By Della Domingo

Applications for the 2021 SEMA Battle of the Builders are available now at www.semashow.com/botb. The competition described by Muscle Cars & Trucks as “the coolest automotive competition in the world,” the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition is where top vehicle builders go to showcase their talents and craftsmanship. This year’s competition will mark the eighth year where SEMA Show vehicle builders will compete against one another.

All builders with vehicles displayed at the SEMA Show are invited to enter. Exhibitors are encouraged to have builders with whom they are working enter, as the program is a great way to highlight the products on the vehicles.

To learn more, visit www.semashow.com/botb.

By SEMA Editors

The deadline to apply for a feature vehicle at the 2021 SEMA Show is July 30. Exhibitors planning a feature vehicle for the Show are encouraged to mark their calendars now to allow ample time to choose the best car to represent their brand and promote its appearance appropriately.

All feature vehicles must be approved and paid for by qualified exhibiting companies. Criteria for placement is based on how the exhibiting company’s products are showcased on the vehicle, whether the car has been featured in the SEMA Show previously, how complete the vehicle build is, and to what degree the vehicle captures all elements of the specialty-equipment market.

Each qualified exhibiting company is guaranteed placement for one feature vehicle. Additional vehicles will be prioritized by the exhibitors, using an electronic form that will be provided by SEMA Show management after July 30.

Feature vehicles provide exhibitors the ability to highlight products and upgrades on cars and trucks positioned in designated areas away from their company’s SEMA Show booth. With unique style and unmatched innovations, feature vehicles are a visual marketing tool to help generate an organic appeal for an exhibitor’s products.

Complete details about feature vehicle registration are available in the SEMA Show Exhibitor Services Manual.

Click here for a complete listing of 2021 SEMA Show deadlines.

By Jason Catullo

The 2021 SEMA Space Allocation process was completed in late-June, with more than 1,700 companies selecting their booth locations at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). The LVCC's halls are nearly full of exhibits, but booth space is still being reserved, and more exhibitors are expected to secure space until the Show opens on November 2.

Attendees planning on joining the industry at the 2021 SEMA Show can see who's exhibiting and where through the updated floorplan. If you have not yet registered for the SEMA Show, taking place Tuesday-Friday, November 2-5, visit www.SEMAShow.com/attendee to register.

For 2021, the Show will include exhibit space in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s newly constructed West Hall, a 1.4-million-sq.-ft. facility completed in January. The new facility includes exhibitors from the Restyling & Car Care Accessories, Powersports & Utility Vehicles, and Truck, SUV & Off-Road sections.

Earlier in June, the visitors of the World of Concrete convention were the first to use the new hall, and the event marked the first large-scale convention and tradeshow to be held in Las Vegas in 15 months.

In addition to the new hall, the newly constructed Loop—a high-speed, people-mover system that runs 40 ft. under the LVCC—will transport visitors between South, Central and West Halls. The World of Concrete successfully used the system to shuttle visitors through the 200-acre convention center.

For more information on the 2021 SEMA Show, visit www.SEMAShow.com.

By SEMA Editors

The 2021 SEMA Show Space Allocation process wrapped up earlier this week, and more than 1,700 companies are confirmed to exhibit, and many more are expected to sign on before the event takes place in November.

The SEMA Show floorplan is live, and buyers are currently examining the event's layout to see who will be there for 2021.

Companies that would like to exhibit at this year's SEMA Show to reconnect with customers and generate new business, can get started at www.SEMAShow.com.

Exhibiting at the SEMA Show puts your latest products in front of thousands of qualified buyers from every segment of the specialty-equipment industry, including buyers looking for your products. This year's Show offers even more opportunities for exhibitors reach new buyers. SEMA Show management recently announced that buyer registration for the Show has started at the fastest pace they have seen in the event's 54-year history.  

SEMA Show exhibitor Cometic Gaskets is ready to reunite with customers in person, and reach out to more buyers outside of the company's local region.

“We are most looking forward to face-to-face conversations and reconnecting with our customers old and new. Cometic is located in the midwest, and exhibiting at SEMA allows us to connect with our West Coast customers and industry segments, such as desert racing.”

Registration for the 2021 SEMA Show is offered in three categories—attendee, exhibitor, and media—and everyone must qualify to receive a badge and attend.

Reserve your booth now!

By SEMA Editors

SEMA eNews highlights SEMA-member companies’ websites weekly through the Hot Links to Cool Sites section. SEMA members: To be included in Hot Links to Cool Sites, email your company name and website to enews@sema.org. Note: Make sure to include “Hot Links” in the subject line of the email.

• American Powertrain
• CTEK
• Exedy
• HushMat
• Milwaukee Tool
• S.U.R.&R.
• Steele Rubber Products
• Turn 14 Distribution
• VP Racing Fuels
• ZyBar

By SEMA Editors

Latest Jobs Added to SEMA Career Center

Are you hunting for a new job? The SEMA Career Center has a comprehensive listing of automotive-related job openings around the country. Here are some of the latest jobs posted to the website.

Product Compliance Manager
Harbor Freight Tools is hiring a product compliance manager to identify industry best practices and work closely with internal key stakeholders in global sourcing, imports and trade compliance, legal, quality assurance, product development, supply chain, store operations and merchandising to develop and execute implementation plans. This position leads engagement with external parties, such as government entities, standards development organizations, trade associations, testing labs, certification agencies and outside counsel for assigned product categories. This role actively seeks continuous improvement opportunities to mitigate risk to the organization. A bachelor’s degree is preferred (technical or engineering), and a minimum of seven years of relevant experience is required.

Technical Support Specialist
Derale Performance is hiring a technical support specialist to provide exceptional customer service with prompt, accurate and complete information for all communication; answer product and technical questions; and assist customers with order tracking, ETA requests, missing parts and warranty issues. Candidates must have basic to advanced knowledge of automotive cooling systems and the four-stroke internal combustion engine.

3D Engineering Tech
MagnaFlow is hiring a 3D engineering tech responsible for transferring 3D scan data, providing CAD models and assisting the engineering team with a variety of technical tasks. Candidates should have working knowledge and an understanding of product development and engineering technologies, CAD experience (preferably Solidworks) and experience with 3D inspection or scan to CAD software.

By SEMA Editors

Dates and locations have been scheduled for several upcoming SEMA-sponsored shows, measuring sessions and activities.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Congressional support for the bipartisan Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act of 2021, H.R. 3281, rapidly expanded this week as a direct result of the letters that members of the motorsports parts industry, racers, and enthusiasts wrote to their lawmakers asking them to co-sponsor the bill. The RPM Act now has 90 bipartisan co-sponsors, as eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives agreed to publicly support the bill this week, including U.S. Representatives Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Mark Green (R-TN), Mary Miller (R-IL), Warren Davidson (R-OH), Don Bacon (R-NE), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), James Comer (R-KY), and John Curtis (R-UT).

SEMA government affairs staff had a chance to catch up with Rep. Bacon, who represents the Omaha metropolitan area, to thank him for cosponsoring the RPM Act. More than 1,300 of Rep. Bacon’s constituents have written the Congressman in 2021 about the RPM Act, and their requests were answered when he agreed to cosponsor the bill.

“The racing community is passionate about ensuring that Congress clarifies in federal law that it is legal to modify vehicles for racing,” said Rep. Bacon. “The RPM Act is critically important to preserving the right to race dedicated vehicles that started out as street-legal vehicles, on the track. This legislation is good policy and is strongly supported by my constituents.”

The RPM Act must be enacted into law to guarantee your right to modify street cars, trucks and motorcycles into dedicated race vehicles, and ensure that the industry can offer parts that enable racers to compete. It is imperative that lawmakers continue to be reminded of the importance of passing the RPM Act.

Click here to see the current list of RPM Act co-sponsors, and don’t forget to send a letter to your U.S. Representative asking them to support the bill and fight for it to become law.

For details, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

By Matt Kennedy

As the industry recovers from the unusual events of 2020, many businesses are looking for information and insight to help them navigate the return to normal and plan for the future.

SEMA has been busy these past few months providing exactly that. Between SEMA’s monthly “Industry Insights” webinar series, VIO program, and published reports, SEMA puts a wealth of knowledge at its members’ fingertips to help inform their strategic decision-making.

Here are just a few of the resources SEMA has recently made available to the specialty-automotive industry:

• The “2021 SEMA Market Report”—SEMA’s flagship research report, the “SEMA Market Report” provides a comprehensive overview of the product sales, customer base and relevant trends that affect specialty-equipment businesses.
• The “SEMA State of the Industry—Spring 2021” Report—Combining insights from businesses across the specialty-equipment landscape, the latest “State of the Industry” report offers businesses an inside look into how companies like theirs are navigating the return to normal and what may lie ahead.
• The “SEMA Industry Indicators” Reports—Released monthly, these bite-sized reports provide businesses with a quick but careful look at the economic and automotive trends affecting the specialty-equipment industry.
• The SEMA Member VIO Program—SEMA’s partnerships with leading data providers allow eligible member companies to access hard data on vehicle sales and registrations that can help them identify opportunities or optimize their strategy. Whether you’re looking to develop a business case, decide where to expand or determine whether it’s worth the R&D to take a new product to market, the VIO Program can tell you if there are enough potential customers out there to justify your next move.

For more information, or to contact SEMA’s Market Research team directly, head over to www.sema.org/research today.

By Della Domingo

Thousands of media will attend the SEMA Show, and many are preparing their SEMA Show coverage now. Exhibitors can increase the likelihood of being included in the media’s coverage by promoting their Show plans now.

One of the best tools for exhibitors to reach media is by posting press releases in the SEMA Show Online Media Center. To help exhibitors get their releases noticed by the media, below are some tips:

• Post early. Many publications, including SEMA News, run preview stories with deadlines beginning in July and August. Releases often run in the order they are submitted.
• Include a photo. Releases with photos are more likely to be used than those without photos.
• Have a strong and succinct headline. Make it concise and compelling to grab the attention of your reader.
• Avoid Jargon. Stick to the facts. Reporters are looking for news and will not report on the “best” or “greatest” products. They will, however, report on products that result in specific outcomes.
• Tag your Show category. The Online Media Center allows exhibitors the ability to select which Show categories their news falls under. Many editors use the search function to find news that is relevant to their audience.

A well-written press release with relevant content can make an impression, generate media coverage and ultimately drive traffic to an exhibitor’s booth.

Exhibitors can upload their press releases now using this link. For more information and tips, email SEMA PR at pr@sema.org.