The king of the automotive trade shows is better for 2011 as the result of a host of new features. They start with an enhanced website and end with a new cruise event as the grand finale, so the SEMA Show once again continues to evolve and improve. The theme this year—Ideas Alive—begins with the Show itself.

A recent study on vehicle accessorization by the automotive marketing research and consultancy firm AutoPacific confirmed that accessories influence more than a million vehicle sales each year (www.sema.org/products/10596/influencer-report). And while many new- and used-vehicle dealers understand the power of accessorization, others have questions about how to incorporate accessory sales effectively, providing not only an added impetus for vehicle shoppers to make purchases, but also adding to the dealership’s bottom line through a supporting profit channel. Dealer Day at this year’s SEMA Show will address those questions.

The SEMA Show is the premier trade event for automotive enterprises of all types. The industry gathers in Las Vegas each year to learn about the latest innovations and most sought-after parts and accessories for car, truck and powersports vehicle owners throughout the world. And the top attraction at this globe-spanning event is Ideas Alive: Featuring the New Products Showcase—the venue where ideas become tangible and attendees find the products that will inspire their customers in the year ahead.

Technology is integral to the specialty-equipment market as well as to the original-equipment manufacturers. From suspension to powertrains and from safety to infotainment, technology is the future of the automobile.

Exhibiting at the SEMA Show for the first time needn’t be overwhelming. With a little research and preplanning, any manufacturer—regardless of size or experience—can create an effective, sales-producing strategy and leave the Show with orders in hand and leads to pursue. When the SEMA Show convenes at the Las Vegas Convention Center November 1–4, 2011, a new area devoted to First-Time and Featured Exhibitors will be housed on the east side of the South Hall’s upper level, and a full 80% of the hundreds of booths in that area will represent first-time exhibitors. The following list of 15 tips is intended to help those first-timers optimize their planning and increase their chances for the most successful SEMA Show possible. And they are also excellent reminders for veterans of SEMA Shows past.

If you’ve never been an exhibitor at the SEMA Show, it’s hard to know exactly what to expect. That was especially true for Mike Poore, president of Feed Master, who literally signed up to exhibit the day before the 2010 SEMA Show opened. He was able to purchase a 10x10-ft. booth due to a cancellation, but that meant he had less than 24 hours to pack his display, drive from Arizona to Las Vegas and then set up his exhibit. Despite the challenges, Poore was able to establish contacts with both domestic and international buyers, grow his brand and get media attention for his invention. In the following interview with SEMA News, Poore offers his advice to this year’s class of freshmen exhibitors.

With more than 360 companies exhibiting at the 2011 SEMA Show for the first time, the new freshmen class represents an unprecedented opportunity for buyers to connect with new manufacturers and new suppliers.

In fact, recent Show data points to a 48% increase in buyer registration compared to this same time last year. Enthusiasm seems to be on an upward trend, with interest in the SEMA Show among the highest we’ve seen in recent years, according to SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. The following represents a list of first-time exhibitors as of July 25, 2011.

Those not familiar with the MTC event can think of it as “speed dating” between manufacturers and media. It’s designed to facilitate rapid exchange of information between the parties at hand.