SEMA News—July 2013

CHRIS KERSTING

SEMA Search: A Bigger Hammer in the Retailer Toolbox

Here’s the big news: The SEMA Data Co-op is currently building SEMA Search, an online product look-up tool powered by the SDC product information library.

Scheduled for roll-out in November of this year, SEMA Search will allow member retailers, including countermen and sales consultants at brick-and-mortar retail outlets, to find and present the digital product information and images of their manufacturer partners for every customer.

Not only will this provide the opportunity for resellers to view more sales options than ever, they will also enjoy this information at a speed to market rarely experienced before.

We bring this up because the SEMA Board has recently been discussing what it means for our industry that distribution and retail are evolving so rapidly. One thing is certain: your business needs to be adapting and evolving as well—and it’s all about adding value. So SEMA is accelerating its efforts to help its members—particularly brick-and-mortar retailers—understand how to add value and thrive as this evolution continues.

The SEMA Search tool is exciting, but just like any good tool, you need to see it, reach out and use it. And there are other tools you should know about. To make it easy, we’re going to put them all in one place on the SEMA website where our retail members can find them. Consider it a Toolbox for Retailers.

Once you visit the online toolbox, you’ll see that we have long worked to put our members in touch with retail experts who are focused on offering business value in today’s retail environment. For example, the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) has a range of webinars and educational sessions specifically aimed at helping retailers tune up their businesses in today’s competitive environment. You can get expert advice on how to use today’s communications and online media tools to bring in new prospects, how to use customer service as a difference-maker and ways to build killer promotional strategies. These webinars and educational sessions are available to SEMA members free—just sign in and download from the Education tab on the sema.org website.

We also have an archive of high-quality articles relevant to retailers that regularly appear in SEMA News. In the past year, this magazine has addressed best practices in trade and consumer advertising (February 2012) and retail store design (December 2012). These articles are also available for download to SEMA members on www.sema.org.

Live seminars and expert roundtables at the SEMA Show are another opportunity for retailers to gain perspective and learn to adapt. Sessions at last year’s Show provided expert advice on how to deal with customers walking into your showroom with loaded weapons—their smartphones. Another seminar showed that training your retail employees to build trust and establish relationships will move merchandise. The 2012 SEMA Show hosted eight educational events addressing sales solutions for retailers in the contemporary retail environment. For the coming year, at the 2013 SEMA Show, attendees can expect a solid menu of compelling educational opportunities relevant to retailers.

But we think the SEMA Search tool will be a game changer, a huge help to retailers in an environment where customers more and more use the Internet to locate and learn about products. Keep in mind, the data will be available to SEMA-member retailers to power their website lookups, counterman displays and internal B2B systems. For free. That’s correct—as part of SEMA membership, retailers will have access to SEMA Search at no additional charge.

Taken all together, we offer these assets as a great toolbox to help our industry’s retail businesses succeed in a changing environment. We can’t predict where technology will take us or exactly when it will settle. But we do believe that knowledge and good tools will help those interested to grow and prosper.

SEMA News—July 2013

CHRIS KERSTING

SEMA Search: A Bigger Hammer in the Retailer Toolbox

Here’s the big news: The SEMA Data Co-op is currently building SEMA Search, an online product look-up tool powered by the SDC product information library.

Scheduled for roll-out in November of this year, SEMA Search will allow member retailers, including countermen and sales consultants at brick-and-mortar retail outlets, to find and present the digital product information and images of their manufacturer partners for every customer.

Not only will this provide the opportunity for resellers to view more sales options than ever, they will also enjoy this information at a speed to market rarely experienced before.

We bring this up because the SEMA Board has recently been discussing what it means for our industry that distribution and retail are evolving so rapidly. One thing is certain: your business needs to be adapting and evolving as well—and it’s all about adding value. So SEMA is accelerating its efforts to help its members—particularly brick-and-mortar retailers—understand how to add value and thrive as this evolution continues.

The SEMA Search tool is exciting, but just like any good tool, you need to see it, reach out and use it. And there are other tools you should know about. To make it easy, we’re going to put them all in one place on the SEMA website where our retail members can find them. Consider it a Toolbox for Retailers.

Once you visit the online toolbox, you’ll see that we have long worked to put our members in touch with retail experts who are focused on offering business value in today’s retail environment. For example, the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) has a range of webinars and educational sessions specifically aimed at helping retailers tune up their businesses in today’s competitive environment. You can get expert advice on how to use today’s communications and online media tools to bring in new prospects, how to use customer service as a difference-maker and ways to build killer promotional strategies. These webinars and educational sessions are available to SEMA members free—just sign in and download from the Education tab on the sema.org website.

We also have an archive of high-quality articles relevant to retailers that regularly appear in SEMA News. In the past year, this magazine has addressed best practices in trade and consumer advertising (February 2012) and retail store design (December 2012). These articles are also available for download to SEMA members on www.sema.org.

Live seminars and expert roundtables at the SEMA Show are another opportunity for retailers to gain perspective and learn to adapt. Sessions at last year’s Show provided expert advice on how to deal with customers walking into your showroom with loaded weapons—their smartphones. Another seminar showed that training your retail employees to build trust and establish relationships will move merchandise. The 2012 SEMA Show hosted eight educational events addressing sales solutions for retailers in the contemporary retail environment. For the coming year, at the 2013 SEMA Show, attendees can expect a solid menu of compelling educational opportunities relevant to retailers.

But we think the SEMA Search tool will be a game changer, a huge help to retailers in an environment where customers more and more use the Internet to locate and learn about products. Keep in mind, the data will be available to SEMA-member retailers to power their website lookups, counterman displays and internal B2B systems. For free. That’s correct—as part of SEMA membership, retailers will have access to SEMA Search at no additional charge.

Taken all together, we offer these assets as a great toolbox to help our industry’s retail businesses succeed in a changing environment. We can’t predict where technology will take us or exactly when it will settle. But we do believe that knowledge and good tools will help those interested to grow and prosper.

SEMA News—July 2013

CHRIS KERSTING

SEMA Search: A Bigger Hammer in the Retailer Toolbox

Here’s the big news: The SEMA Data Co-op is currently building SEMA Search, an online product look-up tool powered by the SDC product information library.

Scheduled for roll-out in November of this year, SEMA Search will allow member retailers, including countermen and sales consultants at brick-and-mortar retail outlets, to find and present the digital product information and images of their manufacturer partners for every customer.

Not only will this provide the opportunity for resellers to view more sales options than ever, they will also enjoy this information at a speed to market rarely experienced before.

We bring this up because the SEMA Board has recently been discussing what it means for our industry that distribution and retail are evolving so rapidly. One thing is certain: your business needs to be adapting and evolving as well—and it’s all about adding value. So SEMA is accelerating its efforts to help its members—particularly brick-and-mortar retailers—understand how to add value and thrive as this evolution continues.

The SEMA Search tool is exciting, but just like any good tool, you need to see it, reach out and use it. And there are other tools you should know about. To make it easy, we’re going to put them all in one place on the SEMA website where our retail members can find them. Consider it a Toolbox for Retailers.

Once you visit the online toolbox, you’ll see that we have long worked to put our members in touch with retail experts who are focused on offering business value in today’s retail environment. For example, the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) has a range of webinars and educational sessions specifically aimed at helping retailers tune up their businesses in today’s competitive environment. You can get expert advice on how to use today’s communications and online media tools to bring in new prospects, how to use customer service as a difference-maker and ways to build killer promotional strategies. These webinars and educational sessions are available to SEMA members free—just sign in and download from the Education tab on the sema.org website.

We also have an archive of high-quality articles relevant to retailers that regularly appear in SEMA News. In the past year, this magazine has addressed best practices in trade and consumer advertising (February 2012) and retail store design (December 2012). These articles are also available for download to SEMA members on www.sema.org.

Live seminars and expert roundtables at the SEMA Show are another opportunity for retailers to gain perspective and learn to adapt. Sessions at last year’s Show provided expert advice on how to deal with customers walking into your showroom with loaded weapons—their smartphones. Another seminar showed that training your retail employees to build trust and establish relationships will move merchandise. The 2012 SEMA Show hosted eight educational events addressing sales solutions for retailers in the contemporary retail environment. For the coming year, at the 2013 SEMA Show, attendees can expect a solid menu of compelling educational opportunities relevant to retailers.

But we think the SEMA Search tool will be a game changer, a huge help to retailers in an environment where customers more and more use the Internet to locate and learn about products. Keep in mind, the data will be available to SEMA-member retailers to power their website lookups, counterman displays and internal B2B systems. For free. That’s correct—as part of SEMA membership, retailers will have access to SEMA Search at no additional charge.

Taken all together, we offer these assets as a great toolbox to help our industry’s retail businesses succeed in a changing environment. We can’t predict where technology will take us or exactly when it will settle. But we do believe that knowledge and good tools will help those interested to grow and prosper.

	Exhibitors can further ensure that buyers will be able to reach them on the 2013 SEMA Show floor, and well after the Show closes, by verifying their directory listings are accurate.

By Della Domingo

Exhibitors have until August 30, 2013, to update their SEMA Show Directory listing. The listing is used by buyers to identify prospective new business partners throughout the year. In addition to being mailed to 18,000 industry professionals in advance of the SEMA Show, the directory is distributed to attendees onsite at the SEMA Show. Exhibitors can ensure that buyers will be able to reach them by verifying their directory listings.
 
“Exhibitors filled out their company description and directory listings when they initially applied for booth space,” said Peter MacGillivray, SEMA VP of events and communications. “Now is the time for exhibitors to go in and verify that the information is still accurate and up-to-date.”
 
Exhibitors are advised to check the following information in their listings:

1. Company Name: Verify that the company name is spelled correctly and appears as you wish for it to appear.
2. Contact Information: Staff may have changed, so make sure that your contact information is correct and current. Don’t forget to check your web address, too.
3. Company Description: Buyers who are not familiar with your company will determine whether or not to look into your company further, based on your company description. There is a character count limit, so choose your words wisely. Include key words pertaining to th markets or niches you target, or products of focus. Avoid marketing jargon or promotions, as such information may be edited out.

Exhibitors can get more tips on how to get the most out of their SEMA Show investment by viewing the first session in a three-part webinar series. The first session covered pre-Show marketing and provided insight on proven ways to drive booth traffic, tactics for getting exposure and attention at the Show, and how to eliminate costly exhibitor mistakes. The webinar, "Develop a Pre-Show Marketing Plan Guaranteed to Make your SEMA Show a Success" is available for SEMA members to view free of charge.

More information on part two and three of series will be made available in upcoming issues of SEMA eNews.

	Exhibitors can further ensure that buyers will be able to reach them on the 2013 SEMA Show floor, and well after the Show closes, by verifying their directory listings are accurate.

By Della Domingo

Exhibitors have until August 30, 2013, to update their SEMA Show Directory listing. The listing is used by buyers to identify prospective new business partners throughout the year. In addition to being mailed to 18,000 industry professionals in advance of the SEMA Show, the directory is distributed to attendees onsite at the SEMA Show. Exhibitors can ensure that buyers will be able to reach them by verifying their directory listings.
 
“Exhibitors filled out their company description and directory listings when they initially applied for booth space,” said Peter MacGillivray, SEMA VP of events and communications. “Now is the time for exhibitors to go in and verify that the information is still accurate and up-to-date.”
 
Exhibitors are advised to check the following information in their listings:

1. Company Name: Verify that the company name is spelled correctly and appears as you wish for it to appear.
2. Contact Information: Staff may have changed, so make sure that your contact information is correct and current. Don’t forget to check your web address, too.
3. Company Description: Buyers who are not familiar with your company will determine whether or not to look into your company further, based on your company description. There is a character count limit, so choose your words wisely. Include key words pertaining to th markets or niches you target, or products of focus. Avoid marketing jargon or promotions, as such information may be edited out.

Exhibitors can get more tips on how to get the most out of their SEMA Show investment by viewing the first session in a three-part webinar series. The first session covered pre-Show marketing and provided insight on proven ways to drive booth traffic, tactics for getting exposure and attention at the Show, and how to eliminate costly exhibitor mistakes. The webinar, "Develop a Pre-Show Marketing Plan Guaranteed to Make your SEMA Show a Success" is available for SEMA members to view free of charge.

More information on part two and three of series will be made available in upcoming issues of SEMA eNews.

	Exhibitors can further ensure that buyers will be able to reach them on the 2013 SEMA Show floor, and well after the Show closes, by verifying their directory listings are accurate.

By Della Domingo

Exhibitors have until August 30, 2013, to update their SEMA Show Directory listing. The listing is used by buyers to identify prospective new business partners throughout the year. In addition to being mailed to 18,000 industry professionals in advance of the SEMA Show, the directory is distributed to attendees onsite at the SEMA Show. Exhibitors can ensure that buyers will be able to reach them by verifying their directory listings.
 
“Exhibitors filled out their company description and directory listings when they initially applied for booth space,” said Peter MacGillivray, SEMA VP of events and communications. “Now is the time for exhibitors to go in and verify that the information is still accurate and up-to-date.”
 
Exhibitors are advised to check the following information in their listings:

1. Company Name: Verify that the company name is spelled correctly and appears as you wish for it to appear.
2. Contact Information: Staff may have changed, so make sure that your contact information is correct and current. Don’t forget to check your web address, too.
3. Company Description: Buyers who are not familiar with your company will determine whether or not to look into your company further, based on your company description. There is a character count limit, so choose your words wisely. Include key words pertaining to th markets or niches you target, or products of focus. Avoid marketing jargon or promotions, as such information may be edited out.

Exhibitors can get more tips on how to get the most out of their SEMA Show investment by viewing the first session in a three-part webinar series. The first session covered pre-Show marketing and provided insight on proven ways to drive booth traffic, tactics for getting exposure and attention at the Show, and how to eliminate costly exhibitor mistakes. The webinar, "Develop a Pre-Show Marketing Plan Guaranteed to Make your SEMA Show a Success" is available for SEMA members to view free of charge.

More information on part two and three of series will be made available in upcoming issues of SEMA eNews.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

	"EZ" Rick Mooneyham claimed first place at the recent American Rocksports Challenge. Photo by: Thom Kingston

First-Ever ULTRA4 Win for "EZ" Rick Mooneyham
Driver "EZ" Rick Mooneyham claimed first place at the recent American Rocksports Challenge, held at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, finishing nearly 45 seconds ahead of Shannon Campbell. The American Rocksports Challenge is the third and final race in the Trail-Gear Western Regional ULTRA4 Series. Campbell finished second and 2013 Rookie Jake Hallenbeck took his first podium finishing in third. The top 10 non-qualified drivers also earned a spot in the 2014 Griffin King of The Hammers.

The final 4WD Hardware Eastern Regional series race will be held in Hot Springs, Arkansas, at the Superlift Park, August 16–17. The Nitto Tire National Championship will be held September 27, on Moapa Indian Reservation Land near Las Vegas.

Andy Lee has one first-place finish, three second-place finishes and two record laps since switching to an AEM Infinity ECU.

Best IT Racing's Andy Lee Continues String of Poles and Podiums in Infinity Ecu-Tuned Pirelli World Challenge GTS Chevy Camaro
Best IT Racing's Andy Lee pilots the #20 Bondurant/Crown Seven Chevy Camaro, and since the team’s addition of an AEM Infinity ECU on the LS3 engine, Lee has started from the Motul Pole Position three times (COTA2, Detroit1 and Lime Rock1), has one first-place finish (COTA2), three second-place finishes (COTA1, Lime Rock 1 and Toronto) and two record fast laps at COTA. Lee has also started in the second position two times since switching to the Infinity.

	Irwindale Event Center is being prepped for the 2013 Los Angeles X Games.

X Games Construction Begins in Irwindale
Irwindale Event Center has officially begun its transformation into one of the two Los Angeles sites for the 2013 Los Angeles X Games. The tall scaffolding for the "Big Air" skateboard and bicycle shows, August 1–2, is heading skyward, the officials and vendor trailers are rolling in and the trick road bed "dirt" for the Global Rally Cross event August 4 is being trucked aboard around the clock. Tickets are now available for the four days of X Games at Irwindale Event Center.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

	"EZ" Rick Mooneyham claimed first place at the recent American Rocksports Challenge. Photo by: Thom Kingston

First-Ever ULTRA4 Win for "EZ" Rick Mooneyham
Driver "EZ" Rick Mooneyham claimed first place at the recent American Rocksports Challenge, held at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, finishing nearly 45 seconds ahead of Shannon Campbell. The American Rocksports Challenge is the third and final race in the Trail-Gear Western Regional ULTRA4 Series. Campbell finished second and 2013 Rookie Jake Hallenbeck took his first podium finishing in third. The top 10 non-qualified drivers also earned a spot in the 2014 Griffin King of The Hammers.

The final 4WD Hardware Eastern Regional series race will be held in Hot Springs, Arkansas, at the Superlift Park, August 16–17. The Nitto Tire National Championship will be held September 27, on Moapa Indian Reservation Land near Las Vegas.

Andy Lee has one first-place finish, three second-place finishes and two record laps since switching to an AEM Infinity ECU.

Best IT Racing's Andy Lee Continues String of Poles and Podiums in Infinity Ecu-Tuned Pirelli World Challenge GTS Chevy Camaro
Best IT Racing's Andy Lee pilots the #20 Bondurant/Crown Seven Chevy Camaro, and since the team’s addition of an AEM Infinity ECU on the LS3 engine, Lee has started from the Motul Pole Position three times (COTA2, Detroit1 and Lime Rock1), has one first-place finish (COTA2), three second-place finishes (COTA1, Lime Rock 1 and Toronto) and two record fast laps at COTA. Lee has also started in the second position two times since switching to the Infinity.

	Irwindale Event Center is being prepped for the 2013 Los Angeles X Games.

X Games Construction Begins in Irwindale
Irwindale Event Center has officially begun its transformation into one of the two Los Angeles sites for the 2013 Los Angeles X Games. The tall scaffolding for the "Big Air" skateboard and bicycle shows, August 1–2, is heading skyward, the officials and vendor trailers are rolling in and the trick road bed "dirt" for the Global Rally Cross event August 4 is being trucked aboard around the clock. Tickets are now available for the four days of X Games at Irwindale Event Center.