Insider Tips for Taking Full Advantage of the 2012 Show

As a buyer, you realize that the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas is the world’s premier automotive aftermarket trade event—and you wouldn’t miss it for the world. Yet with so many business opportunities concentrated under one roof at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), how do you make the most of your Show experience? It’s not easy to cover more than 1 million sq. ft. of products, exhibits, display vehicles and special events in just a few, short days. With the Show rapidly approaching, now is the time to get organized and establish your game plan. Here are eight insider tips to get you started.

Rolling Art Loaded With Specialty Equipment

Industry professionals from across the country and around the world will gather at the Las Vegas Convention Center from October 30 through November 2 to learn about the newest releases in automotive specialty equipment. There, they will make business connections that will bring innovative products to consumers during the coming year. Many of the products to be introduced by the approximately 2,000 exhibiting companies will be showcased on the vehicles for which they are intended. For the past few years, SEMA News has previewed dozens of these automotive artworks, and we’ve renewed the tradition once more for 2012. Enjoy a foretaste of the 2012 SEMA Show feature vehicles in the following pages, and get ready to see many more in Las Vegas!

Professional Builders Custom-Design Pinewood Hot Rods for Charity

Constructed last fall to the finest detail, these miniature pinewood hot rods were the brainchildren of 15 of the nation’s best custom-car and hot-rod builders. The hot rods could be mistaken for the real thing if only they weren’t small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. But they came to life as they raced against each other to benefit two children’s charities at the third-annual Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) Pinewood Builder’s Challenge during SEMA’s Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser, July 27, at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel & Conference Center in Pomona, California. The cars will be autographed by the builders and will be displayed in the HRIA booth #23395 at the 2012 SEMA Show.

Stars and Industry Icons at the 2012 SEMA Show

The following personalities are scheduled to appear at this year’s SEMA Show. (Partial listings current as of August 31, 2012.)

Two of the biggest names in the automotive world are teaming up again, this time with Source Interlink Media, to build two trucks that will benefit good causes and to create new, limited-edition WD-40 Smart Straw cans that feature some of Chip Foose’s classic vehicle designs.

Taking Advantage of the Show Special Offers

The SEMA Show organizers have worked on special offers at numerous venues throughout Las Vegas, and all you have to do is let them know you are in Las Vegas for the Show. Many offers require only showing your SEMA Show badge. This is only a partial list as it existed at press time. Visit www.SEMAShow.com/discounts to ensure that you take advantage of every offer!

Hot Topics at the SEMA Show

More than 50 educational programs in a number of segment categories will be presented at the 2012 SEMA Show, and you can see the full list in “2012 SEMA Show Education Days Brochure." Even so, we wanted to call out a few seminars that are of particular importance.

Some of the Attractions at the World’s Greatest Automotive Show

The SEMA Show is the world’s largest automotive trade show, but it’s much more than that. It’s a museum, a looking glass into the future, a university, a carnival, a catalog of innovation, a media frenzy and an incubator for tomorrow’s industry leaders. In short, from Tuesday, October 30–Friday, November 2, it’s the place where every automotive professional should be and where every auto enthusiast wishes he or she could be.

The Chairman of ConvExx Talks About Priorities at the SEMA Show

Chuck and Susan Schwartz, both of whom are Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), are the driving forces behind ConvExx, the company that manages the SEMA Show. They bring more than 45 years of experience in exhibition production and management to the Show, and their company includes eight additional team members who carry CEM credentials.

Providing product training to retailers and installers helps them sell. Understanding what a product does allows the end user to take advantage of its full capabilities. The SEMA Show will help bring both concepts to fruition through a series of product training sessions that will be conducted by exhibitors, allowing a complete understanding of how products can best be installed, used and marketed.