The SEMA Show takes place October 31 – November 3, 2017 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Nevada. Produced by the Specialty Equipment Market Association to serve the auto aftermarket, the SEMA Show is billed as “the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world,” drawing “the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to one place.”
The trade-only conference delivers a wealth of information from auto aftermarket vendors, auto and light truck accessory dealers, auto parts stores, tire and wheel dealers, repair specialists and shops, racing engine builders and more. It’s a must-see event for buyers, managers, wholesalers or anyone in the auto aftermarket industry who is interested in expanding their knowledge.
The registration page offers separate gateways for attendees, exhibitors and the media.
Show Highlights
The 2017 SEMA Show features educational seminars, product demonstrations, special events, networking opportunities and celebrities. The 2016 edition drew more than 70,000 domestic and international buyers.
The show has its own mobile application that offers site-to-site directions to facilitate fast and easy movement in the exhibit hall. The app also features exhibitor lists and seminar schedules.
A template called “Letter to Your Boss” is a memorable marketing tool that summarizes the entire show, from reasons to attend, to “early bird” registration deadlines. From the opening paragraph:
“I want to attend the 2017 SEMA Show in Las Vegas to help build our business. My goal for the week is to see the latest industry trends and products, participate in seminars relevant to our business and interact with professionals from all segments of the market. I will be able to see and compare new products (at the New Products Showcase, on the Show floor, through exhibitor product demonstrations) and meet with top manufacturers in our market.”
Exhibitors
The tradeshow offers 2,500 New Products on display, with over 2,400 exhibiting companies filling over a million square feet of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The displays are segmented into 12 sections, and a New Products Showcase featured nearly 3,000 newly introduced parts, tools and components.
Selected Exhibitors (in their own words)
Petty’s Garage brings Richard "The King" Petty’s winning tradition to a variety of high-performance automobiles and aftermarket parts. From production-based vehicles to custom builds and restorations, Petty’s Garage is a high performance speed shop characterized by its focus on spectacular automobiles.
Car Top Cargo carriers by Impact Plastics Automotive are made from a durable 4 season black HDPE material with an aerodynamic design to help reduce wind noise and drag. All Car Top Cargo carriers employ our exclusive patent pending hinge design and EASY ZERO TOOL assembly system.
The mission of the Quarter Mile Foundation is to collect and archive the history of the sport of drag racing, and related aspects of the high performance aftermarket, focusing upon capturing the first person oral histories of the pioneers and legends.
Education
The mega trade event has hundreds of Free-to-Attend and Pay-to-Attend educational seminar sessions scheduled over five days.
Free categories include automotive electronics, business technology, finance and operations, industry trends, legal and regulatory, sales and marketing, Student Career Day, social media, talent management and vehicle technology.
Special Events and Networking
Everything is big at the 2017 SEMA Show, including the number of special events such as council and network receptions, New Products Breakfast, Cars & Coffee and dozens more.
Some events with huge payoffs to attendees require special registration:
- A Launch Pad The Next Great Business: Entrepreneurs Pitch Their Ideas
- Gear-Up Girl Networking Event, Powered by SBN
- SEMA Vehicle Technology
- NHRA Breakfast
- SEMA Show Industry Awards Banquet
- SEMA Battle of the Builders Competition (featuring custom cars)
Celebrities
The 2017 SEMA Show has an unparalleled lineup of celebrities. The Celebrity Appearances tab shows a whopping 28 pages of line-itemed famous names and descriptions. Most will appear in the exhibit hall.
For example, the list of auto racing celebrities includes the entire Force family (John, Brittany and Courtney), Indy driver Graham Rahal, NHRA Top Fuel Champion Tony Schumacher, the legendary Richard “the King” Petty, retired NASCAR driver Kyle Petty, retired F1 driver Emerson Fittipaldi, UTV champions RJ Anderson and Sara Price, retired racing legend Mario Andretti and NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Finally, seriously famous musicians are highlighting the SEMA Industry Awards Banquet at the Paradise Event Center in the Westgate Hotel on November 2: Billy Gibbons, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Vaughn and Michael Anthony.
Facilitating Auto Aftermarket Purchases
For seriously dedicated auto aftermarket dealers, CrossCheck has a suite of payment solutions that doesn’t require trips to Vegas. The star service of that suite is Multiple Check, a program allowing consumers to take home expensive items on the day of purchase without credit, financing or layaway plans. The service is easy use.
Consumers write 2 – 4 checks to cover their total purchase, all with the same purchase date. Dealers deposit those check over a 30-day period on dates selected by consumers, and they receive guaranteed funding from CrossCheck as each check is deposited. It’s a win-win for merchants as well as consumers. Download our free guide to learn how it can help increase sales revenue and mitigate risk at your business.
