Event Coverage Questions about SEMA show

The thing you have to rememeber and people who have never been don't seem to understand is that when it is busy the aisles at SEMA are like a sporting event just let out. There is no casually wandering around and browsing booths like a regular trade show. If there is nothing to grab someones attention or they don't know exactly what you are selling and are seeking you out you can just get swept by innocuous booths.

This is SEMA.

 

I haven't been since 2015...but a big part of how SEMA works is being able to easily get contact info from all the folks walking around, using their badges, and then the companies put you on their mailing list (I expect more email now).

So understanding how it works ahead of time is a good thing.

 

Did trade shows for nearly 25 years ( different industry) but the badge sure does flood you with tons of stuff to review.

 

I believe SEMA now has an app for your cell phone available to exhibitors to scan badges and retrieve the info but I am pretty sure they charge you for it like they used to for the scanners. I would imagine it's a pretty penny as well.

 

Just out of curiosity I looked up the 2023 SEMA show rules. Seven pages of regulations and the the do's and don'ts.

 

I was looking at that last night.

 

https://www.semashow.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/rules-regs-display.pdf
https://www.semashow.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/show-rules.pdf

 

Went as a spectator for a few years in the early oughts.
Had a friend who had a unique niche new to market product do a tiny booth once. 8X10 (?), one table, 2 or 3 chairs, his engine on a stand, a thousand flyers and a banner.

From the spectator side (remember, this is open to those in the biz, not general public), there are spies as noted, small to big movers and shakers for B2B stuff, and a huge amount of enthusiasts.

If you are a small booth selling SBC valve covers, everyone is going to walk by. If it is like my friends' product, most walked by, the few that were interested spoke to him. It was the best way for him to show the people what he had and he developed some great contacts. It was horribly expensive for the week. There is this American thing of you have to stand rather than sit at the table to be approachable, and standing is worse than walking.
As shown by the picture above, everyone is competing for a few seconds of your eyes on the booth. So expect to spend a lot of money, be dead tired, and have to interact with every type of person and the show teams even at the small end.
You must attend at least once to get a grasp of what it takes, and at least a few months of planning to set up displaying. The smaller stuff is mostly tucked into off corners. Along with attending, I'd suggest trying to find a friend or company that will let you 'man' their booth at a smaller trade show so you can dry run that part of the experience. This is leaping into the big time.

Expect to have a website, a dedicated email for the show, a lawyer ready to review contracts if you are going B2B, at least 2 people to handle communication during and for weeks after the show, some product ready to go, and solid plans to ramp up production if the idea sells. The business side must be built BEFORE you even think of a booth and you need to be able to show this to businesses and the public. Veterans can smell most cons or the unprepared an isle over. It's their job! That goes both ways, there are guys who prey on startups too.

I tried to find a picture of the bare bones basic booth and ran across this.
I would assume there are a ton of other resources both from SEMA itself and from display builders.

 

After reading many of the other responses.........

I think the first thing I would do is see if you can find information on what companies participated in last years shows and the year before if possible. Then you could see if the "little guy" participates and returns, or if its just best for the deep pockets companies.

Not knowing what kind of parts you are trying to sell, I would also look into which venues tend to draw people that have an interest in your products rather than just the general automotive spectrum.

Walking around at the SRN I have to admit that I was drawn more to the larger displays with catalogs and more expensive toys. That said, Martin Brothers Customs had a trailer with their logo and Joe and Amanda Martin selling stuff............and the geezers were lined up shoulder to shoulder around their booth. Guess everyone wanted to their products.

At SEMA there will be a lot of competition for attention to introduce the new products. Are your products attention getters? Would you be better served placing ads in Street Scene and maybe a couple of the current magazines still published? Maybe just walking around in the parking lot at SEMA and other large rod runs and placing your printed flyers and/or catalogs in/on vehicles that your products apply to.............

I saw a lot of the small booths at SRN that the vendors didn't seem to be attracting any customers most of the time, so it could be a boon or a bust.

 

The current issue of the SEMA magazine has the list of first time exhibitors. Again, are you a SEMA member. If so you get daily online updates on show info and the magazine is a wealth of information.

 

We did 1 very large show and it’s more focus targeted than sema would be targeted. Because the Camaro guys, mopar guys, street rod guys aren’t really my customers.
I certainly didn’t get everyone’s attention but I had enough to keep my mouth running NON STOP for 4 days and people waiting a few deep to talk to me. My wife said I’m gonna record you. The next guy can watch the video so you can at least eat a sandwich. The vendor next to said he’s never seen anyone able to talk that much, he also said I’ve heard enough I can tell people about it so you can go pee.
That was a nitchie but BIG national show and I was right where I needed to be. I really don’t want to sell to a 1000 different people I’d rather have 2 or 3 established catalog places to sell quantity to. They can handle all the nonsense and I just do my thing. Maybe I’ll get it going and sell the whole shooting match

 

Doesn't sound like SEMA is at all what you want to do if you are looking for a couple of established distributors. For the most part big distributors are not walking around talking to individual booths looking for new products. New products approach them. You are going to get shops and smaller local distributors coming to your booth. You would really want those big distribution channels already in place before you attend the show so you could direct people there to buy your products.

 

That sounds like a chicken or egg first thing.

 

Depends on what your goal is for going to SEMA. If it's to find distribution for your product it's probably the wrong investment of funds if its to build the business through dealing with those 1000 different guys until you think you have enough business to approach a distributor then it is.

 

I brokered the deal to get our product in the LARGEST distributer in the world. It came down to who I knew and not what. One well placed phone call and we had a customer ordering by the container. We also got a special invite to their own mini trade show to display with a select few vendors. I even got to meet @Dreddybear in person there!

Another tip for a large trade show. Even tho SEMA is supposed to be all industry folks there are hundreds of buddies to the shop owner that get credentials to attend. You need to be able to look at their badge and quickly assess if they are worth your time. Usually the wild eyed gawker carrying a bag of EVERY freebie he can grab is just some schmoe off the street not worth your time.

 

Yep, I was the schmoe, got in with the company I worked for (S&P 500 main Co. our sub was involved in technical information, both had booths). That is why I mentioned

I place my experience firmly in the latter part. If the plan is to make deals strictly with Warehouse Distributors (WDs) in a B2B way, SEMA is a waste. Find out who you want to target (use SEMA membership info to find the WDs)
https://www.sema.org/news-media/magazine/2020/18/sema-membership-directory-2020
and reach out to the buyers by researching each place. I'd say that glassdoor should be used to find out the way the company operates internally too. Lots of homework, but cheaper and focused on what you want to achieve. How many tales here of Speedway buying the little guy stuff then undercutting with their own offshore copy?

 

Well when I went there were pretty big displays for the most part, one that really stuck out for me…and don’t be this guy..they were an Asian abrasive company…and they literally..and this is no joke had some rolls of DA paper on the table with a piece stuck on the table under each roll…that was a hard pass on by for me..to answer your question, you’ll need some sort of display, I’d say at least a nice backdrop with your company name and what you do…also I don’t think the show is cheap…my other gripe…. Not long enough hours…seems like it shuts down pretty early

 

That what they did to Lakeshore Fabrication.

 

Catalog?
Not like a QR code.

why visit first. We’re adventurers. Do your best educated effort.
Then ya learn.

 

Anthony, we all ask questions here to help improve our knowledge and promote positive outcomes.
Diving in is great, but I'm sure the school programs you teach have a mandatory safety module before shop work. No need to loose a finger in learning how a saw works. SEMA would cost at least 10K to do a booth. It's also probably too late to get anything other than the dregs of a place and possibly too late to get into the printed material, Best New Product display, etc. Expensive lesson.

 

Yes we do.
That’s where the best educated effort part came from.
We cut a bus in half and drove it 1100 miles out of our shop in its first voyage. Our best educated effort was successful.

If you can swim and the water is deep enough, dive in

 

After attending several times, it is very overwelming! There are thousand s of people as shown in the picture above and you have to have a booth to attract those people. A small boring booth does not always attract the attention you may be looking for. Your product may. It looks to be a lot of work as you know from the one big show you attended. I know a guy that has a booth each year and he spends 99 % of his time there trying to attract customers and gain their business and after it is over he needs to take a week off to recover as he can hardly talk anymore after the time there. He does not have several employees, only he and his wife and it is tough. I would suggest attending first to get a feel for it. Just my thoughts. Good luck.

 

Any time I feel afraid or doubt myself, I remember the brave words from this American hero. From expelled student to US senator.

 

My thoughts, not that anyone asked….Everyone saying a small booth doesn’t attract a lot of attention I’m sure is true, however it may just attract the right one or two.

With no risk comes no reward.

@31Vicky with a hemi doesn't strike me as a stupid man.

 

That’s the old team spirit!!!!!

go team!!!!