By Mike Imlay
The news is out: SEMA has secured sports legend Tim Tebow as a SEMA Show keynote speaker. Tebow will address Show participants Thursday afternoon, November 2, as part of the Show's Main Stage Experience. A star athlete, Tebow is globally recognized as a best-selling author, speaker, businessman and car enthusiast. According to SEMA Director of Education Pamela Brown-Matthis, his presentation will embody the world-class education program lined up for the 2023 SEMA Show this October 31-November 3 in Las Vegas.
Tim Tebow Athlete, Entrepreneur and
Automotive Enthusiast
• Thursday, November 2, at 1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. •
• SEMA Show Main Stage •
• Media Icon, Global Speaker, Businessman,
Philanthropist, Believer •
Tim Tebow is a two-time national champion, Heisman Trophy winner, first-round NFL draft pick and a former professional baseball player. The five-time The New York Times best-selling author, speaker and football analyst is most passionate about his work with the Tim Tebow Foundation (TTF), whose mission is to bring faith, hope and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need. TTF is currently fighting for people who cannot fight for themselves in more than 70 countries, and counting, through four primary ministry focuses with 16 initiatives. Tebow is married to Demi-Leigh Tebow, a speaker, influencer, entrepreneur and Miss Universe 2017. Tim and Demi live in Jacksonville, Florida, with their three dogs, Chunk, Kobe and Paris.
"We're really excited about bringing Tim Tebow to our Main Stage," said Brown-Matthis. "He is going to resonate with a wide range of attendees. He has a multigenerational message, is an automotive enthusiast and an inspiring thought leader. But he's also a very powerful professional speaker. His ideas will elevate and strengthen an attendee's business strategy because he's a very strong entrepreneur himself."
In addition to Tebow, 2023 Show attendees can expect to see a greatly revised SEMA Education program when they arrive at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). According to Brown-Matthis, it's all part of a new SEMA initiative to create a more robust career- and professional-development program year-round. "We want to support our attendees by offering a customizable learning journey for skill development and competency-based education inclusive of the Show and throughout the rest of the year," she explained. "You'll see that reflected in the comprehensive programming delivered at the Show as well as the virtual education that we're incorporating into SEMA- member-based events throughout the year across the country."
For the Show itself, Brown-Matthis said the SEMA Education team is "focused on creating immersive learning experiences where engagement is high and attendees can see immediate knowledge and skills benefits. We're dedicated to bringing innovation and fresh perspectives to the aftermarket business community."
One important program change for 2023 is the introduction of Monday-afternoon seminars on October 30, prior to the Show's official opening Tuesday morning. The idea is to provide wider access to education on what is usually considered an exhibitor "setup day."
"We've created five feature programs, one of which is our Digital Marketing Bootcamp that launches midday Monday," said Brown-Matthis. "The timing is critical because we want to make sure both attendees and exhibitors can take advantage of professional development and learning opportunities. Our goal is to create content that is relevant, meaningful and valuable for all our Show participants."
THE SEMA EDUCATION SERIES
In keeping with this goal, planners have reorganized the Show's many seminars into six highly focused SEMA Education tracks (streamlined from the 11 of past years). Additionally, the Show will offer five learning series in partnership with Dale Carnegie, Legacy EV, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR), the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) and the Tire Industry Association (TIA).
"We have been very intentional about selecting our 2023 content and the speakers who will deliver it," explained Brown- Matthis. "All of our speakers are subject-matter experts and industry leaders who have the knowledge and ability to inspire change and engage the learner throughout the learning process."
The six SEMA Education tracks are as follows:
- Inside the Shop: Designed for aspiring builders, service technicians and shop owners, this track's presenters include leading builders in the hot- rod, restoration, truck, off-road and restyling markets sharing expertise and experiences from their respective industries. Participants will come away with fresh understanding and practical skills to prepare their shop for new-technology vehicles, including electric vehicles (EVs).
- Aftermarket Updates and Future Trends: This series will dive into automotive aftermarket trends set to impact businesses in 2023 and beyond. Participants will glean new insights into the aftermarket industry and economy—strengthening their brand and better strategizing their business' future.
- Small-Business Strategy: Seminars and featured events in this track examine proven business strategies and best practices to help every company prosper. Topics tackle some of business's hottest issues, including DEI-associated challenges and opportunities, inspiring a team in the office or remote, increasing revenue, understanding private equity, and much more.
- Sales and Marketing: The world of social media and digital marketing is fast-paced and ever-changing. This series will help participants understand and make sense of marketing opportunities within top social- media platforms, changes in the different platforms, the latest digital marketing trends, and how to grow with them.
- Vehicle Technology and Electric Vehicles: With the EV market and vehicle technologies on the rise, this highly informative track is for entrepreneurs seeking insight into these emerging spaces and the challenges and opportunities they present. Leading experts will address advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), electric and autonomous vehicles, business strategies and more.
- Legal and Regulatory: From local to state and federal levels, the auto aftermarket is faced with greater legislative and regulatory challenges than ever before. In this track, experts will present the latest developments in emissions compliance and certification, patents and trademarks, and how to meet current requirements while advocating for change.
PARTNERED EDUCATION
The popular SCRS OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit returns for 2023. It’s one of many Show seminars offered in partnership with leading industry professional associations.
The SEMA Show's five partnered education tracks include the following:
- Leadership Essentials for Today, Presented by Dale Carnegie: Delivered as a six-part series by executive coaches from the world-renown Dale Carnegie Program, these 90-minute, interactive workshop-style sessions are designed to enhance the leadership skills that can take a business to the next level.
- Electric Vehicles 101, Presented by Legacy EV: This up-skill course pro- vides brand-agnostic, hands-on training for automotive techs to understand and work with EV powertrains. The one-day training focuses on fundamental powertrain functions and key high-voltage safety practices. Working with real EV powertrains, tooling and training benches, attendees who complete the course will receive EV101 certification from Legacy EV. The course is one, seven-hour day split into two sessions; one in the morning, the other in the afternoon. The cost for this extremely comprehensive program is $600, and space is limited. For full details of the certification, including all the core ideas and skills covered, visit SEMAShow.com.
- I-CAR Collision Repair Training:
- The I-CAR training series includes a MIG welding classroom and hands-on demonstrations for collision repairers and builders/rebuilders. Classes cover electronic system calibration, repair process coordination and managing quality control.
- SCRS: Repairer Driven Education (RDE): The RDE series pro- vides SEMA Show attendees access to world-class education addressing core issues faced in today's collision repair businesses. Led by renowned industry experts, the program is designed to re-energize a business with implementable solutions to real challenges. The series includes classroom sessions Monday, October 30, through Wednesday, November 1; the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit on Thursday, November 2; and the popular IDEAS Collide Showcase on Friday, November 3.
- TIA: Tires represent a unique set of challenges for the automotive aftermarket. TIA's educational track focuses on the tire and TPMS issues that must be addressed in the shop and management issues related to the best practices in operation, marketing and risk management for companies that sell and service tires.
Among the programs, Brown-Matthis believes this year's Show attendees will find several particularly relevant. They include the Digital Marketing Boot Camp, the EV 101 Certification program, the SEMA Women in Automotive Symposium, the Renewable Fuels Panel, the Dale Carnegie Leadership Essentials program, and Main Stage Experience sessions.
"I'm especially excited about the SEMA Women in Automotive Symposium being delivered on Wednesday, Novem- ber 1, from 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.," said Brown-Matthis. "It has three strong components. One, it kicks off with a dynamic keynote speaker. Then the second part of the program offers a Micro Learn- ing Lab Experience consisting of four professional-development workshops. In the third part of the day, it culminates with a C-Suite Insights Panel comprised of key executives and industry leaders who address the obstacles, challenges and career journeys of successful women in the automotive industry."
Last year's emerging tech and EV seminars were extremely well-attended. This year, the SEMA Show will add its first-ever EV certification program to the education lineup.
"I'm also excited about the Legacy EV course, which will be the first certification-based program ever delivered at the SEMA Show," she added. "It features highly skilled, highly credentialed facilitators and offers an amazing hands-on training opportunity for automotive techs to get an up-skill understanding of EV anatomy and electrical theory. Attendees will also apply their learning to EV speciFications, tooling and safety right there in the learning space."
OUT OF THE CLASSROOM
This year's SEMA Show attendees will notice an expansion of learning venues as well, with a growing number of SEMA Education programs getting "out of the classroom and onto the Show floor." Brown-Matthis says the strategy is to provide interesting new education experiences that can reach and pique the interest of attendees across the LVCC campus.
"Our goal is to engage Showgoers by creating high-energy, sort-of pop-up learning situations throughout the Show environment," she explained. "We'll also leverage more of the space outside of the convention center's North Hall, creating educational opportunities that are delivered in various formats, whether they be 'fireside chats,' workshops, Main Stage Experiences or celebrity showcases."
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Brown-Matthis noted that SEMA Show education has become widely recognized within the industry as a "rewarding professional-development investment." With a broad spectrum of seminars to choose from, the multiple tracks give attendees the flexibility to build individualized pro- grams tailored to their needs. Moreover, most of the seminars are free to attend. In fact, many companies encourage their employees to take advantage of the Show's education, furthering the return on their Show investment.
"That's yet another reason why we want to make certain that every single learning experience includes an opportunity to apply new knowledge," underscored Brown-Matthis. "Our overriding goal is to give all our attendees--whether they are builders, jobbers, or emerging business leaders and executives--access to the best and brightest minds our industry has to offer so that everyone can learn, grow and prosper."
CUSTOMIZED LEARNING FOR YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS
SEMA Show Education delves into the most relevant, top-of-mind business issues and ideas impacting the automotive aftermarket industry with an emphasis on leadership and skill development, networking events, exploration of emerging trends and best practices. The advantages are many:
- With a wide selection of competency-based programs to choose from, attendees can customize their learning and skills development.
- Seminars allow attendees to leverage industry-specific research and proven solutions to help companies reap the ROI rewards of the industry's latest trends.
- SEMA Show Education is led by industry and thought leaders and recognized subject-matter experts.
- Each seminar provides immediate takeaways focusing on application, immersion, engagement and behavioral changes.
No matter your place in the industry, the Show's education program can help you meet your goals, from personal and professional enrichment to business growth. The Show's education tracks are designed to deliver engaging, best-in-class learning through thought-provoking sessions. To learn more and register for SEMA Show seminars and events, go to SEMAShow.com.