The SEMA Show is now a wrap. The 2013 Show featured nearly 2,400 exhibitors and covered more than 1,000,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space.
The benefits to Show exhibitors included access to more than 60,000 buyers and the chance to work with manufacturers, such as Ford, Scion and Hyundai, on project vehicles that showcased their products as they were intended to be used.
Buyers from 135 countries descended on Las Vegas to meet with exhibitors at the 2013 SEMA Show and take part in numerous international programs. In fact, 25% of all buyers at the 2013 SEMA Show were from beyond U.S. shores, which was good news for exhibitors seeking to broaden their customer bases.
In the next issue of SEMA News, we will look at other international activities held at the 2013 SEMA Show, including coverage of the international journalists who served on the Global Media Award panel. These leading media outlets from 20 countries were charged with selecting the top 10 products each believed would sell best in their home markets. We will explore insights into their vehicle customization markets and their reasons for their selections.
As a trade-only event, the SEMA Show requires attendees to demonstrate involvement in the automotive aftermarket in order to gain a badge. Although there are instances where guests and VIPs are allowed to visit the Show, the vast majority of the more than 126,000 attendees are members of the industry. And yet data indicates that the SEMA Show is more than ever before boosting consumer perceptions of automotive culture, the idea of customization and interest in the latest model year’s offerings of cars and trucks.
The SEMA Show has long attracted coverage from the enthusiast media, centered on racing heroes, the newest performance technologies and tuner-culture builders, such as Chip Foose. As a result, there is high awareness among the core group of enthusiasts who fix, repair and modify practically every car they own.
Ford F-750 and Corvette Z07 Prototype?
How Robust Data Has Improved Business
The SEMA Data Co-op (SDC), the industry-owned data repository, moved from Beta phase into full operation just last summer. Since then there’s been a lot of talk about “clean data” and the need for manufacturers within the specialty-equipment industry to “take control” of it. ACES, PIES, long descriptions and even product photos and videos are now critical to sales in today’s digital age.
Breaking news from SEMA members, including BedSlide/Tākit, Aeromotive Inc., Holley Performance Products, Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas and more.
Rogue employees working with sensitive company data in public cloud services are regularly wreaking havoc at workplaces, triggering the loss of company secrets, the defacement of company websites and the loss of control over the cloud accounts to competitors and hackers.
“Enterprise IT is rapidly losing control of corporate data,” said Andres Rodriguez, CEO of data-storage company Nasuni. “It’s a risky proposition that IT needs to be in front of and not behind.”
In the Family Way With Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales
Many of the most famous names in the history of the automotive specialty-equipment industry started as family endeavors. Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-A-Bed Sales exemplifies that type of familial heritage. In fact, one of the joys of doing business for owner Chuck Vaughn comes from the fact that his wife, father, son and several cousins work at the retail and installation store.
The Financial Benchmarking Reports for July are now available free to SEMA members for a limited time. The Financial Benchmarking Program provides members with a way to measure and compare their operations against other businesses in the specialty-equipment industry.
Participants in the program provide survey feedback about their business operations, which is aggregated with other companies’ information monthly to create three unique reports focused on...
SEMA recently hosted members of the media for a tour of the SEMA Garage–Industry Innovations Center. The event was held in conjunction with Collector Car Appreciation Day on July 12, 2013, at SEMA’s headquarters in Diamond Bar, California.
The SEMA Garage-Industry Innovations Center helps businesses create and design products for the automotive accessory market. Outfitted with nearly $2 million worth of equipment, the SEMA Garage features a complete emissions-testing cell for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) certification. In addition, a 3D lab, complete with a Faro arm and a 3D scanner, allows member companies to quickly scan production cars and accurately model production parts. Media who joined the tour were also given the opportunity to see additional equipment, including digital race car scales, vehicle lifts and a temperature-controlled test cell. Some of the coverage is highlighted below.