In June, 10 members of SEMA’s Young Executives Network (YEN) set out on the Hot Rod Power Tour. The network, which has a stated goal of cultivating talents and facilitating connections for SEMA-member company employees under age 40, has offered this program for the past three years in order to raise industry awareness and create connection points for up-and-coming industry leaders.

In addition to hot products and leading manufacturers, the annual SEMA Show attracts top vehicle builders who debut their one-of-a-kind creations in front of more than 140,000 industry professionals at the world’s premier automotive trade gathering. For many of these builders, the SEMA Battle of the Builders is their chance to prove that they are among the elite. Hundreds enter; only one can win.

SEMA Ignited, conceived as a way for SEMA Show exhibitors to extend their brands to a consumer audience, kicked off Friday night after the weeklong, trade-only SEMA Show ended. The Ignited event, situated just a short walk from the Las Vegas Convention Center, gave thousands of car enthusiasts a magical opportunity to view singular automotive creations on display at the world-famous SEMA Show.

As the world’s premier automotive aftermarket trade event, the annual SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) offers industry buyers unparalleled value and opportunity.

“This year’s SEMA Show will have the most industry support that we’ve ever had in the event’s 49-year history,” said SEMA Show Director Tom Gattuso. “What that means to buyers is more new products, more innovation and more ways for them to improve their businesses in the coming year and beyond. In fact, what you do in four days in Las Vegas really can help you chart your business course for the next four years.”

SEMA Show Director Tom Gattuso was initially drawn to event sales simply as a method to meet the automotive manufacturing people he’d eventually like to work for, but it wasn’t long until he realized that he preferred producing events and eventually worked his way into event management and direction. He’s now been doing it for 20 years, coming to SEMA in 2011 after working on new-car events for Auto Dealer Shows and then on off-road events for Advanstar Communications. He recently took a few minutes to talk about the 2015 SEMA Show.

At 1.16 million sq. ft. of exhibit space, the SEMA Show draws thousands of exhibitors, buyers, media and other attendees to a four-day car, truck and powersports extravaganza. The grounds of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC)—both within the exhibit halls and in the surrounding spaces—offer a profusion of sensory delights. In the listings below, we’ve detailed just a few of the highlights.

While almost half of all buyers placed orders at the 2014 SEMA Show, nearly 90% also had plans to make purchases from exhibitors after the Show, and many buyers said that they were researching for future purchases rather than planning to make a purchase at the event. Yet many exhibitors lose out on that business because they either don’t properly collect lead information or don’t follow up with quality leads following the Show.

On July 10, 2015, SEMA members joined with car clubs and thousands of enthusiasts to celebrate the sixth annual Collector Car Appreciation Day (CCAD). A wide range of official events was held in the United States, Canada and France to commemorate the day, designated by SEMA-requested U.S. Senate Resolution 196 (S. Res. 196), sponsored by Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT).