The Society of Collision Repair Specialists' Repairer Driven Education series will help industry professionals to find growth opportunities for their businesses.

The Paint, Body & Equipment section of the 2010 SEMA Show continues to grow, as exhibitors and attendees from the collision-repair industry register for the event. In addition to the array of exhibits, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) is showcasing the collision industry’s presence with the Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series, featuring industry experts who will help collision-repair professionals find growth opportunities for their businesses.

With both the SEMA Show and RDE already generating strong interest, SCRS has announced another incentive for early registration. Everyone who registers for the RDE series prior to August 31 will be entered into a drawing to win a complimentary hotel suite at the Las Vegas Hilton, the SCRS headquarters hotel, during the week of the SEMA Show.

The winner of the lodging giveaway will be contacted in September and an announcement will be made to the industry.

“[RDE] provides a unique opportunity to interact with repairers and share helpful information to assist in improving and growing their business," said Kristen Felder, instructor of “Social Networking 101” and founder of Collision Hub. "In addition, there will be a wealth of related industries that will allow me to explore and expand my own knowledge base."

John Webb, instructor of “Why Quirky Customers Are Your Most Valuable Resources” and senior vice president of marketing for CSi Complete, agrees.

“The SEMA Show is a fantastic, product-driven event. It’s great that they are showing increased interest in the PBE section because, with that, I believe they will get an increased focus on the service side of business, which is increasingly important in tighter economic and competitive environments.”

Attending the SEMA Show and the SCRS educational offerings is about more than just getting out of your shop for a few days to explore the industry’s offerings in Las Vegas; it is really about survival and learning to prosper in the marketplace.

"In these tough economic times, shop owners need to know as much as they can about capturing each job and diversifying their business to create more work," adds Patrick McGuire, instructor of “Steering: Legal and Practical Approaches to the Problem” and general counsel for Gator Customs.

To register for the SEMA Show and SCRS’ RDE Series prior to August 31, 2010, and be entered into the drawing for the hotel suite giveaway, or to get more information about the events, visit www.SEMAShow.com/scrs or contact SCRS at info@scrs.com.

	The Society of Collision Repair Specialists' Repairer Driven Education series will help industry professionals to find growth opportunities for their businesses.

The Paint, Body & Equipment section of the 2010 SEMA Show continues to grow, as exhibitors and attendees from the collision-repair industry register for the event. In addition to the array of exhibits, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) is showcasing the collision industry’s presence with the Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series, featuring industry experts who will help collision-repair professionals find growth opportunities for their businesses.

With both the SEMA Show and RDE already generating strong interest, SCRS has announced another incentive for early registration. Everyone who registers for the RDE series prior to August 31 will be entered into a drawing to win a complimentary hotel suite at the Las Vegas Hilton, the SCRS headquarters hotel, during the week of the SEMA Show.

The winner of the lodging giveaway will be contacted in September and an announcement will be made to the industry.

“[RDE] provides a unique opportunity to interact with repairers and share helpful information to assist in improving and growing their business," said Kristen Felder, instructor of “Social Networking 101” and founder of Collision Hub. "In addition, there will be a wealth of related industries that will allow me to explore and expand my own knowledge base."

John Webb, instructor of “Why Quirky Customers Are Your Most Valuable Resources” and senior vice president of marketing for CSi Complete, agrees.

“The SEMA Show is a fantastic, product-driven event. It’s great that they are showing increased interest in the PBE section because, with that, I believe they will get an increased focus on the service side of business, which is increasingly important in tighter economic and competitive environments.”

Attending the SEMA Show and the SCRS educational offerings is about more than just getting out of your shop for a few days to explore the industry’s offerings in Las Vegas; it is really about survival and learning to prosper in the marketplace.

"In these tough economic times, shop owners need to know as much as they can about capturing each job and diversifying their business to create more work," adds Patrick McGuire, instructor of “Steering: Legal and Practical Approaches to the Problem” and general counsel for Gator Customs.

To register for the SEMA Show and SCRS’ RDE Series prior to August 31, 2010, and be entered into the drawing for the hotel suite giveaway, or to get more information about the events, visit www.SEMAShow.com/scrs or contact SCRS at info@scrs.com.

	Titan Motorsports started as a Toyota Supra specialist tuner, a niche focus that paid off with that car's exposure in the first The Fast & The Furious movie.

The days of having to compete solely against the brick-and-mortar shop across the street are long gone. As Internet-only businesses sprout up in bedrooms and storage units across the country, anyone with a computer and a dream can now become a competitor in a matter of a few search clicks.

With the price of entry to start a parts business becoming lower each day, the importance of differentiating yourself from the competition becomes a necessity.

How are you supposed to compete with an Internet-only competitor offering the same products online at a lower price among a sea of other websites offering the same product? The quick answer: find your niche and drive your business around it.

Customers are often looking for an expert to answer the burning questions that cannot be answered by a database or part-number-only-driven website. Sharing your knowledge and expertise on a subject is the easiest way to gain trust in the marketplace and help build a customer base for life.

We were fortunate to find our niche early on. Titan Motorsports was originally founded as an outlet for our owner Nero to help fund his growing addiction to racing his '94 Toyota Supra. Toyota discontinued the Supra in the United States in 1998 as a result of poor sales. Its over-engineered 2JZ engine made it a hit with enthusiasts and tuners worldwide, however.

In 2001, Hollywood released the blockbuster movie The Fast and the Furious, which featured the Supra as its hero car. With a new breed of enthusiast racing to theatres to see the movie, we watched our niche market for Supra parts explode overnight.

Suddenly people who had never considered purchasing a Supra prior to the movie were calling wanting complete cars built. As demand increased, we were able to increase our inventory counts and use the additional volume to develop exclusive contracts with our suppliers on Supra-specific parts. Some 10 years later, sourcing replacement and performance parts for this platform remains a large part of our day-to-day operations.

Focusing on a niche is a great way to differentiate yourself from your competition. It can, however, also leave you vulnerable to trends, fads and sharp shifts in the general market place. As a result of these shifts, it's a great idea to develop parallel markets around your niche to further increase sales and provide an additional growth platform.

In our particular case, we used our knowledge of turbocharging developed from the 2JZ engine platform and expanded it to other turbo vehicles. While the engines themselves were different, the turbochargers and supporting parts remained universal. We were soon shipping intercooler cores, blow-off valves and boost controllers across the world and continue to do so today.

So, how can you take this example and apply it to your business? Examine your existing profit centers and focus on the areas where you already excel. Expand on areas where you’ve already proven superiority; this will prove much easier than changing your entire business model in search of growth.

Keep a close eye on your competitors and emerging trends, but stick to your roots in the market place to maintain your competitive edge. With a clear product focus and game plan, you can place yourself in front of the competition. —Baadal Deliwala, Titan Motorsports

	Titan Motorsports started as a Toyota Supra specialist tuner, a niche focus that paid off with that car's exposure in the first The Fast & The Furious movie.

The days of having to compete solely against the brick-and-mortar shop across the street are long gone. As Internet-only businesses sprout up in bedrooms and storage units across the country, anyone with a computer and a dream can now become a competitor in a matter of a few search clicks.

With the price of entry to start a parts business becoming lower each day, the importance of differentiating yourself from the competition becomes a necessity.

How are you supposed to compete with an Internet-only competitor offering the same products online at a lower price among a sea of other websites offering the same product? The quick answer: find your niche and drive your business around it.

Customers are often looking for an expert to answer the burning questions that cannot be answered by a database or part-number-only-driven website. Sharing your knowledge and expertise on a subject is the easiest way to gain trust in the marketplace and help build a customer base for life.

We were fortunate to find our niche early on. Titan Motorsports was originally founded as an outlet for our owner Nero to help fund his growing addiction to racing his '94 Toyota Supra. Toyota discontinued the Supra in the United States in 1998 as a result of poor sales. Its over-engineered 2JZ engine made it a hit with enthusiasts and tuners worldwide, however.

In 2001, Hollywood released the blockbuster movie The Fast and the Furious, which featured the Supra as its hero car. With a new breed of enthusiast racing to theatres to see the movie, we watched our niche market for Supra parts explode overnight.

Suddenly people who had never considered purchasing a Supra prior to the movie were calling wanting complete cars built. As demand increased, we were able to increase our inventory counts and use the additional volume to develop exclusive contracts with our suppliers on Supra-specific parts. Some 10 years later, sourcing replacement and performance parts for this platform remains a large part of our day-to-day operations.

Focusing on a niche is a great way to differentiate yourself from your competition. It can, however, also leave you vulnerable to trends, fads and sharp shifts in the general market place. As a result of these shifts, it's a great idea to develop parallel markets around your niche to further increase sales and provide an additional growth platform.

In our particular case, we used our knowledge of turbocharging developed from the 2JZ engine platform and expanded it to other turbo vehicles. While the engines themselves were different, the turbochargers and supporting parts remained universal. We were soon shipping intercooler cores, blow-off valves and boost controllers across the world and continue to do so today.

So, how can you take this example and apply it to your business? Examine your existing profit centers and focus on the areas where you already excel. Expand on areas where you’ve already proven superiority; this will prove much easier than changing your entire business model in search of growth.

Keep a close eye on your competitors and emerging trends, but stick to your roots in the market place to maintain your competitive edge. With a clear product focus and game plan, you can place yourself in front of the competition. —Baadal Deliwala, Titan Motorsports

	More than a dozen hotels along the Las Vegas Strip have decided to waive "resort fees" for 2010 SEMA Show and AAPEX attendees.

Exhibitors are busy ramping up for the 2010 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 2–5, and, so far, more than 1,400 companies have reserved booth space, with more than 200 of them being first-time exhibitors.

To help attendees and exhibitors get the best hotel prices, Show organizers have negotiated with several properties in Las Vegas to waive newly instituted “resort fees” currently implemented throughout the city.

Properties that have agreed to waive the resort fee for attendees of the SEMA Show and AAPEX who book in the block include: Circus Circus, Excalibur, Hard Rock Hotel, Hooters Casino Hotel, Luxor, Mirage Hotel, Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, New York New York, PH Towers Westgate, Planet Hollywood, Sahara Hotel, Stratosphere, Treasure Island, Tropicana Resort, Trump International Hotel and Tower, Venetian Resort Hotel and the Westin Casuarina.



The resort fees will be waived at these properties only when reserving through the SEMA Hotel Booking Service. Hotel rooms reserved directly through the hotel or other services will still be charged a resort fee.



While many Las Vegas hotels have chosen to institute a resort fee, SEMA has also partnered with several properties that don't institute the supplemental charges, including ARIA Resort and Casino, Bally’s Casino Resort, Bellagio, Bluegreen Club 36, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrah’s Hotel Las Vegas, Hilton Grand Vacation properties, Imperial Palace Hotel, Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas Marriott Suites, Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, MGM Grand Hotel, Paris Las Vegas, Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel, Residence Inn by Marriott, Rio Suite Hotel, Rivera Hotel and the Springhill Suites.



The one hotel with a resort fee in SEMA’s official block is the Signature at MGM Grand. The fee is reduced for Show attendees from $20 to $10, however, if booked before August 27. The Mandalay Bay Resort has offered an option to add its $20 Resort Fee at check-in rather than making it a requirement if you stay at the hotel.


More information on hotel rates and availability can be found here.

	More than a dozen hotels along the Las Vegas Strip have decided to waive "resort fees" for 2010 SEMA Show and AAPEX attendees.

Exhibitors are busy ramping up for the 2010 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 2–5, and, so far, more than 1,400 companies have reserved booth space, with more than 200 of them being first-time exhibitors.

To help attendees and exhibitors get the best hotel prices, Show organizers have negotiated with several properties in Las Vegas to waive newly instituted “resort fees” currently implemented throughout the city.

Properties that have agreed to waive the resort fee for attendees of the SEMA Show and AAPEX who book in the block include: Circus Circus, Excalibur, Hard Rock Hotel, Hooters Casino Hotel, Luxor, Mirage Hotel, Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, New York New York, PH Towers Westgate, Planet Hollywood, Sahara Hotel, Stratosphere, Treasure Island, Tropicana Resort, Trump International Hotel and Tower, Venetian Resort Hotel and the Westin Casuarina.



The resort fees will be waived at these properties only when reserving through the SEMA Hotel Booking Service. Hotel rooms reserved directly through the hotel or other services will still be charged a resort fee.



While many Las Vegas hotels have chosen to institute a resort fee, SEMA has also partnered with several properties that don't institute the supplemental charges, including ARIA Resort and Casino, Bally’s Casino Resort, Bellagio, Bluegreen Club 36, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrah’s Hotel Las Vegas, Hilton Grand Vacation properties, Imperial Palace Hotel, Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas Marriott Suites, Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, MGM Grand Hotel, Paris Las Vegas, Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel, Residence Inn by Marriott, Rio Suite Hotel, Rivera Hotel and the Springhill Suites.



The one hotel with a resort fee in SEMA’s official block is the Signature at MGM Grand. The fee is reduced for Show attendees from $20 to $10, however, if booked before August 27. The Mandalay Bay Resort has offered an option to add its $20 Resort Fee at check-in rather than making it a requirement if you stay at the hotel.


More information on hotel rates and availability can be found here.

	More than a dozen hotels along the Las Vegas Strip have decided to waive "resort fees" for 2010 SEMA Show and AAPEX attendees.

Exhibitors are busy ramping up for the 2010 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 2–5, and, so far, more than 1,400 companies have reserved booth space, with more than 200 of them being first-time exhibitors.

To help attendees and exhibitors get the best hotel prices, Show organizers have negotiated with several properties in Las Vegas to waive newly instituted “resort fees” currently implemented throughout the city.

Properties that have agreed to waive the resort fee for attendees of the SEMA Show and AAPEX who book in the block include: Circus Circus, Excalibur, Hard Rock Hotel, Hooters Casino Hotel, Luxor, Mirage Hotel, Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, New York New York, PH Towers Westgate, Planet Hollywood, Sahara Hotel, Stratosphere, Treasure Island, Tropicana Resort, Trump International Hotel and Tower, Venetian Resort Hotel and the Westin Casuarina.



The resort fees will be waived at these properties only when reserving through the SEMA Hotel Booking Service. Hotel rooms reserved directly through the hotel or other services will still be charged a resort fee.



While many Las Vegas hotels have chosen to institute a resort fee, SEMA has also partnered with several properties that don't institute the supplemental charges, including ARIA Resort and Casino, Bally’s Casino Resort, Bellagio, Bluegreen Club 36, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrah’s Hotel Las Vegas, Hilton Grand Vacation properties, Imperial Palace Hotel, Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas Marriott Suites, Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, MGM Grand Hotel, Paris Las Vegas, Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel, Residence Inn by Marriott, Rio Suite Hotel, Rivera Hotel and the Springhill Suites.



The one hotel with a resort fee in SEMA’s official block is the Signature at MGM Grand. The fee is reduced for Show attendees from $20 to $10, however, if booked before August 27. The Mandalay Bay Resort has offered an option to add its $20 Resort Fee at check-in rather than making it a requirement if you stay at the hotel.


More information on hotel rates and availability can be found here.

	More than a dozen hotels along the Las Vegas Strip have decided to waive "resort fees" for 2010 SEMA Show and AAPEX attendees.

Exhibitors are busy ramping up for the 2010 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 2–5, and, so far, more than 1,400 companies have reserved booth space, with more than 200 of them being first-time exhibitors.

To help attendees and exhibitors get the best hotel prices, Show organizers have negotiated with several properties in Las Vegas to waive newly instituted “resort fees” currently implemented throughout the city.

Properties that have agreed to waive the resort fee for attendees of the SEMA Show and AAPEX who book in the block include: Circus Circus, Excalibur, Hard Rock Hotel, Hooters Casino Hotel, Luxor, Mirage Hotel, Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, New York New York, PH Towers Westgate, Planet Hollywood, Sahara Hotel, Stratosphere, Treasure Island, Tropicana Resort, Trump International Hotel and Tower, Venetian Resort Hotel and the Westin Casuarina.



The resort fees will be waived at these properties only when reserving through the SEMA Hotel Booking Service. Hotel rooms reserved directly through the hotel or other services will still be charged a resort fee.



While many Las Vegas hotels have chosen to institute a resort fee, SEMA has also partnered with several properties that don't institute the supplemental charges, including ARIA Resort and Casino, Bally’s Casino Resort, Bellagio, Bluegreen Club 36, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrah’s Hotel Las Vegas, Hilton Grand Vacation properties, Imperial Palace Hotel, Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas Marriott Suites, Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, MGM Grand Hotel, Paris Las Vegas, Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel, Residence Inn by Marriott, Rio Suite Hotel, Rivera Hotel and the Springhill Suites.



The one hotel with a resort fee in SEMA’s official block is the Signature at MGM Grand. The fee is reduced for Show attendees from $20 to $10, however, if booked before August 27. The Mandalay Bay Resort has offered an option to add its $20 Resort Fee at check-in rather than making it a requirement if you stay at the hotel.


More information on hotel rates and availability can be found here.

	More than a dozen hotels along the Las Vegas Strip have decided to waive "resort fees" for 2010 SEMA Show and AAPEX attendees.

Exhibitors are busy ramping up for the 2010 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 2–5, and, so far, more than 1,400 companies have reserved booth space, with more than 200 of them being first-time exhibitors.

To help attendees and exhibitors get the best hotel prices, Show organizers have negotiated with several properties in Las Vegas to waive newly instituted “resort fees” currently implemented throughout the city.

Properties that have agreed to waive the resort fee for attendees of the SEMA Show and AAPEX who book in the block include: Circus Circus, Excalibur, Hard Rock Hotel, Hooters Casino Hotel, Luxor, Mirage Hotel, Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, New York New York, PH Towers Westgate, Planet Hollywood, Sahara Hotel, Stratosphere, Treasure Island, Tropicana Resort, Trump International Hotel and Tower, Venetian Resort Hotel and the Westin Casuarina.



The resort fees will be waived at these properties only when reserving through the SEMA Hotel Booking Service. Hotel rooms reserved directly through the hotel or other services will still be charged a resort fee.



While many Las Vegas hotels have chosen to institute a resort fee, SEMA has also partnered with several properties that don't institute the supplemental charges, including ARIA Resort and Casino, Bally’s Casino Resort, Bellagio, Bluegreen Club 36, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrah’s Hotel Las Vegas, Hilton Grand Vacation properties, Imperial Palace Hotel, Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas Marriott Suites, Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, MGM Grand Hotel, Paris Las Vegas, Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel, Residence Inn by Marriott, Rio Suite Hotel, Rivera Hotel and the Springhill Suites.



The one hotel with a resort fee in SEMA’s official block is the Signature at MGM Grand. The fee is reduced for Show attendees from $20 to $10, however, if booked before August 27. The Mandalay Bay Resort has offered an option to add its $20 Resort Fee at check-in rather than making it a requirement if you stay at the hotel.


More information on hotel rates and availability can be found here.

	More than a dozen hotels along the Las Vegas Strip have decided to waive "resort fees" for 2010 SEMA Show and AAPEX attendees.

Exhibitors are busy ramping up for the 2010 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 2–5, and, so far, more than 1,400 companies have reserved booth space, with more than 200 of them being first-time exhibitors.

To help attendees and exhibitors get the best hotel prices, Show organizers have negotiated with several properties in Las Vegas to waive newly instituted “resort fees” currently implemented throughout the city.

Properties that have agreed to waive the resort fee for attendees of the SEMA Show and AAPEX who book in the block include: Circus Circus, Excalibur, Hard Rock Hotel, Hooters Casino Hotel, Luxor, Mirage Hotel, Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, New York New York, PH Towers Westgate, Planet Hollywood, Sahara Hotel, Stratosphere, Treasure Island, Tropicana Resort, Trump International Hotel and Tower, Venetian Resort Hotel and the Westin Casuarina.



The resort fees will be waived at these properties only when reserving through the SEMA Hotel Booking Service. Hotel rooms reserved directly through the hotel or other services will still be charged a resort fee.



While many Las Vegas hotels have chosen to institute a resort fee, SEMA has also partnered with several properties that don't institute the supplemental charges, including ARIA Resort and Casino, Bally’s Casino Resort, Bellagio, Bluegreen Club 36, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrah’s Hotel Las Vegas, Hilton Grand Vacation properties, Imperial Palace Hotel, Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas Marriott Suites, Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, MGM Grand Hotel, Paris Las Vegas, Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel, Residence Inn by Marriott, Rio Suite Hotel, Rivera Hotel and the Springhill Suites.



The one hotel with a resort fee in SEMA’s official block is the Signature at MGM Grand. The fee is reduced for Show attendees from $20 to $10, however, if booked before August 27. The Mandalay Bay Resort has offered an option to add its $20 Resort Fee at check-in rather than making it a requirement if you stay at the hotel.


More information on hotel rates and availability can be found here.