An unusually popular event, the Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC) Media Trade Conference (MTC), brings together writers and editors from all over the world with racing and high-performance parts manufacturers.

As expected, the masses came out for the second SEMA Town Hall, hosted by Adrian Murray and his team at Painless Performance. Ft. Worth, Texas, was the second stop on the Town Hall tour, with more than 60 SEMA-member and industry representatives in attendance.

News and updates from SEMA's councils and committees.

Action Sports Icon Brian Deegan Partners With Ford: Action sports icon Brian Deegan parented with Ford Racing to compete in multiple action motorsports platforms. He will compete in short course Pro 2 in a Ford Raptor in the Lucas Oil Off Road Series, and he will drive the Ford Rockstar Metal Mulisha Fiesta in select Global RallyCross Championship events and at X Games. Deegan is considered a pioneer in action sports, is the founder of the Metal Mulisha, has participated in every Summer X Games to date and has 12 medals at the X Games.

Customer service has become a key difference-maker in an interconnected world. The growth of social media means a single customer can broadcast what he or she thinks of your company, good or bad. And others can give that message an exponential pop—making or breaking your company’s image. Where customers have multiple options for parts and service, business leaders agree that building customer loyalty based on service is imperative.

As part of our annual look at where automotive technology stands, we recently engaged in a wide-ranging conversation with John Waraniak, SEMA vice president of vehicle technology, delving further into the four advanced vehicle technology megatrends: driving green, driving connected, driving safe and driving cool.

News and updates from SEMA's councils and committees.

General Motors is currently accepting proposals for companies interested in developing a GM-based project vehicle for the 2011 SEMA Show. The automaker recommends submitting proposals early for preferential consideration, but no later than May 11, 2011.

Business users who are already comfortable with Twitter are in luck: There are currently hundreds of analytics and time-saving tools available that will enable you to quickly sort through the noise, retrieve the insights you want and generate the reach you’re looking for with minimal effort.