SEMA members can now reserve their tables for the SEMA Industry Awards Banquet, the annual awards ceremony held in conjunction with the 2008 SEMA Show, that will be hosted November 6 at the Las Vegas Hilton.

For $2,000, members can purchase a host table package, which includes VIP seating, a 30-second video spot that will play during the banquet, sponsorship recognition, gifts and additional amenities. Tables of 10 are also available in the general seating area for $500, or individual tickets can be purchased for $50.

The deadline for table sales is August 8. The banquet has consistently been a sell-out event with members often placed on a wait list. More than 3,000 members attended the 2007 banquet.

To reserve your table, contact Linda Hoverman at 909/396-0289 x127 or LindaH@sema.org.

For more information on the 2008 SEMA Show and SEMA Industry Awards Banquet, visit www.SEMAShow.com.

SEMA member companies and friends are invited to take part in the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum’s “SEMA Night,” on July 2, in Pomona, California.

During the event, SEMA members, staff and Hall of Famers will celebrate the official opening of the new SEMA Hall of Fame and History exhibit. The exhibit is the result of a two-year project, where the SEMA Board sought to develop a display that honors and recognizes an elite group of leaders and innovators. That exhibit officially opens to the public on July 2, 2008, at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California, where it will be housed permanently.

The event will begin with an exclusive mixer for members at 3:00 p.m. At 4:00 p.m., nearly 1,000 enthusiasts will join in the festivities as they take part in the museum’s monthly Cruise-In. Members interested in attending should contact Della Domingo at 909/396-0289, ext. 130, or dellad@sema.org.

SEMA Show exhibitors: Discover how you may be able to save costs by scheduling a personal analysis of your SEMA Show program. Experts from Freeman will review your costs and create a plan that will streamline your spending. You’ll learn proven trade show “best practices” and receive a customized “exhibitor report card” that will outline a variety of cost-saving options. Some of the things you may learn are:

• Free material-handling assistance is available for freight up to 1,000 lbs., provided that it is delivered in a privately owned vehicle at a specific location and time.
• Pay nothing by hand-carrying freight.
• The advantages and disadvantages of each of the freight service options that are available.

Learn more by contacting Gary Vigil at garyv@sema.org or 909/396-0289, ext. 107.

Filler for eNews

Filler for eNews

Filler for eNews

During this SEMA webinar session on aftermarket industry trends, SEMA Market Research Analyst Ty Michael will help you spot, stay ahead of and profit from changes in today’s specialty aftermarket industry. Michael will highlight aftermarket trends from the last decade, discuss which direction the market is going, sales opportunities within niche markets, and how to stay ahead. Additional topics include: 

• Industry growth trends through 2007
• Niche markets sales trends;
• Which product groups are the hottest, based on growth rates; and 
• Where consumers are going to buy industry products.

When: Thursday, June 26, 2008, 10:00 a.m. (PDT)

Presenter: Ty Michael, SEMA Market Research Analyst

SEMA's Webinar Program
The SEMA webinar program brings the world-class business seminars featured during the SEMA Show Education Week right to your desktop. Different business-building sessions are constantly added to the program, offering members the latest insight and practices from today’s leading speakers.

All SEMA webinars are conducted live and are open to all employees of SEMA-member companies free of charge. To participate, all you need is a computer with Internet access and a telephone. All previous SEMA webinars are available for download by clicking here. To view upcoming presentations that you can attend via telephone and Internet, click here.

Spy shooter Brenda Priddy tells us that this BMW M3 prototype, caught here in blinding, law-enforcement baiting red, shows us that a minor facelift is in store for the 414-hp 3 Series alpha male. Priddy says a new set of taillights is in order, while other changes may lurk beneath the sheetmetal. Look for the freshened M3 to debut sometime in the next six to 12 months.

SEMA has been successful in configuring and obtaining ARB approval for an engine dynamometer testing protocol to demonstrate that diesel aftermarket performance parts and systems comply with ARB emissions requirements. Compliant products are eligible for an E.O. (Executive Order) under this protocol. Olson Ecologic Inc. (Fullerton, California; contact Don Olson at 714/774-3385) is committed to providing emissions testing services using this protocol. At some point, other testing facilities may also elect to provide such services.

Manufacturers of diesel performance parts and systems, particularly tuning products companies, can now begin emissions evaluations of their products to obtain compliance with the ARB. 

Olson Ecologic has obtained a 2008 Duramax diesel engine and all emissions-related components for engine dyno installation and compliance testing. By contacting Don Olson at the above phone number, you will be able to make arrangements necessary for product testing using the Duramax engine (e.g., costs, scheduling).

The ARB is currently deciding which Ford and Dodge diesel engines and MYs will be required for E.O. testing of applicable diesel performance products. That information is forthcoming and will be shared with the appropriate SEMA membership when received.

In addition, and in view of recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforcement activities directed at diesel aftermarket tuning products, it is also important that you pursue ARB E.O. status in order to address the emissions compliance concerns of the EPA.

SEMA remains available to respond to your compliance questions. You may direct such inquiries to SEMA's Technical Consultant Jim McFarland at 901/377-1210 or jmcfar1@aol.com.

Proponents of the latest version of climate change legislation (S. 3036) failed to get the 60 votes necessary for passage in the U.S. Senate, effectively ending any further consideration this year. Supporters plan to make it an election-year issue to lay the groundwork for a new climate debate in 2009. There is a growing consensus in Congress that there is a need to limit and reduce greenhouse gases (GHG). 

Many more Senators now express support for U.S. action on global warming, and the Supreme Court recently ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is authorized and directed to consider regulating carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas. 

S. 3036 would have required the EPA to establish a greenhouse gas registry and directly regulate GHG emissions from certain large source facilities. The legislation sought to achieve a near-70% reduction in GHG emissions from current levels by 2050 and establish a $6.7 trillion economy-wide emissions trading program. Opponents of the bill argued that the "cap and trade system" as proposed in the bill would seriously impede economic growth, raise energy costs and cause job losses. 

Some opponents to the bill expressed general support for climate-change legislation, but believed further study and discussion were required. SEMA supports a national solution to CO2 emissions control rather than a potential patchwork of state rules. A patchwork of state rules would significantly increase the complexity and cost of compliance for the industry.

For details, contact Brian Duggan at briand@sema.org.