For me it actually made me sorta self conscious. Even now I don't feel like my car is that high of a caliber. I'm just a regular guy who built a Chevelle in my garage. I built the car for me though, not really to show it, so maybe that's the reason for my mentality. I don't take it to a ton of shows because I just like wrenching and driving!

I'm sure we've all been that guy. When I started showing with Arc Audio a few years ago, every single car in the building had more money and work in the stereo than I did in my entire truck. I felt really out of place at first, but soon came to realize that I'm just a kid. I don't have the money that alot of these guys do and they still thought my truck was good enough to represent their company.

What you must never lose sight of is your ultimate vision for the car, and don't compromise that just to get into a show or some free parts. Build it for you and the companies who's parts you're using, let them know about it. If they like what they see, you will hear back from them.

A wise man once confided in me this piece of knowledge: "The first year I went to SEMA, it was entirely on my dime. Every year after that, someone else footed the bill"

I was really surprised at all the sponsored products I got for my car. That's what I think took my car from an amateur look to a professional level.

If the car is inside the building, you're pretty much guaranteed parts. The other thing is that you want to have a lot of manufactures parts on there. That will help bring more people in the booth.

I found initially that it was hard just getting ahold of the right people. I know the companies I wanted to talk to have people asking them for parts every single day, so it comes as no surprise, even when I was guaranteed a spot in a magazine, that no one replied.

Sometimes, it just boils down to being in the right place, at the right time.

Build a $400-$500k car and SEMA comes to you. :sarcasm_smiley: Oh and have a top notch builder build it too.

I think I spend more time at SEMA looking at cars that see action (Troy's new salt '33 roadster, the Optima cars, the RS cars, etc etc) over the pure show pieces. I love them all, but these days cars that get exposure running hard seem to be the ones you see companies gravatating towards. I couldn't blame them. Thanks everyone for the clarification.

I haven't been to SEMA yet, but at other venues I definitely favor the cars that are built to be used hard.

From a guy who has done OK at SEMA, GM design award and Mothers Choice Awards and as a builder I'm not sure I see the value in displaying at the show from a business standpoint. We have built and displayed 6 cars there.

The show will help you build contacts, But I have gotten my best contacts by just dumb luck. I meet the chief product integration manager for GM I think just by chance and got to actually talk to him as he stood in a mile long line for the restroom. But at the SEMA show everyone is trying to meet that right guy to sell their product or get free product or purchase that new product. So that makes everyone so super busy at the show. Most of the guys you want to meet are at a coffee table around the show talking to someone who they have a 1 hour time slot with before their next meeting.

Booth space at SEMA is crazy expensive, And less and less people have big booths so that booth space indoors is highly prized. Now getting a feature vehicle spot outside is easy. Just know a displaying company and be willing to pay 400 bucks and have the displaying companies parts on your car. Most companies will allow you to do that any day. But if you don't have that displaying companies parts on your car its tougher to get them to GIVE your the parts to display the car. So if SEMA is you goal pick your parts wisely, talk to vendors at shows and see if the guy staffing the booth is the truck driver or marketing guy. The marketing guy will be a good contact, the truck driver can careless.

Free parts are just that free parts. Most companies that will just give out free parts willy nilly are probably junk. The good companies understand the have costs in their parts and give away stuff better make good business sense for them. Give you a free set of brakes to be a feature vehicle spot outside is not going to do much for them. Giving you free brake for that dollar car you got from a major manufacturer will get them prime real estate in an OEM booth.

The drawbacks to SEMA are the costs to get your car there. The risk of damage from idiots who are not car people climbing all over your car. The hotel stay because you usually have to be there for 7-8 days depending on your spot. If your car is going to be thrashed to make the show the expense needed for all that overtime and thrashing to get the car done. You will see lots of cars at the show that are not done and don't run.

Some people are hooked up with companies and get a car in their booth every year. Chip Foose, Steve Strope, Ring Bros, Troy Trepanier, etc. they have existing relationships with these companies and might have financial obligation to supply them with a car. It can be good when your on the top of the pile, But most of those guys have told me its not worth the effort. they get nothing out of it.

I see less and less of my industry buddies displaying cars unless they just want to feed their ego. Because once the dust settles its just back to the same ol grind you put in all that effort only to end up no further ahead.

I have had major paint scratches on 2 cars we had at SEMA. One was in a velvet roped protected area in the Meguiars booth. I have heard the worst horror stories about damage to cars at SEMA.

Rodger

SEMA without cars would be a zero. Isn't the car the reason we are all there. Builders get work and builds from someone seeing their work during SEMA.

We get real closed minded and in our own world sometime, SEMA is very international with a lot of potential.

Luck has nothing to do with it, you were there because you were there and it was timing. No one wins the lotto without showing up and buying a ticket. Like Jack Nicklaus said " the more I practice the luckier I get."

I agree Stuart, But I get more work out of just dumb luck or being in the right place at the right time then having an actual fancy booth or risking the damage to a fine auto. But booth did nothing when you meet the guy in line to the mens room and talk for 10 minutes because the line is so long. It did give me a way to show him our work after we got done at the restroom.

You have to first get to a place that increases your odds, in order to actual meet that lucky.