ARMO at the 2011 SEMA Show

	ARMO members packed the house at the 2010 ARMO Industry Awards Reception. A larger venue and a revised program are in store for reception attendees in 2011.

Members of the Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) and other automotive restoration industry professionals have many opportunities to network at the 2011 SEMA Show. Mark your Show calendar now; you don’t want to miss any of them.

Council Booth

Located at space #23287 in Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, in the heart of the Restoration Marketplace, the booth shared by ARMO and the Hot Rod Industry Alliance serves as “ARMO Central” for the duration of the Show. Visitors can check out photos of all the cool, new restoration products that were on display in the ARMO New Products Showcase at Spring Carlisle in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The photos will run on a looping flatscreen display along with other ARMO and SEMA information. The booth is always staffed with an ARMO volunteer and/or a SEMA staff person ready to answer any question, engage in discussions about ARMO or SEMA member benefits or, most importantly, sign up new ARMO members! Oh, and, of course, there are always a few wonderfully restored cars on display.

ARMO Industry AwardsReception

ARMO leads off a week of council activities with its annual ARMO Industry Awards Reception on Tuesday evening, November 1. The event will take place in Ballroom C of the Las Vegas Hilton from 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.

“We’ll still enter through Ballroom C, which is what everyone is used to,” said ARMO Chairperson Laura Bergan, of American Collectors Insurance. “But thanks to SEMA and the Hilton, we’re expanding into a larger space once we’re inside. Attendance has grown over the years, and we were getting kind of crowded. So this will give us some ‘elbow room’ and lend a more relaxed atmosphere. We’re also changing up the program a little from years past. Instead of a heavily scripted, structured presentation, we want to emphasize the opportunity for networking. Can’t tell you everything; you just have to come and see for yourself!” The ARMO Industry Awards will be presented as part of the evening’s festivities.

ARMO Open Meeting

ARMO will conduct an open meeting in Conference Rooms 1–3 at the Las Vegas Hilton on Wednesday, November 2, from 7:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m. This meeting is open to all ARMO members and is the best opportunity for members to interact with their Select Committee.

“The Select Committee is a group of representatives elected by the ARMO members,” said ARMO Chair-Elect Alex Tainsh, of Parts Unlimited Inc. “The Select Committee is charged with developing and delivering programs and projects that benefit the ARMO members. Like any elected body, though, we need to hear from the members. We can send surveys, solicit feedback on Facebook, etc. But nothing beats a face-to-face dialogue. Except for the Long-Range Planning meeting, this is the only opportunity for an ARMO member to meet with the entire Select Committee.

“We absolutely want to see as many members as possible at this meeting. We will update the group on the latest happenings from ARMO, but we really want to hear from the members. What are we doing well? What should we be doing that we aren’t doing now? It’s early in the morning, I know. But bring your ideas; we’ll bring the coffee!”

ARMO Roundtable

Another SEMA Show staple for the restoration industry is the ARMO Roundtable discussion, which takes place on Thursday morning, November 3, from 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Convention Center, meeting room N218 (North Hall, second floor). As of this writing, topics have not been chosen. A survey was sent to ARMO members and SEMA “restorer” category members asking for topic ideas, so be assured that the discussion will revolve around issues that are relevant to the restoration community. Past topics included small-business insurance and zinc additives in motor oil.

Do you own a restoration shop? What are your “hot buttons” right now? Be sure to attend the ARMO Roundtable and exchange ideas with members of the ARMO Select Committee. Help ARMO help you.

ARMO Sponsored Education Seminars

One of ARMO’s primary goals for members is education. To that end, ARMO is sponsoring three seminars during Education Days at the 2011 SEMA Show. Each seminar was chosen based on feedback obtained from attendees at the 2010 ARMO seminars presented at the Hotrod & Restoration Industry Trade Show. All three seminars are on Wednesday afternoon, November 2. They are titled “Building and Enforcing an IPR Portfolio: An Introduction,” “Building and Enforcing an IPR Portfolio: Advanced” and “E-mail Marketing Essentials.”