SEMA Member News—March/April 2014
New Features in Store for the 2014 Hot Product Showcase—Register Your Products Now
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In addition to the products being placed on display in the Hot Products tent, a professional photographer will shoot each one. The photos will be available to the manufacturers and will also be used in a slideshow at the ARMO booth and during the ARMO reception at the 2014 SEMA Show. A gallery on the ARMO webpage also houses each of the photos along with a product description for anyone who was unable to attend the Carlisle event. (Members may view galleries from past years by visiting here.)
The Hot Products Showcase tent is located in a prime spot on the Spring Carlisle grounds across from the event stage, ensuring that virtually all of the nearly 100,000 attendees pass through at some point during the event. This publicity is available to ARMO members for only the cost of shipping the product entries to the Carlisle Fairgrounds. If you have not yet registered your product, visit registration to get started. Registrations will be accepted until April 18.
The ARMO New Product Showcase was first held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2004. It was moved to Spring Carlisle in 2007, where it has remained since. ARMO Chair Alex Tainsh has attended each year and sees great value for retailers and manufacturers.
“It’s a chance for my company to show some of our products, but there’s a lot of networking that goes on outside of the tent as well,” he said.
In 2013, the event was expanded and its name was changed from “New Product Showcase” to “Hot Product Showcase” to include any product a member wanted to promote in a given year.
“We found that limiting members to showing new products was too stifling, so we opened it up last year and saw great results,” explained Tainsh.
The switch resulted in a record-breaking 71 products on display from 32 ARMO-member companies. The council’s goal for future years is to keep growing the event, helping members to achieve new levels of exposure.
ARMO will host a networking mixer in the Hot Products Tent on Thursday, April 24, from 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. An ARMO tradition at Spring Carlisle, the mixer will be a chance for members to grab a drink and spend some time interacting one on one with council leadership and fellow ARMO members. The council leadership believes that this is an event with enormous potential for new ideas and partnerships to be formed as members network with new and old industry friends.
New at the 2014 event, on Friday, April 25, again at the same time and place, the council will hold an industry discussion. Sessions such as this allow council members and other industry members interested in joining to voice their concerns, ask questions and offer input to the group. For members who would like to be a part of shaping future projects and events, this will be a chance to make their voices heard.
ARMO’s volunteer leadership is excited to include members in the brainstorming and goal-setting processes. Feedback from the event will be utilized as ARMO determines its focus and priorities for the next year. Tainsh encouraged all members who will be in the area to stop by.
“You’ll not only get to see some of the hottest products in the market but also rub elbows with peers and industry leaders,” he said.
Council Election Time
ARMO is currently accepting nominations for the ARMO select committee. Select committee members volunteer their time to organize events and projects aimed at benefitting not only ARMO members but also the restoration industry as a whole. The Take a Kid to Car Show program, the Hot Products Showcase, the awards program, SEMA Show activities and other projects are initiated, developed and maintained by volunteers. If you think you might be ready for the commitment and rewards of a select committee seat, visit www.sema.org/armo or contact Council Director Jim Skelly via e-mail at jimsk@sema.org for more information. All nominations must be received by March 21, 2014.