The New Products Showcase at the SEMA Show is a hotbed of creativity each year. Attendees flock to the display cases to learn about the latest developments in everything from street-performance, racing and off-roading to mobile-electronics, interior and exterior products. The cases are stocked before the Show opens, and a widely diverse panel of automotive professionals scrutinizes each offering before selecting a chosen few for industry honors.
New products shape the automotive specialty-equipment industry, and companies that get their innovations to market earliest have the best chance for success. Millions of dollars are spent each year to research, design, develop and produce prototypes that are eventually honed into the finished parts that reach consumers’ vehicles. Until recently, that process has been time consuming and expensive—especially for smaller manufacturers that don’t have huge budgets. But technology is changing the R&D process.
Never Enough Auto Accessories Blossoms From the Owner’s Enthusiasm
From its inception, the automotive specialty-equipment industry has been built in large measure by enthusiasts who followed their passions. Brad Vlastuin fits that mold.
Vlastuin enjoyed cruise-ins and car gatherings around his hometown in Michigan back in the days when neon lighting and exterior accessories were the hot ticket for import cars. He owned a Toyota Matrix and found that others who attended the same events were in search of products similar to those he was interested in. He began to track down and offer accessories to his fellow enthusiasts, and he was soon running what was essentially a small business out of the trunk of his car.
In addition to being one of the world’s largest trade events, the SEMA Show is a car show like no other. 
Automotive specialty-equipment manufacturers from throughout the world exhibit their wares on some of the most finely crafted vehicles in existence, and many are on display for the first time anywhere.
The feature vehicles shown in this listing and online will appear in exhibitor booths and in display areas throughout the Las Vegas Convention Center and the adjacent outdoor grounds. Check them out in person—and, in many cases, see how they turned out—when you get to the SEMA Show!
Playing in the Recreational Mecca
The annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas is, first and foremost, one of the world’s largest automotive trade events, and business is the number-one priority. But that doesn’t preclude a ton of fun on the side—especially given all the opportunities the city presents. The following items are a few highlighted attractions, but be sure to visit the official city website at www.lasvegas.com for its huge listing of activities, shows, tours and more. You can even download a guide to the city at the site or order a hard copy. The breadth of possibilities is amazing!
The SEMA Show Director Provides Insights to the 2014 Event
With nearly 20 years in the production of both consumer and trade automotive events, the SEMA Show’s Tom Gattuso is well versed in ensuring that attendees and exhibitors receive the greatest return on their investments. He holds a certification in event management, and the 2014 SEMA Show will be his fourth as its director. SEMA News was pleased to talk with him about the Show, its features and his expectations for this year’s venue.
Experts Counsel Industry on the Hurdles and Benefits
Any media outlet—print, the Internet, radio, billboards and more—can be used to market the businesses of automotive aftermarket companies. But there may be none that offers the reach and cost-per-thousand (CPM) advantages of television. To help manufacturers, retailers, installers and even warehouse distributors learn about the benefits, perceived hurdles and costs of TV marketing, the SEMA Show will present a super-session seminar entitled “Understand and Maximize Investments in Automotive TV Programming.” The event will be presented Monday, November 3, (the day before the official opening of the SEMA Show) from 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. in room N258 adjacent to the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
More Than a Trade Show, It’s an Automotive Paradise
The SEMA Show is a business event, as everyone in the industry knows. It’s the venue where buyers and sellers come together to provide products to installers and stock the shelves of retail outlets throughout the nation and the world. But it’s also so much more than that. It’s one of the world’s greatest custom car shows. It’s a four-day university of automotive knowledge. It’s a carnival, complete with wild rides and sideshows. There’s more going on at the SEMA Show than at many of the planet’s amusement parks, and there’s only so much time in each day. Attendees have to plan ahead if they want to catch every nuance available. Here’s a brief look at some of the major points of interest.
The SEMA Vehicle Technology Briefing Seminar program is designed to connect SEMA members to the benefits of vehicle technology and performance product-development solutions, resources and partnerships. From racing and performance design to branding and driving green, connected, safe and cool, cutting-edge technologies will be the focus of discussions at this year’s SEMA Show by industry leaders and innovators who will explain current and future systems and technology applications.
The Keys Are Collecting, Qualifying and Following Up
According to a report entitled “2013 SEMA Show Research”—a post-Show survey of exhibitors and attendees—almost 90% of exhibitors at the 2013 SEMA Show said that they exhibit in order to generate leads and increase awareness of their companies. Slightly higher percentages said that those objectives were met at the 2013 Show.