SEMA places a wealth of legislative/regulatory information at your fingertips to help your business succeed. All of the material can be accessed through the government affairs page on the SEMA website: www.sema.org. The legislative and regulatory materials are also posted on the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website (www.semasan.com) as a way to involve your customers, the enthusiast community.

Read on for some highlights.

SEMA’s Consumer Demand Index (CDI) experienced yet another increase in April, going from 45 to 48. Representing a 7% increase, the CDI again matches closely with the Consumer Confidence Index which experienced an 11% increase from March to April. The April increase experienced by the CDI follows the ten-point increase from the month before and marks an 85% increase from April 2009. This could signal an indication that consumers are willing to purchase more products in the next few months—much needed good news for the specialty-equipment market.

Ana Beatriz to start her first Indianapolis 500 this season in a fourth Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entry; Denny Hamlin completes weekend sweep of the NASCAR events at Darlington Raceway; the NASCAR Hall of Fame (Charlotte, North Carolina) officially opened its doors Tuesday (May 11); and more news from the world of racing.

News and updates from SEMA's councils and committees.

The United States Senate passed Senate Resolution 513 (S. Res. 513) at the request of SEMA and the Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) council designating July 9, 2010, as “Collector Car Appreciation Day.” The resolution was the result of an effort undertaken by ARMO as a means to raise awareness of the vital role automotive restoration and collection plays in American society.

Do you really know what your business is worth? Do you know how to maximize the value of your business in a changing economic environment? Whether you plan to sell, strategically buy, or just want to understand your capitalization options, a new SEMA webinar entitled “Calculate the Value of Your Company: Value Realization Strategies” will teach you how to assess your company’s worth. Bob Kinsella and Karl Johnson of Kinsella Group will provide an overview of automotive aftermarket trends and the ways in which value is measured, and then they’ll teach you how to attract capital investment for acquisitions, consolidation, recapitalization and more.

Currently with more than 100 first-time exhibitors, the 2010 SEMA Show—which takes place Tuesday-Friday, November 2-5, 2010 in Las Vegas—is a can't-miss opportunity to reach thousands of industry professionals, display the latest new products and attend educational seminars designed to help you improve the way you do business.

Reports of Formula One working on a United States Grand Prix continue to circulate; Former Indy 500 winning car owner Barry Green has agreed to work as race strategist for Paul Tracy and the KV Racing Technology team; Popular Irish road racer Adam Carroll will drive some races for Andretti Autosport in the IZOD IndyCar Series later this season; and more racing news.

For the past several years, SEMA has been working to provide added value to participation in the annual industry trade show in Las Vegas. This past year, the association conducted a first-ever Enthusiast Opinion Leader Research Program at the SEMA Show that was intended to promote new products beyond the walls of the Las Vegas Convention Center and provide meaningful feedback to both exhibitor and attendee member companies.