for use with a laptop computer as well as a podium with a microphone, and exhibitors may also use their own demonstration equipment.

For instance, InstantAutoSite.com will explain how to use phone-call tracking to improve the return on investment for pay-per-click marketing, including topics such as creating multiple campaigns by product category, dividing campaigns into ad groups, guidelines for landing pages and using dynamic call tracking software on websites and landing pages.

Another exhibitor, Wagner Systems Inc. will present a session on the basics of powdercoating, which will cover application
equipment, powdercoating processes and troubleshooting problems on finished products. And Net Driven, an Internet marketing and website-solutions company, will offer a session on using online resources to grow an automotive business effectively and economically, including search-engine optimization, social media and search-engine marketing. Bartec USA, a leader in developing diagnostic tools for tire-pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), will use its session to showcase its full product line and explain how the tools function.

	Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show. The 30-minute sessions are intended to allow exhibitors to show retailers or other potential customers how products are used.

“TPMS is a pretty hot topic in the tire and wheel industry right now,” said Scot Holloway, CEO of Bartec, now in its seventh year as a SEMA Show exhibitor. “All vehicles from model year ’08 and beyond in the United States have to have TPMS. The challenge for the aftermarket is to be able to service those vehicles. At our product session, we will talk about TPMS in the context of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requirement that the systems be operable when they leave a repair facility.”

Some of the Bartec tools connect through the onboard diagnostics port, Holloway said, and all of them work with the sensors inside each wheel that monitor pressure and temperature and report that back to the car’s system using a radio-frequency signal. The product training session will allow the company to use hands-on training as well as video to explain how its tools should be used.

The sessions will be held in the meeting rooms adjacent to the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and exhibitors may apply to host a session until October 12, 2012. The cost is $125 per session, which is due with the session application. (An application must be completed for each session.) Exhibitors wishing to apply for a session may visit here.

The sessions are free to SEMA Show attendees, who may find further information and a list of currently scheduled sessions. Lists of sessions will also be included in the first issue of the 2012 SEMA Show Daily newspaper, which will be mailed to exhibitors and attendees in late September, and the SEMA Show Pocket Directory, which will be distributed at the SEMA Show.

Exhibitors who wish to receive further information may contact Susan Schwartz at meeting@SEMA.org or 702-216-5858. 

SEMA News—October 2012 

EVENTS
By Steve Campbell

Product Knowledge Direct From the Source

SEMA Show Product Training Sessions Provide First-Hand Education

	Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show, providing attendees with a complete understanding of how their products can best be used and marketed.

Providing product training to retailers and installers helps them sell. Understanding what a product does allows the end user to take advantage of its full capabilities. The SEMA Show will help bring both concepts to fruition through a series of product training sessions that will be conducted by exhibitors, allowing a complete understanding of how products can best be installed, used and marketed.

Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show. The 30-minute sessions (with an additional 30 minutes set aside for room and demonstration preparations) are intended to allow exhibitors to show retailers or other potential customers how products are used. Each participating exhibitor will have access to an LCD projector for use with a laptop computer as well as a podium with a microphone, and exhibitors may also use their own demonstration equipment.

For instance, InstantAutoSite.com will explain how to use phone-call tracking to improve the return on investment for pay-per-click marketing, including topics such as creating multiple campaigns by product category, dividing campaigns into ad groups, guidelines for landing pages and using dynamic call tracking software on websites and landing pages.

Another exhibitor, Wagner Systems Inc. will present a session on the basics of powdercoating, which will cover application
equipment, powdercoating processes and troubleshooting problems on finished products. And Net Driven, an Internet marketing and website-solutions company, will offer a session on using online resources to grow an automotive business effectively and economically, including search-engine optimization, social media and search-engine marketing. Bartec USA, a leader in developing diagnostic tools for tire-pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), will use its session to showcase its full product line and explain how the tools function.

	Exhibitors are being invited to promote and demonstrate the technical applications of their products through product training sessions during the 2012 SEMA Show. The 30-minute sessions are intended to allow exhibitors to show retailers or other potential customers how products are used.

“TPMS is a pretty hot topic in the tire and wheel industry right now,” said Scot Holloway, CEO of Bartec, now in its seventh year as a SEMA Show exhibitor. “All vehicles from model year ’08 and beyond in the United States have to have TPMS. The challenge for the aftermarket is to be able to service those vehicles. At our product session, we will talk about TPMS in the context of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requirement that the systems be operable when they leave a repair facility.”

Some of the Bartec tools connect through the onboard diagnostics port, Holloway said, and all of them work with the sensors inside each wheel that monitor pressure and temperature and report that back to the car’s system using a radio-frequency signal. The product training session will allow the company to use hands-on training as well as video to explain how its tools should be used.

The sessions will be held in the meeting rooms adjacent to the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and exhibitors may apply to host a session until October 12, 2012. The cost is $125 per session, which is due with the session application. (An application must be completed for each session.) Exhibitors wishing to apply for a session may visit here.

The sessions are free to SEMA Show attendees, who may find further information and a list of currently scheduled sessions. Lists of sessions will also be included in the first issue of the 2012 SEMA Show Daily newspaper, which will be mailed to exhibitors and attendees in late September, and the SEMA Show Pocket Directory, which will be distributed at the SEMA Show.

Exhibitors who wish to receive further information may contact Susan Schwartz at meeting@SEMA.org or 702-216-5858. 

SEMA News—October 2012

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
By Mike Imlay

Mobile Utility

Bettering Your Business With Apps

The words “there’s an app for that” have become somewhat of a cliché—and with good reason. Not long ago, many businesses pursued mobile applications mainly as a gimmicky exercise in marketing. Having a cool branded game or similar whiz-bang app was considered a trendy way to burnish a company’s image with smartphone and tablet users. But times are changing, and the world of apps is maturing.

According to Michael Beller, vice president of Media Works and emerging media at Source Interlink Media, apps nowadays are more likely to be developed to better a business and its operations than to merely awe or entertain consumers.

“There’s a whole range of ideas coming from our clients that fall into a lot of different buckets,” Beller explained. “They could be database-driven apps; they could be more marketing-related apps for reps to use with retailers; or they could be more consumer-based apps to help consumers learn about their products. It’s all really interesting.”

Laying the Groundwork

Of course, the term “app” is shorthand for an application or software program accessed through a computer, smartphone, tablet or related device. Up until recently, the question facing many manufacturers—and even retailers—was whether to hop on the app-development bandwagon at all. Now, however, with a wide range of utilitarian apps available—especially those designed for mobile devices—there’s no question that they can make a business more efficient, productive and portable. So what are some best practices in approaching mobile apps and/or related emerging media?

If your company’s goal is to improve its marketing to consumers, mobile optimization of your website is always a recommended first step. While not technically app development, such optimization lays the foundation for other digital marketing efforts. Beller pointed out that customers in a retail environment can easily research information, compare pricing and even make online purchases via their smartphones while waiting at the counter. If a website isn’t mobile optimized, frustrated consumers can quickly bail on it in favor of another company’s site that is. Fortunately, mobile optimization can be accomplished easily and inexpensively.

“We tell our clients that no one wants to pinch and zoom anymore,” said Beller. “No matter who develops it, you have to have a mobile website.” One example would be including an easy-to-use online database containing product information, availability and pricing.

After optimizing its website for mobile viewing, a company can next move on to consider whether specialized applications make sense. The realm of choices is broad. Apps can be:

• Utilitarian—for instance, enabling customers or even staff and field representatives to look up products and information from their smartphones or tablets.
• Brand extensions—applying the power of a brand to an app that’s not necessarily directly related to core business but that nevertheless supplies a service to users.
• Content-driven—offering users videos, reviews, news, feeds and related marketing collateral or updates pertaining to a business.
• B2B tools—such as a marketing app created so that sales reps can educate potential buyers about a company’s offerings at trade shows, events or in the field.
• Training related—specifically for a company’s employees or sales representatives.

According to Beller, deciding what type of app to pursue comes down to two considerations.

“First,” he said, “it depends on what specific vertical you are in—direct to consumer, direct to retailer, inventory management, web-based versus mobile-based. The other consideration may be a challenge that needs a specific solution. For example, a company may need an inventory-management-type make, model, year app for a certain part it manufactures.”

Branding Utility

	Toyo’s recently introduced app was designed to educate the company’s sales team, dealers and dealer customers about Toyo products. It displays product overviews, features and benefits, training materials, multi-media product videos, commercials and photos along with media stories and product sizes and specs.

“You should identify your target audience and the content that is important or useful to them,” agreed Amy Coleman, senior director of marketing for Toyo Tire USA Corp., which recently developed an innovative iPad business app with Source Interlink Media’s assistance. “Establish a good outline of the project in advance. This will act as your road map and guide, establishing the content you need to gather or create and milestones along the way.”

Toyo’s recently introduced app was designed to educate the company’s sales team, dealers and dealer customers about Toyo products. It displays product overviews, features and benefits, training materials, multimedia product videos, commercials and photos along with media stories and product sizes and specs. It also features PDFs of product brochures, the company’s dealer magazine and links to the Toyo website and social-media channels. It has proven to be an extremely useful B2B tool for the company’s field representatives.

“The goal was to consolidate product information into one, easy-to-use-tool,” Coleman said. “It was first launched with our Proxes 4 Plus and now features 17 products. It’s a tool that can be used in sales meetings, in employee training, on the showroom floor and at events, including the SEMA Show. The sizes and specs data is pulled from our website, which is updated regularly so our sales department and dealers will always have the latest information at their fingertips. This is the first time all Toyo product information is together in one tool for our sales department and dealers.”

In terms of audience for an app, it’s perfectly okay to think small, said David Kennedy, publisher of Source Interlink Media’s Custom Truck Group. The group’s Diesel Power magazine recently turned to Source Interlink Media’s internal app developers to create a niche diesel-fuel finder that helps to extend the publication’s brand beyond its core business of editorial and advertising.

	Source Interlink Media’s Diesel Power magazine recently turned to the company’s internal app developers to create a niche diesel fuel finder that helps to extend the publication’s brand beyond its core business of editorial and advertising. Users can find diesel fuel stations anywhere in the United States where they happen to be. This is a convenient tool, because many times diesel is not as commonly available as gasoline.

“The app itself is basically utilityware,” Kennedy explained. “Users can find diesel-fuel stations anywhere in the United States where they happen to be. We thought this would be a convenient tool, because many times diesel is not as commonly available as gasoline. So leveraging a Google map with our architecture, users can enter their location and find retail facilities that sell diesel fuel in their area. Then, to make the tool more useful, we gave it a functionality to allow it to plot a route so that you could know where diesel-fuel locations might be along your way—say a 100- to a 1,000-mile drive—and be able to plan your trip accordingly.”

Currently the app is iPhone-based but will also work on the iPad, with an Android version also set to debut soon. (Of course, depending upon a vehicle’s connectivity, the functionality from the mobile device can be extended to an in-dash command system.)

“A diesel fuel finder app like this is clearly only for people with diesel vehicles—obviously not the majority of the United States—but it becomes a tool for our audience with their own wants, needs and desires,” Kennedy said. “It puts us in a unique position to be able to develop utility products and platforms that go beyond the usual ways we’ve been reaching our audience.”

Kennedy believes that, with some brainstorming, other specialty-equipment businesses could easily follow suit.

The point is to leverage a company’s knowledge of its own specific marketplace with branded apps that are useful to its niche consumers. A good question to ask is, what is the broadest type of app that you can create to engage your limited audience?

“You want to brand an application that’s useful and makes your audience return to it, perhaps on a daily basis,” Kennedy said. “Think of it in terms of a frequently asked questions page. What is the question that your customer asks on a daily basis? What are the common needs of both your current customer and a possible customer in your category? Regardless of whether you’re a carburetor company, a shock-absorber company or an exhaust company, start with the core questions or customer interactions that repeat over and over again.”

Obviously, most businesses will lack an internal app-development squad. As with all things digital, a company should resist the temptation to turn to amateur developers—especially those without a solid business or marketing background. Moreover, said the experts, it’s a company’s inside knowledge of its core business, operations and consumers that should drive any app-development process.

No matter whom you call upon to help you develop an app, the mature approach will be about real solutions, not gimmicks or flashy marketing. Whether aimed at your own employees or a wider consumer audience, seeing apps as the true utilities they are will greatly further your business.

Emerging Media at Source Interlink Media

	Further Background Reading SEMA News previously offered an overview of applications and their development in our story “App Crazy” (SEMA News March 2012, p. 96.) The article addressed the diversity of industry apps, from branded entertainment offerings and OBD-II-related products to mobile apps developed specifically for differing automotive platforms.

According to Michael Beller, Source Interlink Media is so convinced of the power of apps and related emerging media that it has built an entire department alongside its traditional print enterprise to address high-tech digital solutions for itself and clients. As part of that effort, the publishing house acquired Mind Over Eye, a CGI animation house specializing in 3-D modeling and related technologies. In addition, it combines a full range of creative services from design print ads to logos with its Media Works section—an internal unit that can specifically work on emerging media products both for Source Interlink Media’s own brands and for those of its clients.

“Within the team here we have coders, engineers, designers, product developers—we really have an end-to-end internal solution, which is very unusual for any publisher,” he said. “The unique position we’re in is the relationships we have with a lot of our clients. In the past, they’ve been largely advertisers. It’s a natural extension to offer these services directly to them.”

Beller sees this plethora of emerging media services as a sort of modern extension of the traditional custom publishing concept. While not a marketing company or an agency per se, Source Interlink Media strives to bring a special expertise to app development for clients.

“Because we work closely with aftermarket companies, we understand all their different verticals,” Beller said. “Everybody here lives and breathes that stuff.”