Registration for the 2008 SEMA Show, scheduled November 4-7, 2008 in Las Vegas, is open!

Phase one gives priority to qualified non-exhibiting attendees who have attended the SEMA Show during the past three years. Individuals in this group will receive an e-mail that includes a personal alumni number and link that makes it possible to register quickly, without having to re-submit proof of industry affiliation.

“The SEMA Show is a business-to-business trade show that brings buyers and manufacturers together,” said Peter MacGillivray, SEMA vice president of events and communications. “Those who have attended previous shows and contributed to the event’s success are being given priority status and can now register for the 2008 event without any hassles or delays.”

Since the SEMA Show debuted in 1967, the show has served as a trading post for what’s new in the automotive specialty-equipment market. Last year, the show attracted more than 2,000 exhibitors and included 1,700 entries into its New Products Showcase. Dozens of educational and technical seminars, networking events and special presentations round out the weeklong show.

Qualified alumni (those who attended the 2005, 2006 or 2007 SEMA Show) who did not receive the e-mail with their personal alumni link may be able to request their alumni number by clicking here or calling 866/229-3687 or 301/694-5243. Exhibitor registration opens in June. Details are available and continually updated at www.semashow.com.

Act now and save, as on-site registration has increased to $60 this year. Click on the "Travel & Lodging" link from the left menu at www.semashow.com to visit the Show's official housing site.

The Exhibit Space Rental Agreement for the 2008 SEMA Show is now available online. Simply go to www.SEMAShow.com/buyabooth.

The 2008 SEMA Show will be filled with the buyers you want to see, the media connections you need to make and the networking opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else. Changes that are NEW THIS YEAR are: 

• SEMA has removed the limit on exhibit space. Our effort to make space available to the entire industry has been successful: last year we accommodated over 500 all-new exhibitors at the SEMA Show. This year we are eliminating the space cap to allow all exhibitors the opportunity to purchase additional space. We do reserve the right to reestablish a space cap in the event that demand far exceeds our ability to supply space.
  
  
• There is a new and simple 50/50 payment process. Your first payment (50% deposit) is due by April 4, 2008, and the balance is due by July 11, 2008.
  
  
• The Car Care & Accessories section has been merged with Restyling & Accessories Center and is now called the “Restyling and Car Care Accessories” section.

If you have any questions about your exhibit space, floorplan, seniority or section, call customer service at 702/450-7662, ext. 120. 

Legislation (S.B. 1549) has been introduced in the California State Senate to repeal the state’s current emissions-test exemption for pre-'76 vehicles registered by new owners in the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District. The District includes eight counties in California’s Central Valley: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and the valley portion of Kern.

Under the bill, after January 1, 2009, new owners seeking to register a pre-'76 vehicle in these eight counties would be subject to emissions tests for the life of the vehicle. S.B. 1549 is scheduled to be considered by the California Senate Transportation and Housing Committee on April 1, 2008. 

For more information, click here. 

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

The following news release comes from the Pilot Automotive Group:

Mitch Williams, COO of Pilot Automotive, announced that Pilot Automotive has acquired Racing Sports Akimoto and DUB-Air, both divisions of the Avanche Corporation. Racing Sports Akimoto is the originator of the performance air intake system and a leader in the sport compact market. Dub-Air’s industry-exclusive, all-stainless steel performance air intake system leads the urban market and is rapidly becoming the first choice for high end sport truck and SUV performance buyers. Both of these systems are considered by many in the performance automotive industry to be the premier quality systems for foreign and domestic vehicles.

This joint venture will allow Pilot Automotive and Avanche Corporation to design, develop, test, market and manufacture formidable new products and expand on those currently produced. It will bring together Pilot’s substantial expertise in manufacturing, distribution, advertising and economies of scale and Avanche Corporation’s research, development and marketing knowledge and allow both companies to fuel a much greater growth opportunity. Pilot is known for providing high quality products and excellent value.

“Our goal is always the same one: exceed the expectations of the consumer!" Williams noted.

Williams added: “Racing Sports Akimoto is the premier performance air intake system and is a great fit with our DC Sports brand of high-performance exhaust systems. We looked at all the performance filters in the market and Racing Sports Akimoto proved to be the best one we could find. The Dub-Air system is also a well-established, highly-visible brand and will complement our other urban lifestyle products."

Avanche CEO Wade Kawasaki added: “This is a model of strategic collaboration. We will design, develop and test new high-quality performance products that will take an existing and very successful product category to a completely different level. The features and benefits of this “systems” approach will yield superior performance gains, great tone under acceleration and awesome underhood aesthetics."

Pilot Automotive, founded in 1983 by Calvin Wang, has one of the largest distribution networks in the industry that includes big box retailers, automotive chain stores, established three-step performance WD distribution and OEM. Pilot offers a family of other well-established brands, such as Pilot, Bully, Redline, DC Sports, DME (Design Motorsports Engineering), APC, The Baja Champions, Sirius Performance Lighting, VPS (Vehicle Performance Systems), Auto Ice and Navigator.

Find out what’s new in the “world of trucks" as the television program by the same name takes viewers behind the scenes of the 2008 SEMA Spring Expo and SEMA OFFROAD shows. With coverage from the events being featured in three different episodes, viewers will be sure to see all the new products and innovations from the truck industry. The three unique episodes air March 24, March 31 and April 7, on the Outdoor Channel.

Details about World of Trucks, a Masters Entertainment Group program, can be found at http://masterstv.com.

Attention accessory installers, restylers and custom wheel and tire specialists: The registration deadline for the 2008 SEMA Installer Certification exams has been extended to Monday, March 31.

The SEMA certification program includes five exams which will be offered on Tuesday, May 13, at more than 700 test centers in the United States and Canada. Testing begins at 7:00 p.m. local time.

The five exams include: Z1/Electric Sunroofs; Z2/Truck Accessories & Body Exterior Components; Z3/Leather Interiors; Z4/Roof Treatments; Z5/Custom Wheel and Tire. 

To register, follow the links located below for the appropriate registration forms. For more information, visit www.sema.org/certification, e-mail Beverly Rosen at beverlyr@sema.org, or call 909/396-0289, ext. 158.

Installer Certification Quick Links

• Facts About the Accessory Certification Exams (Z1–Z4)
• Z1–Z4 Spring 2008 Test Preparation Guide & Registration Booklet
• Z1–Z4 Registration Form Only
• Member Directory of Certified Accessory Specialists (Z1–Z4)
• Certified Installer Insignia & Chevron Uniform Patches (Z1–Z4) order form
• Facts About the Custom Wheel & Tire Certification (Z5) Exam
• Z5 Spring 2008 Test Preparation Guide & Registration Booklet
• Z5 Registration Form Only
• Member Directory of Certified Custom Wheel & Tire Specialists (Z5)

Filler for eNews

Is your company under siege by counterfeit products and illegal knock-offs? Are your trademarks or patents being infringed? Are your marketing materials copied? Then mark your calendar and plan to tune in for a timely discussion on how to implement a legal strategy to protect your intellectual property—your company’s patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.

Lead by prominent IP attorneys with firsthand knowledge of the specialty aftermarket, this informative SEMA webinar will cover the basics, from deciding what IP needs protection to registering your IP with the proper government authorities and developing a plan to enforce your IP rights. The panelists will share valuable tips on working with United States Customs and other agencies to help stop the importation of counterfeit or infringing products. Time will also be set aside for your questions.

Why lose market share and profits due to IP infringement? Know your rights.

Title: Developing Strategies to Protect Your Intellectual Property 
 
When: Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 10 A.M.(PST)

Presenters: Robert J. Roby, Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear; Merritt R. Blakeslee, deKieffer & Horgan;  Stuart Gosswein, SEMA (moderator)

The SEMA webinar will include:

• A quick IP primer discussing the different types of intellectual property: utility patents (protecting functions), design patents (protecting appearances), copyrights (protecting expressions), trademarks/trade dress (protecting source identifiers) and trade secrets (e.g., secret formulas, customer lists).
  
  
• Tips on setting up your company’s IP budget and conducting a cost/benefit analysis on what to register (since not everything merits, or is eligible for, IP protection).  
  
  
• Mechanisms for using your IP to protect your market share, such as license agreements, cease and desist letters, infringement lawsuits, Section 337 investigations, exclusion orders, U.S. Customs registration, private investigations, Internet enforcement, etc.
  
  
• Suggestions on protecting your IP in a global economy: the difference between international and domestic registrations, protecting your IP when outsourcing, etc. 

Learn today, earn tomorrow.  Tune in on Thursday or lose your shirt to counterfeit/illegal knockoffs of your products.

For more information on SEMA webinars, visit www.sema.org/webinar.

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 being 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 previously conducted SEMA webinars are available to download anytime by clicking here. To view upcoming presentations that you can attend via the telephone and Internet, click here.

SEMA manufacturing members are invited to preview and gather measurements of Ford's 2009 E-Series and F Super Duty trucks. The Measuring Session is scheduled for Tuesday, April 8, at the Ford Conference and Event Center in Dearborn, Michigan. The limit is two persons per company.

Until these shots were taken, the only times Brenda Priddy's spy photographers found the new Audi TT RS ragtop was in the dark, in the coldest part of Sweden. This time they managed to catch it in the daylight. "The huge oval exhaust tips, large air intakes up front and larger wheels and brakes were an obvious giveaway," Priddy says.

Audi’s fastest TT is expected to be powered by a turbocharged 3.2L V6, although some are claiming a 2.5L five-cylinder powerplant. Regardless, it will have nearly 350 horsepower. It's expected to reach dealerships in the summer of 2009.