Responce to Sema

[americansupercarinc]

I see some great pic"s here on this site from Sema
I was unable to go this year due to family illness but I was told attendence was down both venders and spectators .Any truth to this and how bad was it
Thanks
Phil

[camcojb]

Originally Posted by americansupercarinc

I see some great pic"s here on this site from Sema
I was unable to go this year due to family illness but I was told attendence was down both venders and spectators .Any truth to this and how bad was it
Thanks
Phil

a lady from SEMA quoted a friend at 40% down. There were few outside vendors as compared to last year, didn't have the big tent in the lot other than the registration tent. It was easier to manuever the show, but still pretty busy. There were definitely less vendors in the wheel/tire building, and even hot rod alley seemed to have a bit more free space in some areas.

Jody

[Steve1968LS2]

I heard the quality of the visitors was up though.. :shrug:

Still seemed busy.. Here's what SEMA said about it:

The domestic and global economic crisis offered 2008 SEMA Show exhibitors and attendees at least one small benefit: it kept the "tire kickers" at home. Industry slang for those attendees not interested in buying, tire kickers decided that their efforts in previous years (including elaborate schemes to sneak into the Show) weren’t worth it this year. The result: a concentration of more qualified and interested buyers.

SEMA has taken several steps in recent years to protect the Show's purpose of connecting buyers and sellers. These include assigning "alumni numbers" to qualified attendees, and heightened screening of the application process. These and other safeguards paid dividends to the Show's more than 1,900 exhibitors.

"Going into the Show, I figured I'd be selling parts to the gang in the booth next to us," says L.J. Lobsinger Jr., national sales manager for Specialty Auto Parts USA. "We were pleasantly surprised by the turnout, and it was truly a quality-versus-quantity show, as we met with nearly every important buyer on the books."

Lobsinger also noted the general optimism of buyers and attendees, particularly a day after the general election and regardless of poor earnings reports announced by GM and Ford.

"This industry will always show resiliency. No matter what GM, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Tata and so on build, the aftermarket will create something to make those cars and trucks look better and go faster."

The Show also provided exceptional value to first-time exhibitors, even those off the usual specialty-equipment path.

"As a small company, this exposure gave us numerous contacts with industry vendors, current and future customers, magazine editors and other equipment and product manufacturing companies that could help us in our own manufacturing processes," says Ethan Olmstead of Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems, a company that produces conversion kits allowing diesel autos to run on waste vegetable oil.


"SEMA was not only the best organized and most well-attended exhibition we have attended, but also the most positive and promising for the company as well."


Despite the bailouts and belt-tightening, despite the market's dependence on discretionary income and despite the dour news of slowing auto sales, the specialty-equipment industry demonstrated its confidence and foresight.

"Attracting more than 100,000 attendees was remarkable under the circumstances of a difficult year,” said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. “Each year the Show brings new challenges and the industry showed that it has the confidence and desire to overcome a tough stretch of road. Those who exhibited have positioned their products well for when the market comes back to full strength.”

[vipercuda]

Originally Posted by camcojb

a lady from SEMA quoted a friend at 40% down. There were few outside vendors as compared to last year, didn't have the big tent in the lot other than the registration tent. It was easier to manuever the show, but still pretty busy. There were definitely less vendors in the wheel/tire building, and even hot rod alley seemed to have a bit more free space in some areas.

Jody

I would say Tuesday and Wednesday were just as busy as any year but Thursday and Friday were off. I think people came but left early. I heard there was net vendor decline of about 150 companies. As always, it was a very good show for us.

Mike

[JamesJ]

the vendors that i know that went are all more the old 32 ford hot rod style thing and they said that their segment was way down, compared to last year.

[fesler]

SEMA was way down in people but it was a good thing because we got to talk to more dealers. Booths were way down in the wheel section about 40% but in our side of it it was up, go look at all that attended and you will see that the Hot Rod section and Performance section was way up. All in all I think it was one of the best SEMAs for us so far and I have been going for almost 10 years with a booth.

[skatinjay27]

yea friday was very easy to move around. not crowded at all.
but curtis & anthony said tuesday and wednesday you could barly walk...

[slownova]

i thought this year it seemed kinda hard to talk to venders. they either seemed to busy, or to "in thier own world" to deal with little guys. some companys hit it hard, and got great responces it seemed, but others, thought they were the show. did alot of buiesness at the show, and got alot of great contacts, but the ones i really wanted to get, were flukes. i've been hearing its just me though but i don't know, thats my impression. i think its like that with vendors in general. ive been trying to buy a set of heads for 2 weeks now for a LS1, and i can't even get people to call me back.

[XcYZ]

SEMA officials gave every vendor a gift card worth 5% of the cost of their booth space. I think it says a lot if SEMA is giving money back, a rebate, to the vendors.

[XLexusTech]

Just wondering what this show is actually for. What I am reading lately makes me believe the show is for vendors to allign with dealers.
And what its not for is for the general community.

IS that the bottomline on this event?