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Cover Section

  • Style Meets Performance: Wheels and Accessories Premiere at 2011 SEMA Show

    Wheel manufacturers continue to innovate with attention-grabbing designs, vibrant colors and exotic finishes. In fact, for the 2011 SEMA Show more than 19,000 buyers noted a specific interest in wheels, hubcaps and related accessories on their registration questionnaire. Striking a delicate balance between style, fitment and overall performance—more than 140 exhibitors unveiled their latest creations at this year’s Show. The following pages spotlight innovations from Wheels & Accessories section exhibitors, as seen in the 2011 SEMA Show New Products Showcase.

Business

  • Trade vs. Consumer Advertising

    A company might produce the best product the world has ever seen, but it may as well not exist if people don’t know about it. That’s why retail advertising to end-users is crucial to bringing business into a store or to a sales website. And for manufacturers, advertising to both retail and wholesale customers is vital to moving inventory from the warehouse to store shelves and, ultimately, to installation on a customer’s car or truck. In both instances, a few core principles are key.

  • Video Made Simple

    If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much more is a streaming video worth at 30 frames per second?

    When it comes to branding, search-engine optimization and, ultimately, sales in this digital age, online videos can make a crucial difference in a small company’s marketing. In the realm of sales alone, studies now show web video to be a top influencer in consumer research and purchasing decisions.

  • Market Trends in Tires and Wheels

    The tire and wheel section is perennially one of the largest display areas at the SEMA Show in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Tires and wheels are also one of the most favored modifications that car and truck owners make to their vehicles, since a single, relatively simple change can entirely alter the appearance and character of a vehicle.

Chris Kersting

  • Global Markets: The Door Is Open

    The 2011 SEMA Show is a memory at this point, but some of you who attended the banquet Thursday night might recall our leadership presentation. In it, we highlighted some of the interesting ways that companies are entering new markets and finding new ways to do business.

    One area we touched on is the opportunity for sales in overseas markets. Recognizing that the U.S. economy will be slow in the coming years, we think it’s especially important that companies take notice of offshore markets that are healthy and where enthusiasts are eager to buy.

Events

  • Likes, Tweets and Posts

    The SEMA Show is a trade-only event, exclusive to those working in the specialty-equipment industry. For consumers, this means that catching a glimpse of the Show floor is possible only by scanning the latest newspapers, magazines and webpages for articles filed by attending media. During the 2011 SEMA Show, however, a special group of enthusiasts were granted access to the Las Vegas Convention Center on Thursday, November 3. Invited by SEMA to participate in a social-media campaign, these attendees had a special mission—identify at least five hot, new products and broadcast their opinions across the Internet.

  • Generous Sponsors Team Up to Benefit Scholarship Fund

    Hurst, Street Scene Equipment, Dodge and SEMA teamed up with a group of industry-leading companies to build two custom Dodges—a Charger and an Avenger. Both vehicles were auctioned on eBay, generating proceeds that will benefit the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund (SMSF). The Charger sold for $45,001, while the Avenger sold for $21,605.

  • Spotlighting the Tire Industry

    The Tire Industry Association (TIA) and SEMA joined forces in 2010 to bring the Global Tire Expo (GTE)—Powered by TIA to the SEMA Show halls. Billed as “a show within a show,” the specially designed tire industry exposition was an all-around hit with exhibitors and buyers alike. The only question was what a 2011 encore would bring. As it turned out, the second time around proved that the Expo not only has staying power, but also has truly come of age.

  • 2011 Global Media Awards

    A total of 150 SEMA Show exhibitors received international recognition for 257 new products released at the 2011 SEMA Show. This eighth edition of the Global Media Awards program brought together 26 top journalists from 12 countries. Each of them were given the difficult task of selecting 10 products from the Ideas Alive: New Products Showcase that they felt would resonate and appeal most to consumers in their home countries. After 1,850 new products were reviewed and the judges votes were tallied, PLX Devices came out on top with eight Global Media Awards, having received the nod from judges based in Mexico, Brazil and New Zealand as well as the United Kingdom and Sweden.

From The Hill

  • Bipartisan Legislation Enabling Low-Volume Production of Specialty Vehicles Introduced in U.S. Congress

    Congressman John Campbell (R-CA) has introduced a bipartisan bill, supported by SEMA, to enable low-volume car manufacturers to provide a range of specialty vehicles for customers nationwide. The legislation directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a regulatory structure to facilitate the production of these cars. Rep. John Barrow (D-GA), Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL), Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) have joined as original co-sponsors of The Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act (H.R. 3274) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Government Affairs

  • Law and Order

    Law and Order is an update of some of the most recent federal and state legislative and regulatory issues that could potentially impact the automotive specialty-equipment industry. These include issues affecting small-business owners and their employees.

Industry News

Internet

  • Land Grab: Why Every Business Needs to Stake a Claim on Google+

    While Google+ boasts 40 million members, it’s still relatively small for a social network. Nonetheless, many businesses have wasted no time scrambling to set up their own pages there. Search-engine optimization (SEO) experts say that the land grab is a smart move, since businesses with a presence on Google+ are expected to move up higher on Google search-engine returns.

New Products

  • SEMA News—February 2012 New Products

    Bestop, Applied Products, CarTech Auto Books & Manuals and more...

  • Style Meets Performance: Wheels and Accessories Premiere at 2011 SEMA Show

    Wheel manufacturers continue to innovate with attention-grabbing designs, vibrant colors and exotic finishes. In fact, for the 2011 SEMA Show more than 19,000 buyers noted a specific interest in wheels, hubcaps and related accessories on their registration questionnaire. Striking a delicate balance between style, fitment and overall performance—more than 140 exhibitors unveiled their latest creations at this year’s Show. The following pages spotlight innovations from Wheels & Accessories section exhibitors, as seen in the 2011 SEMA Show New Products Showcase.

  • Rolling Stock Options

    More than 230 exhibitors attended the 2011 Global Tire Expo—Powered by TIA (Tire Industry Association). Now in its second year (see p. 20), the special section within the 2011 SEMA Show is dedicated exclusively to tire industry products and has quickly become the hot destination for buyers thirsting for the latest and greatest trends. During Show sign-up, more than 36,620 registrants noted their specific interest in tires and accessories, including passenger and light-truck applications. To help satisfy that interest, the following products were unveiled both on the Show floor and in the SEMA Show’s Ideas Alive: New Products Showcase.

Peoples And Places

  • John Menzler: 2011 SEMA Person of the Year

    SEMA presented John Menzler of the COMP Performance Group with the 2011 Person of the Year Award at the SEMA Show Industry Awards Banquet in Las Vegas on the evening of Thursday, November 3. As a longtime SEMA member as well as a Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) and Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) Select Committee member and mentor to many in the industry, Menzler received ringing applause as banquet emcee Dave McClelland announced to a packed house, “Congratulations, John!”

Required Reading

  • Media Turns to Tires and Wheels

    While there are trade shows that target specific automotive aftermarket segments, the SEMA Show is the premier trade show that covers every aftermarket category. From hot rods, mobile electronics and paints, to wheels, tires, trucks and more, the SEMA Show is unique in that it provides the industry with an opportunity to cross market and discover new opportunities for growth. Nowhere else are industry professionals able to see such a variety of products and accessories.

SEMA Heritage

  • Street Rodder

    In January 1963, Tom McMullen posed in his flamed Deuce highboy for Hot Rod magazine’s Eric Rickman in front of Beckman Instruments, where McMullen worked as an electronics technician. The photos Rickman shot became the cover feature for Hot Rod’s April 1963 issue. This view of the car is an unpublished outtake, showing the rear of the ’32 and the pinstriping done by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. Roth also laid out the car’s flames, which McMullen painted.

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