The SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show in Las Vegas, Nevada is a celebration of all things automotive. Unlike a regular auto show, which is all about the big car companies, SEMA is about what enthusiasts do to personalize their cars. It’s about making your Ford F-150 stand out in a crowd or your Honda Honda Civic the fastest car on the block.
SEMA Show
The SEMA Show is an annual trade show hosted in Las Vegas, Nevada by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), first held in January 1967 as the High Performance and Custom Trade Show. It is widely considered to be the world’s largest tuner and aftermarket-specific motor show in the world. The show has traditionally been hosted in the Las Vegas Convention Center, attracting over 140,000 visitors annually, with over 2,400 exhibitors present in its current incarnation. Despite its focus on the aftermarket, the show attracts a large number of automakers annually, showcasing everything from concept builds to accessories.
Whether it’s unique wheels, a lift kit that makes your car high enough to need a stepladder, sport seats in a custom color, or ground effects lighting, SEMA celebrates the aftermarket industry and the people who embrace customization. Overseeing SEMA is president and CEO Mike Spagnola who took some time to talk about why SEMA is still the place to be for automotive enthusiasts.
The American Dream In Action
In a city where conventions are a way of life, SEMA is the biggest of them all and it just keeps growing. “This year is the most manufacturers ever, 2,408 manufacturers on the floor. So that’s the most small widget guys and big widget guys, we’ve ever had,” said Spagnola. Those widgets are big companies like Toyota, which showed off concepts including a three-seat Land Cruiser, and small companies with entrepreneurs who have put it all on the line for their dreams.
“I met a woman and her father who quit their jobs to create this trailer hitch plug-in accessory,” he said. “They bet their life on it. That’s kind of the American dream, right? I got this idea, I’m gonna risk everything, and I’m gonna go do this deal. It’s cool to see those guys.”
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It’s no small number of people risking it all at SEMA. “There’s a little over 500 brand new people here for the first time,” he said. “What happens is about 500 show up the first year and about 250 make it the second year, then about half that again the third year. If they make it through the third year, then they kind of take off.”
The Largest Automotive Trade Show In The US
Risking it all to show off that product at SEMA makes a lot of sense. “It’s 160,000 people here this week, 1.2 million square feet of booths, 3 million square feet of campus. We don’t even count the stuff out front and the drift stuff in our square footage. It’s the largest automotive trade show in the US.”
“CES used to be the largest show, but we’ve taken over.”
– Mike Spagnola, CEO and President, SEMA
The sheer number of things to see, from row upon row of incredible custom builds outside to the booths inside, is hard to fully grasp until you’re at the show. “I like to joke about the fact that it’s all stuff nobody needs, but they have to have,” he said.
“It’s all passion-driven, it’s all cool stuff. It really represents just about every single facet of the industry. It’s everything from overland, which wasn’t around five years ago and is now blowing up, to off-road. It’s lowered trucks. It’s race trucks. The whole tuner community is kind of starting to finally embrace us,” said Spagnola. There really is something for everyone. You can even find custom builds of law enforcement vehicles. It’s a show that’s not only diverse but constantly evolving with automotive trends.
The Continuing Evolution Of Automotive
That evolution includes embracing new technologies of all kinds. “Whether it’s internal combustion engine, or whether it’s hydrogen, or whether it’s other alternative fuels, we’re gonna continue to push the envelope. People want to individualize,” said Spagnola.
“It is really cool to watch and see the evolution. It’s healthy because it means the industry’s alive and well and going to continue. We’re going to continue to be able to modify no matter what.”
“Even the evolution on EV. People think that we’re against EV. We’re not against EV. We’re against the EV mandates. EVs are cool technology. We don’t think it should be mandated. If people want to drive EVs, that’s cool. But if people want to drive a nice internal combustion engine, or if they want to drive a hybrid, that’s fine,” said Spagnola. “America’s been built on the fact of being able to innovate, and we shouldn’t stifle innovation.”
“I’ll bet there’s a hundred EV conversions here,” he added. “We all want clean air, we want a better environment. We get all that, but allow us to continue to innovate.” The automotive world doesn’t stand stilll. Whereever it goes, SEMA plans to be there to support the people who create the products enthusiasts love.
