With about three months to go until the kickoff of the 2013 SEMA Show, editors and reporters are increasingly looking for news from SEMA Show exhibitors. They want details about new-product debuts and vehicle reveals, and they will turn to the SEMA Show online media center for information.

Exhibitors are invited and encouraged to submit their press releases. There is no charge to submit a release, and it will appear online for all reporters to access.

SEMA has fielded many questions about the emissions certification process over the years, and we’ve learned a lot along the way. We’ve recently taken some important steps to help member companies create performance parts that both make power and comply with state and federal regulations. You’ll be glad to know that these services are now wrapped into a new facility. The SEMA Garage–Industry Innovations Center offers a range of tools and opportunities to help you develop high-quality products more quickly and effectively.

If you are looking for information to understand the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Executive Order (EO) exemption program, both new and experienced members will benefit from our new “CARB EO Assistance.” For starters, we’ve collected all the information you need to know about the regulations and the EO exemption process in a user-friendly way. For a digestible overview, we suggest that you download a copy of the updated SEMA Black Book. It’s available free to SEMA members.

As the saying goes: “If you can dream it, you can build it.” Year after year, media and trade professionals from all over the world converge on the SEMA Show in Las Vegas to take in the elite of custom builds that showcase an array of specialty-equipment market parts and accessories. Frequently, these vehicles contain custom wheels and tires, exhausts, shocks and paints, which are all chosen with great care. In many cases, Show exhibitors are the ones producing the products that play a key role in these vehicles, giving them added exposure and notoriety. In addition to amazing vehicles that tantalize car enthusiasts the world over, the SEMA Show also attracts new and existing products from a wide array of manufacturers, drawing buyers and driving traffic to Show booths.

Breaking news from SEMA member companies, including Yokohama Tire Corp., Sonoma Raceway, Goodguys Rod & Custom Association, Lund International Holding Co., and more.

A Look at Specialty-Equipment and Automotive Market Signposts

The search for marketplace information is never-ending. As the economy fluctuates, new technologies emerge and changing tastes shape sales, savvy industry professionals constantly look for indicators that will aid them in making business decisions based on more than mere supposition. While no one can accurately and consistently predict the course of things, knowing which way we’re going can confirm whether we’re facing a sunset or the dawn.

Doug Evans of Source Interlink Media has been voted chairman-elect of the SEMA Board of Directors and joins two newly elected Board members to help lead the association for the 2013–2015 term. Evans fills the position held for the past two years by Nate Shelton of B&M Automotive Group. Shelton began serving his term as chairman in July. The newly elected SEMA Board volunteers are Kyle Fickler of Weld Racing and Tim Watts of Superlift Suspension. Jeff Bates of Bob Cook Sales was re-elected to serve another term.

Leather Therapy, Velvet Cars, Lund International Inc., Design Engineering Inc., Sysonic USA, Rimblades Ltd.

The proper tool makes life easier, but it can also make a job more enjoyable. Whether it’s a diagnostic machine or a ballpeen hammer, a ratchet wrench or an English wheel, a good tool can be a treasure to the person using it. A good tool invites use, inspires confidence and demands care.

And just as with every other aspect of professional life, the tools and equipment used in the automotive world are subject to constant inventiveness, innovation and enhancement. Each year, new or improved industry equipment is introduced at the SEMA Show. The 2012 event held last November was replete with groundbreaking new creations, and we’ve brought them together in these pages for your convenience. Find one that makes your life easier.

You’re probably thinking, yeah, I know…a thousand words, right? Well, that certainly still holds true, but a picture is also worth hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of sales in today’s marketplace.

In case you haven’t noticed, today’s consumers are now demanding what could almost be called a sensory overload of visual information as they make decisions about where to spend their money. It’s all about quick, informative features and benefits, easy-to-consume product details, and pictures, pictures, pictures. And don’t forget videos! Videos showing installation, product features and function, performance and more are rapidly becoming the norm and are very influential in consumer decision-making. Add to this list things such as PDFs of installation instructions, schematics, warranty information and more to round out this new standard of excellence in presenting your products. No longer do you need to have just an image library; it’s all about managing all this stuff we now call “digital assets.”

George Barris, Eric Grant, Wade Kawasaki and Joe Schubeck Enter SEMA’s Hall of Fame

Often, those who truly make a difference never really set out to do so. They’re simply pursuing a dream, a passion. And yet, through sheer perseverance, innovation, dedication and a high dose of excellence, they somehow suddenly find themselves changing everything, revolutionizing an industry and inspiring a legion of followers.