Town Hall Meetings: See You There

	SEMA staff will join with local member companies to host a series of town hall meetings across the country as part of an important new strategic direction. To learn more about each event, visit www.SEMA.org/outreach.

SEMA is on the move, and if you’re in the industry, you’ll want to know about it. The association’s presence this year at town hall meetings across the country is part of an important new strategic direction. Through the first six months of 2011, members of the SEMA staff will be visiting Scottsdale, Arizona, Fort Worth, Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina, to join with local SEMA-member companies in hosting a series of relaxed, casual, grassroots gatherings of members. These town hall meetings will serve a number of purposes, including:

• Discussions on the state of the industry, including the challenges that local businesses face, the opportunities that exist and how SEMA may help in each case.
• Gathering feedback from SEMA members about what SEMA has done for them lately and how the association can help going forward. We want to hear from you, and we want you to hear from us.
• Enjoying some time networking. We’d like the members who attend to share their expertise, insights and passion for the industry with their colleagues, SEMA leadership and staff.

These informal gatherings will help renew SEMA by putting the staff in touch with members where they gather, allowing our staff to hear what members have to say about their businesses and how the association can serve them better. SEMA believes that membership contact is vitally important, so the association has restructured operations to include a dedicated, full-time person who will travel to the membership base. Our hope is that SEMA will be able to more effectively and efficiently direct resources to our members through stronger communication.

Learn more about each event. To R.S.V.P. for one of the upcoming town hall meetings, e-mail Monica Terlouw at monicat@sema.org.

In addition to the town hall meetings, SEMA staff will be attending many industry events. The association is placing greater emphasis on member contact and relationship building. We believe that increased phone contact, targeted e-mails and needs surveys will help us understand each unique member segment and allow us to target our offerings to the needs of specific audiences. As SEMA’s membership grows and becomes more diverse, the association staff will be making increased efforts to learn what is most wanted by each segment and direct programs to provide help where it is most needed in each case.

So take a moment to stop by the next time you’re at an industry event and you find yourself wondering, “Hey, what’s that SEMA booth doing here?” We’d love to hear what you’re up to and how we can be a better association to meet your specific needs.

Is Your Company Lost?