by Ray Smith; photo credit: Ray Smith
Never mind $5-a-gallon gas prices. Or the cost of tires.
If you’re looking for a sign that the V8 gasoline engine is still alive and roaring in America, cast your eyes upon the plume of smoke rising from the Las Vegas Convention Center parking lot at the 2022 SEMA Show, the world’s largest aftermarket automotive tradeshow.
It’s obvious from burnouts spun before a packed grandstand of SEMA attendees that our infatuation with beefed-up, high-performance internal combustion engines has not waned, even as government regulations drive the industry toward zero emissions.
While official attendance has yet to be released, an estimated 130,000 buyers, manufacturers, auto shop owners, and car and truck enthusiasts roamed the aisles of SEMA, taking a close look at the latest automotive performance products and trends from more than 1,900 exhibitors.
The tradeshow, held Nov. 1-4 in Las Vegas, covered 4.3 million square feet of exhibit space in the North, Central, South, and West halls of the convention center, and filled the prime parking lot along Paradise Road, where passersby could feel the thunder and smell the rubber.
Exhibitor’s perspective
Gig Performance, based in Provo, Utah, was a first-time exhibitor at SEMA, taking a 10-foot-by-20-foot space in the North Hall to display its regenerative power system. It converts road vibrations into power, extending battery life and increasing mileage in electric vehicles.
“We felt like this would be a good spot to show customers what we’ve been working on,” CEO Brandon Barkdull says. “We want to know where it fits into the market, what people want. We want to go to any show that lines up with our target market, places where you have a big EV presence for manufacturers and customers alike.”
Keeping transportation costs to a minimum, Barkdull and his five-person crew brought all their display materials in a trailer from Utah. It took about two hours to install.
“Everyone here was super helpful,” Barkdull says. “They gave us a floor rundown, so we knew what the expectations were.”
Steve McGaughys, owner of McGaughy’s Suspension in Fresno, California, did not attend SEMA in 2021, the first show following the COVID pandemic. He heard it was “pretty thin.”
His shop was extremely busy and having a hard time keeping up with production of suspension parts that raise and lower trucks, and he was not prepared to shut down for eight days to attend SEMA.
McGaughys doesn’t have a sales representative who travels the country to see all his customers, so SEMA is the place to meet a buyer from Texas, shake his hand and thank him for his business.
Setup of his 30-foot-by-30-foot exhibit at SEMA went “super smooth this year, probably easier than ever,” McGaughys says.
“We showed up at the back door with our trucks, got a pass, and they helped us move in. The aisles were clear, the fire lane was open, so we were able to just drive right in.”
He credits Freeman, general service contractor for SEMA since 2001, with hanging his newly printed back wall graphic, laying his interlocking padded tile flooring, and having everything ready to go when the show opened Tuesday.
Budget savings
One of the common questions SEMA Show management receives from exhibitors is in regard to freight charges, or drayage. The easiest way for exhibitors to save money on expenses is to take advantage of advance rates, advises SEMA Vice President Tom Gatusso. Companies that miss the deadline on advance rates “are leaving money on the table,” he says.
As general service contractor, Freeman handles shipping, material delivery, electrical utilities, carpet installation, chairs and tables, furnishings, suspended rigging, signage, and graphics.
Local trade unions have jurisdiction over most of the work involved in erecting exhibits through a labor agreement with Freeman, including installation and dismantling, touch-up painting, any repairs, and booth cleaning. The contract extensively defines areas of work the exhibitor is allowed to perform and work that is Freeman’s responsibility.
ETL Performance Products exhibited at SEMA on a $25,000 budget, including transportation from Salem, Ohio, hotel accommodations and setting up a 20-foot-by-20-foot display. It’s the fourth year coming to SEMA for the manufacturer of cooling system components.
Back to ‘normal’
“It’s a lot better than last year,” ETL General Manager Jamie Wise admits. “It was just weird with COVID and no international buyers, just really odd. This reminds me of my first two or three years here, back to normal. We have a lot of existing customers here, and we want to see what their needs are and what we can do for them.”
Chiming in with other SEMA exhibitors, Wise says Freeman “took care of us pretty well.” He’s headed for the PRI (Performance Racing Industry) Show in Indianapolis in December, where he’s waited “forever” to receive empty crates to load up after past shows.
“Freeman is usually pretty fast about getting crates. We’ve never had an issue of waiting,” Wise says. “The show ends Friday and we fly out Saturday morning.”
Attendance at the 2021 SEMA Show was off a bit from past years, observed Scott Tunis, general manager of Ercolina pipe machinery in Davenport, Iowa. International attendance was lacking, and people were a little shaky about COVID.
“This year’s back to normal. The flow’s been good all day. People are ready to get out and see what’s available,” Tunis says. “Based on foot traffic, it’s a little busier than last year.”
Conspicuously absent from SEMA this year were massive displays by Ford and General Motors. Toyota expanded its presence in the Central Hall to debut several new vehicles, including its GR Supra, and Volkswagen exhibited for the first time, showcasing its 350-horsepower Jetta GLI.
Easier travel, higher costs
Carl Bergendal and his business partner came from Sweden to shop the competition for their Smart Eye software that detects driver drowsiness and distraction.
You can’t blame COVID if international attendance is down this year, Bergendal says, as it was easy to travel without proof of vaccination. He last attended SEMA in 2017, and says he was “shocked” by the increase in costs, from hotel room rates that have tripled, $12 hamburger and $4 bottle of water.
“It’s ridiculous,” he decries. “Of course, this year you have inflation.”
SEMA provides a terrific opportunity to connect and develop business relationships with manufacturers, buyers, and distributors, as well as mom-and-pop custom auto shops, VP Gatusso says. “Small businesses and American manufacturing are the engines that power our economy, and the industry is back at full strength,” he declares.
SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) started in 1967 with a small gathering of racers and hot-rodders in the basement of Dodger Stadium, expanding to Anaheim Stadium in later years and coming to Las Vegas in 1977. It is the world’s premier tradeshow for the $50 billion automotive aftermarket parts industry. For more info, visit www.SEMAShow.com.
