The dust has settled and the 2012 edition of the SEMA Show delivered the goods in a big way. Exhibitors and quality buyers participated in near-record numbers—which in itself is an encouraging indicator—and the buzz on business value was strong. Looking back on the past year, we note some of our other key accomplishments and the road ahead in 2013.

By now you’ve likely heard news that this year’s SEMA Show is tracking at near-record levels. When the Show opens October 30, we’ll have more than 2,100 exhibiting companies, 1,500 custom rides, close to 1,800 new products in the Ideas Alive showcase and more qualified buyer attendees than ever before. The SEMA Show is once again set to deliver the best of our industry’s innovative genius gathered into a single, highly effective marketplace.

We’re shining a spotlight on “Innovations of Generations”—celebrating the accomplishments of our past but also highlighting the advances and innovations being led by our younger industry members.

As you read this, thousands of exhibitors are preparing hundreds of cars and trucks that will be on display at the 2012 SEMA Show. By the time the Show opens on October 30, exhibitors will have finished customizing the vehicle models they think will best showcase their new products and styling innovations for 2013.

SEMA will soon be celebrating its 50th year and, like many 50-year-olds, we are taking stock. We’re asking, “How will the association stay relevant and help SEMA members in the coming decades?”

Within the automotive specialty-equipment arena, we see the rising generations moving into a range of market segments, seeing new opportunities, using different tools and communicating in different ways. SEMA is taking action to help younger individuals and companies find clear pathways to tap into the association and its seasoned members and to build productive business relationships, just as it did for prior generations.

Our primary mission here at SEMA is simple: to help our member businesses succeed and prosper. One of the most important ways we do that is through legislative and regulatory advocacy. In a nutshell, it’s our goal to make your voices heard.

If you’ve been paying attention, you can’t help but be aware of the surge in sales of smartphones and hand-held tablets, such as the iPad. This is a tough trend to miss, because the statistics are overwhelming. It’s estimated that currently there are 4 billion mobile devices in use, and a quarter of those are smartphones.

Last year about this time, we noted that SEMA was ramping up resources dedicated to providing members with best-in-class research. We beefed up personnel, we increased the budget, and we looked for ways to take full advantage of outside resources.

Since its beginning 24 years ago, the PRI Trade Show has become a key asset to race teams, engine builders, track owners, fabricators and retailers in every form of motorsports. Last year, more than 1,100 companies came to the PRI Trade Show to exhibit, and nearly 40,000 motorsports professionals attended. PRI has its own unique constituency and culture, and it has a history of helping build businesses through face-to-face meetings between exhibitors and attendees.

Ever have the feeling as a small business that it’s tough to compete and stay ahead? That’s pretty common. And yet there are companies out there—some might be your competitors—who make it a priority to use technology to multiply their capabilities.

SEMA offers specific programs and benefits to help members access a variety of key technologies that are changing business in the automotive aftermarket.

I’d like to start this column by expressing our sincere thanks to all those members who voted on the recent referendum to reduce the size of the SEMA Board of Directors. Whether you voted for or against the motion, your participation is a key factor in maintaining a healthy association.