Well guys, many great posts and insights here. I can give a bit of insight from my end, be it a naive and possible amateur one?
SEMA built my business. Not necessarily from a customer stand point, but from the inner framework up. I have been attending now for 6 years, this being the start of m 5th year in business under my own name. What I can tell you is this: Use it for the tool that it is and it is invaluable and indespensible. Meeting companies face to face and building relationships that otherwise happen over the phone is the ONLY way that I can buy and supply myself with the product I need to take our shop into the next level for our clients. Its funny how after even the second year, you can walk up to someone you deal with in a sea of a hundred thousand people with your badge flipped over and they don't even skip a beat, like your old friends.
On top of the manufacturers, its the only time that some canuk like me that is so far disconnected from the major "hubs" of the hot rod world can connect with other shop owners and business peers. Its really cool to have the commrodity and build those friendships so that when you are in need, its there for you. Yeah, there is a ton of politics (which we have experienced first hand) and there will always be the superficial aspects of it, and you will never get rid of the lookey lous. But all in all, for me personally I wouldn't trade it for anything at this point in my business.
Being a small time shop, I was not expecting the excitement that our car drummed up. Now I am partial to it because I built it, and I THINK its cool? but to have it go up on Hot Rod the first day, and get shot by all the mags and internet sites that it did, as well as make it onto V8tv was coverage I could not afford to pay for if I wanted to. Let me tell you for the BS that we put up with building these things, and the money we lose doing so, its nice to get something out of it. I guess our demographic is a bit different too, not being in Cali or even in the states for that matter. We dont have big events like goodguys or likewise, so we get absolutely no attention from the mags or media. Having our car break into the spotlight trickles down to our market area customers as they see it and realize what they have right at home!
On top of all of this, its been an amazing experience to be "sponsored" by a large company and see how things change and doors open when you meet the challenge. I had to pay for my "sponsored" parts, probably because I am a nobody, and maybe because its a high dollar item, but after doing so I can already, a few days after, see things changing from the response on that side of things. I think its cool too to help out. On Sunday, I actually spent the whole evening figuring out and setting up the booth I was in and helped with some technical articles, and didnt sit back and have an attitude or anything because thats the type of people we are! It was fun and a change from the daily grind. Helped take it down too on Friday. I made new friends and built up a super solid relationship with a huge company.
Take away from SEMA what you will. If you go in with a pessimistic attitude, then you will only take away a half full glass. I think too that we should all count ourselves lucky that, yes the industry is affected a bit, but all in all look at how it thrives even in the rough years when some industires fail and collapse. There may not be as many 500k cars, but there is damn sure alot more 250k cars. More than one way to build up the dollars in different denominations right?
Sure, there may be some cars that shouldnt be there, and hopefully it will be controllably downsized just a bit to make it a little more exclusive and manageable, but DAMN its a cool event and is well worth it for a guy like me!
Hope you enjoyed reading my 2 cents, thats all it is so take it with a grain of salt!
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