The International Happy Hour at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas was the venue for the 2012 Global Media Awards. In front of a crowd of more than 1,000 exhibitors and international buyers, 150 companies learned that their products had been selected by a panel of 25 international journalists as this year’s hottest products, chosen from more than 2,000 entries in the Ideas Alive: New Products Showcase.

The SEMA Middle East Business Development Conference is a low-cost program providing the opportunity to meet face to face with buyers from throughout the Middle East. The 2013 event will take place March 13–16 at the Middle East Motor Tuning Show (MEMTS) at the Expo Centre Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The conference will be held in a dedicated SEMA hall.

In a joint effort, the Light-Truck Accessory Alliance (LTAA) and the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) have developed a new online tool that allows manufacturers to efficiently and effectively provide product training to hundreds or even thousands of resellers throughout the industry. The program is designed to help manufacturers save money on product training and spur sales.

The Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association’s (AAIA) Legacy electronic catalog standard was retired as of December 2012 and will no longer be supported or updated by AAIA. In order to meet the needs of today’s powerful business applications, the Legacy format has been replaced with the AAIA Catalog Enhanced Standard (ACES). Along with the vehicle configuration database, ACES provides a much more granular and rules-based standard. As the only industry-owned and operated data management service and centralized repository, the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) is fully compliant with the industry ACES and Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES).

While the economy continues to influence the tire and wheel markets, the greatest impacts on the industry have resulted from the elimination of the tariffs on Chinese tires, the steady growth of lower rolling resistance tires, advances in technology and the proliferation of Internet research, according to knowledgeable wheel-and-tire pros and media. They shared their views for this latest look at trends in their segments of the specialty-equipment marketplace.

Breaking news from SEMA member companies, including Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. (TTC), Betts Spring Co., Design Engineering, Bilstein of America and more.

Microsoft’s Big Bet

Sporting a radical redesign that’s expected to charm some and disappoint others, Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system (OS) faces a tough slog, including a slow adoption rate, analysts said recently.

“The challenges of a new user interface, a complex set of processor choices and a long ramp to a compelling set of app offerings in the Microsoft Store will translate to a slower-than-usual Windows upgrade cycle,” said Frank E. Gillett, an analyst with research and advisory firm Forrester.

I often like to refer to the development cycle of the Internet in terms of “dog years.” That is, for every year that traditional business processes mature, it feels like the Internet has advanced seven. For the uninitiated, it’s a crazy, unpredictable ride that seems to push forward at a rate fast enough to make us feel like we’ll never catch up, no matter how attentive we are.

Many of us who drive an accessorized vehicle have experienced an encounter like this in a parking lot at one time or another. We’re accustomed to the eyes following us as we drive in, but this time someone approaches for a closer look, and starts asking questions. “Hi, there! Cool truck. What’s that cover you have on the bed?” And the conversation ensues. Before you know it, you may be describing various accessories, their function and even how much they might cost or where to get them.

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