The SEMA Show is a must-visit industry event for the automotive aftermarket and specialty-equipment aftermarket.
If you’ve never visited The SEMA Show before, you might be under the impression that it's just a big car show, but I'm here to tell you today that it's not! The SEMA Show is a trade-only industry event that just happens to include an amazing custom car show.
Don't worry, lots of people think it's only a big car show, and while there are a lot of impressive cars on display, there's way more to the show than that.
The SEMA Show is in the Las Vegas Convention Center, and it's enormous! The convention center includes 4.6 million square feet of convention space and an additional 2.2 million square feet of outdoor space: in 2021 alone, there were approximately 114,000 attendees, exhibitors, and media who participated.
You could easily walk over 40-60 miles during show week, and this year it's the biggest automotive show in North America. There were over 1,300 exhibitors present (As of this writing there are already 1,700 registered for the 2022 show) at the event and over 100 educational sessions.
If you're an automotive aftermarket restoration and performance shop, a restyling shop, or a shop that focuses on custom builds, then the SEMA Show is the place to be.
Even if you're just looking for new innovations to include in your builds or new tools to help you be more productive in your shop, you can learn so much by checking out SEMA. Besides the people, cool builds and tools the SEMA show also offers over 100 expert speakers via the SEMA Education series of talks that you can attend all week. From digital marketing to the HRIA builders panel you’ll come away with more knowledge than you came with.
Pro Tip:
If you attend the SEMA Show, which you should, don’t skimp out! Attend the show in its entirety because if you don’t you won’t have time to see everything and you’ll end up missing out on something badass.
What Are The Benefits Of Attending The SEMA Show?
There are loads of benefits to attending the SEMA Show, but here are the top five reasons to attend we think you should take into consideration.
1. Learn About The Latest Industry Trends
At the SEMA Show, you'll be able to see all the latest trends and innovations, in person. There are so many new products and techniques showcased at the show. You can talk to all the great people who built the fantastic cars and applied those new trends and products to their rides.
The most popular customized vehicle in 2021 was the new Ford Bronco.
Broncos were everywhere at the show this year, all customized in different ways. Like the amazing Bronco built by Tucci Hot Rods with snow tracks replacing the wheels! We also saw built-in lift kits, bigger tires, new lights, customized interiors, and all kinds of different aspects that you wouldn’t believe if you didn’t see them right there at the show.
The Jeep Wrangler certainly has some real competition now in regards to customization and build options.
The best part about it is that you could just go right up and meet the person or team who built it and ask them any questions you might have about their build.
2. View All The New Products
One of the biggest things about events like SEMA is getting to the part where you're seeing so many builds that you're starting to notice all these new unique products people have. This will get you thinking, 'hey, I want that in my shop,' and you know what, these shows are the perfect place to get those parts and sometimes you can get some great show deals direct from the manufacturers.
You'll learn so much just by talking to other attendees. Plus, while you're at it, you can talk to some of the manufacturers that provide some of the parts people use to help build their cars during the event.
Pro Tip:
If you’ve got something specific you want to ask a certain manufacturer or builder then write it down so you don’t forget! Lots of people want to talk to these amazing industry leaders so if you forget your question you might not get a chance to ask it again.
3. Meet Industry Leaders
The SEMA Show has sub councils and networks like ARMO, HRIA, TORA, the PRO Counsel, and other SEMA councils at the show. They have a breakfast or reception that anybody can go to which lets you meet these sub council members and get to know the amazing volunteers that support them.
So if you're a restoration shop and you want to get involved with ARMO, or you're a hot rod builder and you want to check out and get involved with HRIA, now's your chance! The SEMA Show is the place to be and not an event to be missed.
4. Get Involved At The Event
At the event, there are a lot of SEMA members, and you can talk with them and learn how to get more involved with the events and promote your business.
You can learn how to become a speaker or get a booth at the show to promote your business. This is an excellent opportunity to help you or your business get noticed more in the industry.
5. Check Out New Tools
The SEMA Show also has a vast selection of tools and equipment - most of them brand new to the industry. These tools are the perfect additions to any shop and can help support your team and the projects you're working on.
At the show, you can test out these tools to see if they'll work for you, plus all the vendors are there to talk to you and answer all the questions you might have.
Pro Tip:
Before you go to the SEMA Show make a detailed plan for which events you’re interested in attending and which vendors you'd like to visit. Having a plan will make it a whole lot easier for you to navigate through the busy convention center.
Big Events During the Show
There are a lot of awesome things to look out for if you’re attending the SEMA Show like the Monday Night Reveal, Battle of The Builders, New Product Showcase, and other events like the Optima Battery Ultimate Street Car Challenge, which is where they race and do a speed stop the challenge out in the huge lot behind the main event building.
Monday Night Reveal
On Monday night the SEMA show hosts the Monday reveal. This is the event to go to if you’re looking to discover some of the latest vehicles from manufacturers and builders
This year Chevrolet introduced the new 2023 Z06 Corvette’s hardtops and convertibles. They showed off the new EV Hammer and they introduced a 57 Chevy that had been converted to electric. This 57 Chevy had been the test car for Hot Rod Magazine for years - crazy how they converted it perfectly to electric.
Dave Kindig and Kev Dog also unveiled two of his new custom hand-built 53 Corvettes, he also made the announcement that not only will these cars come with ICE motors, but they will be releasing an all-electric version for next year.
Don’t Miss Out On The Battle Of The Builders
The Battle of the Builders starts with a whole load of vehicles but they whittle it down to the top 40 during the show, then the top twelve, the top four, and finally the overall winner.
This year’s top 4 builds were:
- Robert Matranga with his ‘55 Chevrolet Bel Air (Hot Rod)
- Eddie Pettus with his ’61 Austin Healey Sprite (Sport Compact)
- Bryan Thompson with his ’34 Ford Pickup (Truck/Off-Road)
- Young Gun Dayton Jacobson with his ’00 Chevrolet S10.
And this year the winner was the beautiful 55 Chevy built by Robert Matranga that cost a million dollars to build!
Pro Tip:
Look out for any builders that are hanging out in their booths with their builds. This is the perfect opportunity for you to talk with them about what they worked on.
The SEMA Cruise Out Has To Be Seen!
At the SEMA Show, they host a Cruise Out, which is where they have all the stands set up. Every car on the property drives through those stands and they announce the features and alterations made to each of the vehicles.
Occasionally they chat to some of the builders and honestly, it's just really cool, a big parade of awesomeness.
The Cruise Out goes up the street, past the new West Hall (which is impressive in itself). They gather all the cars in the massive parking lot behind West Hall which is pretty badass to witness.
After the cruise is done, you can go over to the parking lot and participate in an event they call SEMA Ignited. This is just a fun event where they announce the winners of their competition, Battle of the Builders. They also have drifting, concessions, and other smaller events going on.
Pro Tip:
Be prepared to walk A LOT while you’re at the SEMA Show so make sure to bring comfortable shoes with plenty of support with you otherwise you’ll end up with sore, tired feet at the end of day one!
See Changes In The Industry, In Person
These days there is so much change in the industry. Every year that passes brings more and more amazing inventions to the world of auto performance and restoration, and at the SEMA Show, you'll be able to see it all.
You'll see things like EV or electric-powered vehicles as well as classic cars that are restored perfectly with electric power. At the show this year, there was even a 57 Chevy, and a Plymouth Satellite restored as electric cars.
One of the highlights for industry change this year was this one truck at the redline oil booth called the Zero Truck.
This 47 Chevy pickup was powered by a hydrogen-powered LS motor. The only thing that came out of the exhaust was water vapor. It was entirely carbon neutral but sounded exactly like a regular V-8 engine. Absolutely fantastic. Watch out EVs.
Pro Tip:
If you want to stay on top of everything happening at the SEMA Show then download the SEMA Show app to stay up to date with the latest news about the event including what guests are appearing, what events are happening, and when tickets go on sale.
So, Should You Go To The SEMA Show?
There are so many people I've talked to that say they don't need to go to the SEMA Show that it's just a big car show, and they won't learn anything. If you think it's a waste of time, then I'm here to tell you now, it isn't at all.
The SEMA Show isn't an every year event for most shops. I firmly believe that it's one of those events you
have to go to at least once to understand how getting to know the brilliant people in our industry is an excellent experience for your shop.
By visiting the SEMA Show, you'll be able to meet these fantastic builders, learn how they work, and get some major contacts just by walking the floor and chatting with people.
If you haven't taken a look at the SEMA Show yet, I highly recommend marking it in your calendar for next year.
