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
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