Top products and experienced sales people are half the battle in retail sales. The other half—possibly the most difficult half—is merchandising a store so that the quality of its products stand out and the sales force has the opportunity to service customers properly. Setting up displays, arranging counters and fixtures, and designing floor space and layout are all crucial to the success of a retail operation.

Every year, buyers flock to the SEMA Show for what is a virtual playground of the best and the latest in new products and technology. To ensure that attendees optimize the value of the annual Show, SEMA is offering its own best and latest in new programs and resources.

The SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund (SMSF) is distributing $119,000 to more than 70 students to support educational goals and foster leadership opportunities in the specialty-equipment marketplace.

The automotive industry has shifted for good. “Get used to the changing, the fluctuation, fragmenting markets, more niches, smaller and smaller model runs, more vehicles on fewer platforms. Those are all part of our future,” said John Waraniak SEMA Vice President of Vehicle Technology John Waraniak during a recent SEMA webinar.

However, with the shift, Waraniak feels that real opportunities have emerged, and specialty-equipment companies are poised to reap the benefits of change. “That’s where you as innovators and entrepreneurial companies thrive. You can bring [products] to market much faster; your product lifecycles are two to three times faster than the OEM side of the industry," he said.