By Della Domingo

Applications for SEMA Show exhibitors to be included in the official 2021 SEMA Show Press Conference Schedule are due Friday, August 6.

Exhibitors who have breaking news announcements that will be of interest to a large number of media can utilize press conferences during the 2021 SEMA Show by submitting a press conference application before the August 6 deadline. After submitting an application, exhibitors should receive an automatic email confirming that the application was received. Those who do not receive the automatic email may have experienced a technical problem and are encouraged to email pr@sema.org for assistance.

Because media are not required or obligated to attend press conferences, many exhibitors opt to utilize other tools for reaching media at the SEMA Show, including submitting a press release in the Exhibitor Online Media Center.

To learn more about press conferences, the online media center or other PR resources for SEMA Show exhibitors, contact pr@sema.org.

Click here for a complete listing of 2021 SEMA Show deadlines.

By Della Domingo

Applications for the 2021 SEMA Battle of the Builders are available now at www.semashow.com/botb. The competition described by Muscle Cars & Trucks as “the coolest automotive competition in the world,” the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition is where top vehicle builders go to showcase their talents and craftsmanship. This year’s competition will mark the eighth year where SEMA Show vehicle builders will compete against one another.

All builders with vehicles displayed at the SEMA Show are invited to enter. Exhibitors are encouraged to have builders with whom they are working enter, as the program is a great way to highlight the products on the vehicles.

To learn more, visit www.semashow.com/botb.

By SEMA Editors

The deadline to apply for a feature vehicle at the 2021 SEMA Show is July 30. Exhibitors planning a feature vehicle for the Show are encouraged to mark their calendars now to allow ample time to choose the best car to represent their brand and promote its appearance appropriately.

All feature vehicles must be approved and paid for by qualified exhibiting companies. Criteria for placement is based on how the exhibiting company’s products are showcased on the vehicle, whether the car has been featured in the SEMA Show previously, how complete the vehicle build is, and to what degree the vehicle captures all elements of the specialty-equipment market.

Each qualified exhibiting company is guaranteed placement for one feature vehicle. Additional vehicles will be prioritized by the exhibitors, using an electronic form that will be provided by SEMA Show management after July 30.

Feature vehicles provide exhibitors the ability to highlight products and upgrades on cars and trucks positioned in designated areas away from their company’s SEMA Show booth. With unique style and unmatched innovations, feature vehicles are a visual marketing tool to help generate an organic appeal for an exhibitor’s products.

Complete details about feature vehicle registration are available in the SEMA Show Exhibitor Services Manual.

Click here for a complete listing of 2021 SEMA Show deadlines.

By Jason Catullo

The 2021 SEMA Space Allocation process was completed in late-June, with more than 1,700 companies selecting their booth locations at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). The LVCC's halls are nearly full of exhibits, but booth space is still being reserved, and more exhibitors are expected to secure space until the Show opens on November 2.

Attendees planning on joining the industry at the 2021 SEMA Show can see who's exhibiting and where through the updated floorplan. If you have not yet registered for the SEMA Show, taking place Tuesday-Friday, November 2-5, visit www.SEMAShow.com/attendee to register.

For 2021, the Show will include exhibit space in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s newly constructed West Hall, a 1.4-million-sq.-ft. facility completed in January. The new facility includes exhibitors from the Restyling & Car Care Accessories, Powersports & Utility Vehicles, and Truck, SUV & Off-Road sections.

Earlier in June, the visitors of the World of Concrete convention were the first to use the new hall, and the event marked the first large-scale convention and tradeshow to be held in Las Vegas in 15 months.

In addition to the new hall, the newly constructed Loop—a high-speed, people-mover system that runs 40 ft. under the LVCC—will transport visitors between South, Central and West Halls. The World of Concrete successfully used the system to shuttle visitors through the 200-acre convention center.

For more information on the 2021 SEMA Show, visit www.SEMAShow.com.

By SEMA Editors

The 2021 SEMA Show Space Allocation process wrapped up earlier this week, and more than 1,700 companies are confirmed to exhibit, and many more are expected to sign on before the event takes place in November.

The SEMA Show floorplan is live, and buyers are currently examining the event's layout to see who will be there for 2021.

Companies that would like to exhibit at this year's SEMA Show to reconnect with customers and generate new business, can get started at www.SEMAShow.com.

Exhibiting at the SEMA Show puts your latest products in front of thousands of qualified buyers from every segment of the specialty-equipment industry, including buyers looking for your products. This year's Show offers even more opportunities for exhibitors reach new buyers. SEMA Show management recently announced that buyer registration for the Show has started at the fastest pace they have seen in the event's 54-year history.  

SEMA Show exhibitor Cometic Gaskets is ready to reunite with customers in person, and reach out to more buyers outside of the company's local region.

“We are most looking forward to face-to-face conversations and reconnecting with our customers old and new. Cometic is located in the midwest, and exhibiting at SEMA allows us to connect with our West Coast customers and industry segments, such as desert racing.”

Registration for the 2021 SEMA Show is offered in three categories—attendee, exhibitor, and media—and everyone must qualify to receive a badge and attend.

Reserve your booth now!

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Congressional support for the bipartisan Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act of 2021, H.R. 3281, rapidly expanded this week as a direct result of the letters that members of the motorsports parts industry, racers, and enthusiasts wrote to their lawmakers asking them to co-sponsor the bill. The RPM Act now has 90 bipartisan co-sponsors, as eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives agreed to publicly support the bill this week, including U.S. Representatives Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Mark Green (R-TN), Mary Miller (R-IL), Warren Davidson (R-OH), Don Bacon (R-NE), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), James Comer (R-KY), and John Curtis (R-UT).

SEMA government affairs staff had a chance to catch up with Rep. Bacon, who represents the Omaha metropolitan area, to thank him for cosponsoring the RPM Act. More than 1,300 of Rep. Bacon’s constituents have written the Congressman in 2021 about the RPM Act, and their requests were answered when he agreed to cosponsor the bill.

“The racing community is passionate about ensuring that Congress clarifies in federal law that it is legal to modify vehicles for racing,” said Rep. Bacon. “The RPM Act is critically important to preserving the right to race dedicated vehicles that started out as street-legal vehicles, on the track. This legislation is good policy and is strongly supported by my constituents.”

The RPM Act must be enacted into law to guarantee your right to modify street cars, trucks and motorcycles into dedicated race vehicles, and ensure that the industry can offer parts that enable racers to compete. It is imperative that lawmakers continue to be reminded of the importance of passing the RPM Act.

Click here to see the current list of RPM Act co-sponsors, and don’t forget to send a letter to your U.S. Representative asking them to support the bill and fight for it to become law.

For details, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

By Matt Kennedy

As the industry recovers from the unusual events of 2020, many businesses are looking for information and insight to help them navigate the return to normal and plan for the future.

SEMA has been busy these past few months providing exactly that. Between SEMA’s monthly “Industry Insights” webinar series, VIO program, and published reports, SEMA puts a wealth of knowledge at its members’ fingertips to help inform their strategic decision-making.

Here are just a few of the resources SEMA has recently made available to the specialty-automotive industry:

• The “2021 SEMA Market Report”—SEMA’s flagship research report, the “SEMA Market Report” provides a comprehensive overview of the product sales, customer base and relevant trends that affect specialty-equipment businesses.
• The “SEMA State of the Industry—Spring 2021” Report—Combining insights from businesses across the specialty-equipment landscape, the latest “State of the Industry” report offers businesses an inside look into how companies like theirs are navigating the return to normal and what may lie ahead.
• The “SEMA Industry Indicators” Reports—Released monthly, these bite-sized reports provide businesses with a quick but careful look at the economic and automotive trends affecting the specialty-equipment industry.
• The SEMA Member VIO Program—SEMA’s partnerships with leading data providers allow eligible member companies to access hard data on vehicle sales and registrations that can help them identify opportunities or optimize their strategy. Whether you’re looking to develop a business case, decide where to expand or determine whether it’s worth the R&D to take a new product to market, the VIO Program can tell you if there are enough potential customers out there to justify your next move.

For more information, or to contact SEMA’s Market Research team directly, head over to www.sema.org/research today.

By Della Domingo

Thousands of media will attend the SEMA Show, and many are preparing their SEMA Show coverage now. Exhibitors can increase the likelihood of being included in the media’s coverage by promoting their Show plans now.

One of the best tools for exhibitors to reach media is by posting press releases in the SEMA Show Online Media Center. To help exhibitors get their releases noticed by the media, below are some tips:

• Post early. Many publications, including SEMA News, run preview stories with deadlines beginning in July and August. Releases often run in the order they are submitted.
• Include a photo. Releases with photos are more likely to be used than those without photos.
• Have a strong and succinct headline. Make it concise and compelling to grab the attention of your reader.
• Avoid Jargon. Stick to the facts. Reporters are looking for news and will not report on the “best” or “greatest” products. They will, however, report on products that result in specific outcomes.
• Tag your Show category. The Online Media Center allows exhibitors the ability to select which Show categories their news falls under. Many editors use the search function to find news that is relevant to their audience.

A well-written press release with relevant content can make an impression, generate media coverage and ultimately drive traffic to an exhibitor’s booth.

Exhibitors can upload their press releases now using this link. For more information and tips, email SEMA PR at pr@sema.org.

By Ashley Reyes

Manufacturers and sole-exclusive distributors invest considerable time, money and effort to bring products to market and establish brand awareness. The investment takes an incredible amount of energy and resources, which can easily erode when resellers undercut pricing.  

Through a new three-part webinar series, SEMA members will learn the basics of pricing policies, how to implement a pricing policy that works, and why their current pricing policy might not be working and what the solutions are.

Rich Barsamian, vice president of sales and marketing for Advanced Clutch Technology, will share common mistakes and pitfalls of writing, implementing and executing pricing policies in the automotive aftermarket. As live, interactive webinars, participants will be able to ask questions and get the information they need most.

Learn more about each session and register below.

Pricing Policies 101: The Truth About Pricing Policies (Part One)
Wednesday, August 11, 2021, 11:00 a.m. (PDT)

Register here.

Pricing Policies 201: Implementing a Pricing Policy That Works (Part Two)
Wednesday, August 18, 2021, 11:00 a.m. (PDT)

Register here.

Pricing Policies 301: Why Isn’t My Pricing Policy Working? (Part Three)
Wednesday, August 25, 2021, 11:00 a.m. (PDT)

Register here.

Toyota has been teasing the ’22 Tundra for about a month now, but has only shown shots of the highest trims and strategically cropped images. However, here’s a first look at the mid/base interior along with a better idea of what to expect from the Tundra.

Looking inside, the (mid/base) Tundra will receive a relatively small nav screen that is flanked by a couple of vents. Below the screen sits the HVAC controls along with a USB port for charging. Materials appear to be similar to the current Tundra, along with a similar layout to the dash.

The ’22 Tundra will ride on an all-new platform, internally called F1, that is said to be flexible enough to accommodate all Toyota body-on-frame pickup and SUV models globally. That means the platform will underpin not only Tundra, but also the Tacoma and the smaller HiLux—not sold in the United States or Canada—as well as SUV models, including the 4Runner and Sequoia.

A new 10-speed automatic that first appeared in the Lexus LC and LS models is also slated for all of Toyota’s rear-drive vehicles, including the Tundra. The Tundra will maintain its 5.7L V8, although it is believed that a hybridized twin-turbocharged 3.5L V6 setup may still find its way into the Tundra.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde