As a show that’s existed since 1967 — and has been in Las Vegas for 47 of those years — there are always new features and events being added to the SEMA Show lineup. This year is no exception. Tom Gattuso, vice president of events for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), lays out what you can look forward to at this year's show and why he believes that “this year will take the SEMA Show’s evolution to a new level.”
FB: What new attractions or events can you highlight for this 2024 SEMA Show?
TG: We’ve got a lot in store. The show's core will be familiar, but some things are happening that caused us to redesign the inside and outside.
There will be construction, and it's part of this long-term expansion and renovation project that the Las Vegas Convention Center is doing. We're going to be able to work through all of that, but know that at the end of this, the convention center is going to be one of the top facilities in the country and the perfect place to house our show.
That said, we've got some new things happening outside. There's going to be a redesigned entrance and experiential part of the show in the parking lots. We've got new drift areas, new ride and drive areas, and new activities. Plus, we’re bringing the second annual SEMA Fest onto the convention center grounds on Friday night with headliners Cage the Elephant and Sublime. We've also got a new footprint of where all the vehicles are going to go. I think most of the show will be familiar, but a good portion will be new to people.
For the first time, we're going to do a live stream of every hour of our show. We will start streaming on YouTube when the show opens at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, and it will broadcast until the end of the show at four o'clock on Friday. The live stream will broadcast the great things our industry does to a global audience.
We expect that over the years, the live stream is going to have different effects. Globally, people will know more about the inside of the show, we'll be able to reach more people and educate them on all the great things that our industry does. At the same time, live streaming will be an awareness campaign, where people will start to come to the show in even greater numbers. It's going to increase the value of what we're doing on-site as well.
We’ve also added a few new events. One of them is going to be an industry night and have a concert attached to it. It’s going to allow people an opportunity to gather and network. The bands that we have lined up for that are the Goo Goo Dolls, O.A.R., and Reignwolf.
FB: The quote: “The more voices we have, the more SEMA can do to protect your freedom and our passion,” is posted on SEMA’s website. Can you tell me how this message is incorporated into the SEMA Show?
TG: There are regulations right now in different states and at different levels of our government that feel like electric vehicles must be mandated.
SEMA believes that electric vehicles are an answer but doesn't feel like they're the only answer. There's incredible innovation happening in different areas of the industry with synthetic fuels and other forms of propulsion right now. We feel that the marketplace is smart enough to decide what's going to be best for their needs. We're able to showcase these innovations in our FutureTech Studio area at the show.
We'll also have good representation from our team in Washington, D.C., at the show. There will be opportunities where you can connect with that group or even within groups like I-CAR and CREF (Collision Repair Education Foundation) that do similar things. You'll be able to feel part of a community that is making sure that all the voices and options are heard and be able to participate in that firsthand.
FB: What do you hope attendees' main takeaways from this year's show will be?
TG: I would say community would be a big one. When you walk through the Upper South Hall —which is our collision repair and school section — you’ll feel that community. It's just incredible that we have these people who have worked together for years and years, and they have new jobs, and they're maintaining relationships throughout their whole career.
I would also say the innovative products that we have. All the new tech and new ways to do things. When you come to the show, and then you bring what you discovered back to work. The products and processes are cutting-edge and will assist you in selecting better products for your end user, and your customer.
The third thing is being able to educate yourself in the industry. We've got a lot of different education sessions. There are a lot of different tracks and there are some specifically geared to the collision repair industry that are hosted CREF, I-CAR, and SCRS.
FB: Any last remarks that you would like our readers to know about the 2024 SEMA Show?
TG: This is going to be our best show ever. So, if someone's thinking about whether this is the year they want to come to the SEMA Show, I would say that undoubtedly this is going to be one of the best shows if not the best we've ever had. For those who have been to our show in the past, we've got a lot of new things happening, and I think they're going to be surprised with all that they're going to be able to see and learn.
