By Bryan Harrison

	YEN's first-ever “SEMA Launch Pad” contest offers executive-level innovators under the age of 40 an industry platform to showcase their business plan for marketing a new automotive product or service.

The SEMA Young Executives Network (YEN) celebrates young entrepreneurs by announcing the first-ever “SEMA Launch Pad” contest. This new competition offers executive-level innovators under the age of 40 an industry platform to showcase their business plan for marketing a new automotive product or service.

Through this competition, five finalists will have their business plans peer-reviewed by industry leaders at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The grand-prize winner will receive a package of advertising tools to help take their business to the next level. The participant’s company will win an array of prizes, including a 10x10-ft. booth at the 2014 SEMA Show, an ad in Hot Rod or 4 Wheel & Off Road magazine, a Family Events sponsorship package and more. Even if you don’t win the grand prize, you and your company may be promoted to thousands of industry professionals curious to learn more about your innovative product or service.

Details:

• The company’s leading executive (company president, CEO or owner) is the participant on behalf of the company. As a YEN member (under age 40), you, the executive, will complete the online application and submit a three-minute video detailing your company’s innovative product or service.

• Your brief video will be reviewed by the YEN Task Force, from which the top 10 candidates will be selected.

• The 10 candidates will be reduced to five, according to which ones receive the most “like” votes via a YEN Facebook page campaign this summer.

• The five candidates will be invited to participate in a live peer review presentation at the 2013 SEMA Show.

• The SEMA Show judges will select the winning YEN executive.

Key deadlines:

• Three-minute video and application due by June 11, 2013.

• Top 10 candidates’ submissions posted on the YEN Facebook page. Facebook voting campaign runs from July 29, 2013, to September 5, 2013. The five candidates with the most “like” votes proceed to the contest finals.

• Top five candidates make a live, 10-minute presentation to the panel of judges at the SEMA Show.

Basic Requirements:

• Participants must be a YEN member (under 40 years old on November 8, 2013) and a legal resident of the United States. Not a YEN member? Become one now.

• YEN member’s company must be a SEMA member. Not a SEMA member? Become one now.

• YEN member’s company must qualify to exhibit at the 2013 SEMA Show (but does not have to exhibit).

• The automotive product or service competing in the SEMA Launch Pad contest must be functioning and currently for sale. No concepts accepted.

• The top five YEN participants will travel to the SEMA Show at their own expense to compete in the live event. The YEN participant must make the presentation before the SEMA Show judges (no substitutes).

• All taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prize-winning company. Tax liability is based on the value of the prizes.

• By participating in the contest, the YEN participant certifies that he/she has ownership rights to the trademarks, service marks, copyrights, patents and any other intellectual property rights or proprietary information of the company and product/service being marketed, or authorization from the owner of such rights.

It’s time to launch the next Young Automotive Entrepreneur. For more information and to fill out the application, visit www.sema.org/launch-pad. If you have questions, please contact Bryan Harrison, SEMA's senior manager of councils, at BryanH@sema.org.

By Monika Earle

The new show, “Girl Gear Heads”—a car competition for women—is currently looking for female car enthusiasts to compete for prize money by turning a basic car into a modified track-ready hot rod.
 
Chosen teams will get to race their car on a professional race track in the Southern California area. They will also have the opportunity to meet and be judged by some of the best-known names in all of motorsports, past and present. Contestants can choose to have the tools and equipment provided by the show, or they can simply choose to use their own.
 
Applicants must submit a video of their team and indicate why they think they should be on the show. Contestants should be fun, outgoing and entertaining.
 
E-mail videos to Kara Sullivan at karasullivancasting@gmail.com. Videos should be less than 5 MB and not recorded in high definition.

By Della Domingo

	There is a 6% increase over last year in the number of companies participating in the SEMA Show Priority Booth Selection Process.

Nearly 2,000 exhibitors are confirmed to participate in the SEMA Show Priority Booth Selection Process taking place later this month. The number represents a 6% increase over the number of companies that participated in the process in 2012.

"With the increased commitment exhibitors are demonstrating earlier in the year, it's apparent the SEMA Show provides unmatched brand-building visibility and sales exposure in one venue," said Peter MacGillivray, SEMA vice president of communications and events.

Manufacturers exhibit at the four-day event each year to showcase new automotive parts and accessories, and to connect with more than 60,000 buyers from throughout the world. Through programs and features, such as the New Products Showcase, product demonstrations and sectionalized floorplan, exhibitors are able to connect with the most relevant buyers.

"The earlier a company signs up, the more likely they are to take part in all the added-value programs we have available," MacGillivray said. "We've seen direct connections between the amount of planning a company does to the level of success they achieve."

Nearly 70% of buyers visit the SEMA Show with a plan and identify the exhibitors they want to meet with in advance, according to a 2012 SEMA Show survey. The most influential factors that buyers reported as having an impact on their decision to visit an exhibitor were participation in the New Products Showcase, the Show Directory listing and pre-Show contact from an exhibitor.

Companies may still sign up to exhibit at the upcoming Show at www.SEMAShow.com/buyabooth.

Attendee registration will be available from the site in early May. The 2013 SEMA Show takes place Tuesday–Friday, November 5–8, in Las Vegas.

By Della Domingo

	There is a 6% increase over last year in the number of companies participating in the SEMA Show Priority Booth Selection Process.

Nearly 2,000 exhibitors are confirmed to participate in the SEMA Show Priority Booth Selection Process taking place later this month. The number represents a 6% increase over the number of companies that participated in the process in 2012.

"With the increased commitment exhibitors are demonstrating earlier in the year, it's apparent the SEMA Show provides unmatched brand-building visibility and sales exposure in one venue," said Peter MacGillivray, SEMA vice president of communications and events.

Manufacturers exhibit at the four-day event each year to showcase new automotive parts and accessories, and to connect with more than 60,000 buyers from throughout the world. Through programs and features, such as the New Products Showcase, product demonstrations and sectionalized floorplan, exhibitors are able to connect with the most relevant buyers.

"The earlier a company signs up, the more likely they are to take part in all the added-value programs we have available," MacGillivray said. "We've seen direct connections between the amount of planning a company does to the level of success they achieve."

Nearly 70% of buyers visit the SEMA Show with a plan and identify the exhibitors they want to meet with in advance, according to a 2012 SEMA Show survey. The most influential factors that buyers reported as having an impact on their decision to visit an exhibitor were participation in the New Products Showcase, the Show Directory listing and pre-Show contact from an exhibitor.

Companies may still sign up to exhibit at the upcoming Show at www.SEMAShow.com/buyabooth.

Attendee registration will be available from the site in early May. The 2013 SEMA Show takes place Tuesday–Friday, November 5–8, in Las Vegas.

	Companies interested in exhibiting at the 2013 SEMA Show are encouraged to secure booth space by using the "Buy A Booth" link available on the homepage of www.SEMAShow.com.

By Jeff Pressman

Attention 2013 SEMA Show exhibitors: This year's Priority Booth Selection process runs between May 2 and May 13. On April 24, each exhibitor's “primary SEMA Show contact” (as listed on the rental agreement) was e-mailed a link to the floorplan along with a one-hour time window, somewhere between May 2 and May 13. This is the time window during which exhibitors will be contacted to choose their booth location.

The e-mail was from Chuck Schwartz using the e-mail address cschwartz@convexx.com, and exhibitors are encouraged to check spam and junk filters to ensure the e-mail reached the inbox. Exhibitors that did not receive an e-mail should contact Show Management at salesmgr@convexx.com or call 702-450-7662 ext. 120.

Companies interested in exhibiting at the 2013 SEMA Show are encouraged to secure booth space by using the "Buy A Booth" link available on the homepage of www.SEMAShow.com.

More information on the 2013 SEMA Show—Tuesday–Friday, November 5–8, Las Vegas—is available online at www.SEMAShow.com. 

With nearly 2,000 manufacturers prepped to choose their spots on the 2013 SEMA Show floor, this year's Priority Booth Selection process will include 6% more exhibitors than in 2012. The SEMA Show continues its reputation as the ideal destination for buyers to source and buy products and capitalize on market trends. In fact, SEMA Show Management recently revealed that 93% of the buyers that attend the SEMA Show report that the Show is worth the time and cost to attend and are pleased with the quality and variety of the exhibitors on display.   

	Companies interested in exhibiting at the 2013 SEMA Show are encouraged to secure booth space by using the "Buy A Booth" link available on the homepage of www.SEMAShow.com.

By Jeff Pressman

Attention 2013 SEMA Show exhibitors: This year's Priority Booth Selection process runs between May 2 and May 13. On April 24, each exhibitor's “primary SEMA Show contact” (as listed on the rental agreement) was e-mailed a link to the floorplan along with a one-hour time window, somewhere between May 2 and May 13. This is the time window during which exhibitors will be contacted to choose their booth location.

The e-mail was from Chuck Schwartz using the e-mail address cschwartz@convexx.com, and exhibitors are encouraged to check spam and junk filters to ensure the e-mail reached the inbox. Exhibitors that did not receive an e-mail should contact Show Management at salesmgr@convexx.com or call 702-450-7662 ext. 120.

Companies interested in exhibiting at the 2013 SEMA Show are encouraged to secure booth space by using the "Buy A Booth" link available on the homepage of www.SEMAShow.com.

More information on the 2013 SEMA Show—Tuesday–Friday, November 5–8, Las Vegas—is available online at www.SEMAShow.com. 

With nearly 2,000 manufacturers prepped to choose their spots on the 2013 SEMA Show floor, this year's Priority Booth Selection process will include 6% more exhibitors than in 2012. The SEMA Show continues its reputation as the ideal destination for buyers to source and buy products and capitalize on market trends. In fact, SEMA Show Management recently revealed that 93% of the buyers that attend the SEMA Show report that the Show is worth the time and cost to attend and are pleased with the quality and variety of the exhibitors on display.   

The shooters at KGP Photography caught a Ford F-Series Super Duty prototype sporting some serious, big-barreled smoke stacks. The 'stacks are clearly functional, as the cool, moist air has resulted in lots of smoke billowing out. It's unclear what to make of this one, as its not your traditional factory exhaust treatment. The shooters have seen this prototype making several test runs throughout the Dearborn, Michigan, area, and it has been frequenting Ford's usual test and development labs that are actively developing the Blue Oval's next-generation models. They have seen this 'stacked F-350 leave one lab just minutes after a mule for the next-generation F-150, so the fact that this prototype is registered on manufacturer "M" license plates, like every other prototype and test car running the streets of Dearborn, shows that it is part of some Ford testing program, whatever that may be.

Is Ford developing a smoke stack exhaust for production trucks? Who knows, but its an interesting curiosity to see as part of the Detroit test scene.

Photo Credit: KGP Photography

The shooters at KGP Photography caught a Ford F-Series Super Duty prototype sporting some serious, big-barreled smoke stacks. The 'stacks are clearly functional, as the cool, moist air has resulted in lots of smoke billowing out. It's unclear what to make of this one, as its not your traditional factory exhaust treatment. The shooters have seen this prototype making several test runs throughout the Dearborn, Michigan, area, and it has been frequenting Ford's usual test and development labs that are actively developing the Blue Oval's next-generation models. They have seen this 'stacked F-350 leave one lab just minutes after a mule for the next-generation F-150, so the fact that this prototype is registered on manufacturer "M" license plates, like every other prototype and test car running the streets of Dearborn, shows that it is part of some Ford testing program, whatever that may be.

Is Ford developing a smoke stack exhaust for production trucks? Who knows, but its an interesting curiosity to see as part of the Detroit test scene.

Photo Credit: KGP Photography

The shooters at KGP Photography caught a Ford F-Series Super Duty prototype sporting some serious, big-barreled smoke stacks. The 'stacks are clearly functional, as the cool, moist air has resulted in lots of smoke billowing out. It's unclear what to make of this one, as its not your traditional factory exhaust treatment. The shooters have seen this prototype making several test runs throughout the Dearborn, Michigan, area, and it has been frequenting Ford's usual test and development labs that are actively developing the Blue Oval's next-generation models. They have seen this 'stacked F-350 leave one lab just minutes after a mule for the next-generation F-150, so the fact that this prototype is registered on manufacturer "M" license plates, like every other prototype and test car running the streets of Dearborn, shows that it is part of some Ford testing program, whatever that may be.

Is Ford developing a smoke stack exhaust for production trucks? Who knows, but its an interesting curiosity to see as part of the Detroit test scene.

Photo Credit: KGP Photography

The Silverado is available for SEMA Show project vehicle proposals.

This year’s Chevrolet SEMA Project Vehicle Program will focus on designers and manufacturers dedicated to creating new accessories and vehicle personalization items for Chevrolet's ’14 vehicles. Proposals are due April 30.

Vehicles available include:

• Silverado (light-duty crew cab only)
• Sonic
• Impala
• Camaro

Requirements:

• Preservation of brand emblem on front and rear of vehicle
• High level of paint and build quality; no wraps
• Sponsorship decals to be limited to the lower 1/3 of the vehicle side
• Commit to periodic design and build check-ins
• Promote vehicle through November 4, 2014
• Retain vehicle insurance totaling at least $3 million until the completion of the contract
• Submit proposal by April 30, 2013

Proposals must include:

• An introductory letter defining the vehicle theme, content and SEMA Show display location
• An exterior rendering with the intended colors and modifications accurately defined
• A build timeline with start and completion dates
• A detailed list of upgrades and modifications
• A promotional plan
• Three printed copies mailed to the address listed below

Builders are urged to contact Tom Gardner at thomas.gardner@gm.com before submitting a formal proposal to discuss the vehicle theme and modifications.

Send proposals, by April 30, to:

Tom Gardner
Mail Code: 480-717-004
GM Technical Center – AEC Building
30003 Van Dyke Ave.
Office 168-04
Warren, MI 48090-9060