Vehicle reveals are always special events at the SEMA Show, with car covers flying off throughout Show Week. Among the many exciting builds for the 2021 Show was a ’69 Mustang restomod project owned by four-time Grammy award winner and multi-platinum artist Keith Urban, and built by the SEMA Garage. The build was made possible through a partnership with Ford Motor Company, Jay Leno and numerous SEMA-member companies.
The return to a live SEMA Show just wouldn’t have been complete without the specialty-equipment industry’s celebrated SEMA Industry Awards Banquet. Traditionally held Thursday night at the Show, the annual gathering honors industry innovators, volunteers and personalities who make significant contributions toward the advancement of the specialty-equipment industry.
Since its inception in 2013, SEMA Launch Pad has been the automotive specialty-equipment market’s ultimate competition for entrepreneurs under the age of 40 who are ready to introduce their products to a worldwide audience. However, because SEMA is always looking for ways to improve the event and to broaden its appeal, some changes were made for 2021 to encourage even greater competition: The age limit was removed to make it easier for more participants to qualify, and the amount of cash prizes and other considerations were increased, with more participants than ever featured in SEMA’s publications and social-media channels.
Each year prior to the SEMA Show, exhibitors are polled on the new vehicles that, in their judgment, represent the best opportunities for customization and accessorization via the aftermarket for the coming year. Vehicles are chosen in five distinct classes, and the winners are announced ahead of the start of the Show. This year’s announcement was made on Monday, November 1, before the first day of the 2021 Show. The winners were:
Robert Matranga of Irvine, California, garnered top honors at the eighth annual SEMA Battle of the Builders (BOTB) competition at the 2021 SEMA Show, held November 2–5 in Las Vegas. The announcement was made at the start of SEMA Ignited, the official SEMA Show after-party designed to celebrate the builders and showcase products from the Show.
The final countdown to the 2021 SEMA Show has begun, and expectations couldn’t be higher. With the last live Show having taken place a full two years ago, the aftermarket is roaring back to do business November 2–5 in a greatly expanded Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). If you’re a Show attendee, there will be much to see and experience that’s entirely new, updated or enhanced in some way, and while getting lost in all the booths, demonstrations and automotive eye candy might be fun, you don’t want to lose your business focus.
SEMA Showgoers are encouraged to use hotel shuttles and the Las Vegas Monorail to get to and from the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, as parking will be impacted by construction at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) during the event. Free hotel shuttle service will be available to and from the LVCC and more than 45 hotels, and discounted tickets are available to Showgoers for the Monorail, which will operate at extended hours during SEMA Show week.
Since the inception of the SEMA Show’s annual Battle of The Builders (BOTB) event in 2014, the nationwide competition series that culminates at the Show each November has become one of Show Week’s most anticipated events. While the cancellation of last year’s Show forced the competition to be held remotely, BOTB is back for 2021 with myriad offerings from the many builders and fabricators who’ve spent untold thousands of shop-hours in the past year to transform their automotive dreams into reality.
You definitely won’t go hungry at the SEMA Show. Each part of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) has its own concessions, and with the food court in the new West Hall expansion, Showgoers have even more options. Please note, due to COVID-19, all LVCC concessions will be cashless, so be sure to bring your credit cards.
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