SEMA

Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) of the automobile aftermarket was formed in 1963 by Roy Richter, Ed Iskenderian, Willie Garner, Bob Hedman, Robert E. Wyman, John Bartlett, Phil Weiand, Jr., Al Segal, Dean Moon, and Vic Edelbrock, Jr. and now consists of 6,383 companies worldwide, bringing together aftermarket manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers, media, car dealers, specialty equipment distributors, installers, retailers and restoration specialists.

Products in this $29.99 billion-a-year industry include performance and racing components, cosmetic and functional accessories, wheels and tires, mobile electronics, safety products, restoration parts, handling equipment, drivetrain parts and more. The industry covers Hot rods, muscle cars, classics, luxury vehicles, sport compacts, street rods, light trucks (off-road and sport trucks) SUVs, Custom and recreational vehicles.

SEMA provides services for employees of its member companies that include education and professional development, market research, legislative and regulatory advocacy, industry publications, international business development and business to business events.

The largest of the SEMA events held annually during the first week of November is the SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada in conjunction with the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week. As part of this event, SEMA and other automotive aftermarket trade groups make-up one of the single largest events on the Las Vegas calendar. This is a title formerly held by the now defunct COMDEX show. This auto show is not open to the public. Registration as media, manufacturer, buyer or exhibitor is required.

History

Originally, the SEMA acronym stood for Speed Equipment Manufacturing Association. In 1970, government regulations became an issue and the name was changed to Specialty Equipment Market Association to improve the overall image of the association.

Founding members of SEMA

Company	Founder
Ansen Automotive Engineering	Louie Senter
B&M Automotive Products	Bob Spar
Cragar Industries Inc.	Roy Richter
Eelco Manufacturing & Supply	Els Lohn
Grant Industries	John Bartlett
Ed Iskenderian Racing Cams	Ed Iskenderian
Milodon Engineering	Don Alderson
Moon Equipment Company	Dean Moon
Schiefer Manufacturing	Paul Schiefer
Trans Dapt	Willie Garner
Weber Speed Equipment	Harry Weber
Weiand Power & Racing	Phil Weiand
Dempsey Wilson Racing Cams	Dempsey Wilson

Charter members of SEMA

Company	Founder
American Racing Equipment	Jim Ellison
CAE Racing Products	Jim Culbertson
Chuchua's 4-Wheel Drive	Brian Chuchua
Crankshaft Company	Huey Holik
Edelbrock Equipment Company	Vic Edelbrock
Enginetics	Ruth Wilson
Halibrand Engineering	Ted Halibrand
Hedman Manufacturing Company	Bob Hedman
Hurst-Campbell, Inc.	George Hurst
Inglewood Tire Company	Bill Krech
J.E. Engineering	Bill Pendleton
Offenhauser Sales	Fred Offenhauser
Potvin Equipment	Chuck Potvin
Scott Engineering
Segal Automotive	Al Segal
Shelby American	Carroll Shelby
Spalding Products	Tom Spalding
Speed-A-Motive	Harold Osborne
Thomas Automotive Products	Bill Thomas
Traction Master Company	Maury Leventhal
W&H Engineering	Bob Wyman

Former Chairmen

Chairman	Company
Jim Cozzie	Certus Strategic Partners
Mitch Williams	Pilot Automotive Inc.
Corky Coker	Coker Tire Company
Nate Shelton	B&M Automotive
Charlie Van Cleve	Hedman Manufacturing Inc.
Brian Appelgate	B&M Automotive
Ronald Coleman	Competition Cams, Inc.

SEMA Show

The SEMA Show is held at the Las Vegas Convention Center.^[1] It is among the largest convention held in Vegas. SEMA Show 2013 drew about 60,000 buyers.^[2] The displays are segmented into 12 sections, and a New Products Showcase featured nearly 2,000 newly introduced parts, tools and components. In addition, the SEMA Show provides attendees with educational seminars, product demonstrations, special events, networking opportunities and more.

The first SEMA Show was held in 1967 in the basement of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, before moving to the new Anaheim Stadium in 1974. In 1967 they had 98 manufacturers manning booths and an attendance of 3000 people. In 1967 there were 5 cars on display, including a 1967 Ford GT40 in the Shelby America booth and a drag race prepped Dodge Dart.^[3] The early shows, held in Los Angeles and Anaheim, California, were exclusively card-table-and-masking-tape affairs, but by the early 1970s, sophisticated display and marketing techniques were visible throughout the show. At that time, a Show booth cost $375. The Show moved to a different location—the new and expansive Anaheim Convention Center (across from Disneyland). Booth sales and attendance kept increasing dramatically. The SEMA Show continued to cater to the needs of industry representatives rather than consumers and began to develop a reputation as a place where business was expected and completed. As part of the ’70s SEMA Shows, one of the must-attend events was Doris Herbert’s Drag News party, which was topped only by the SEMA Awards Banquet.

Then, in 1975, the featured entertainers for the Awards Banquet were April Stevens and Nino Tempo. In 1976 (the last SEMA Show to be held in Anaheim), the Show was a sellout with 570 booths and, in fact, had to turn away a number of manufacturers due to lack of space. Over the next few years, the Show grew much larger and soon filled the Convention Center to capacity and was moved to Las Vegas in 1977. Las Vegas was chosen because it provided room for continued growth, dependable weather, big-name entertainment and a world-famous location.

In 1977, SEMA’s Awards Banquet (run by Sheldon Konblett) was held at the Sands Hotel and featured Norm Crosby. Sheldon Konblett also developed the design for the SEMA trophies, which have come to symbolize product innovation and excellence in the industry.

In 1979, Nile Cornelison began plans for his Innovations Day seminars program, which has since become one of the major annual association programs. The following year, Innovations Day was a smashing success and featured Lee A. Iacocca as the keynote speaker. Never before had any activity held on the day prior to the Show’s opening attracted anything near the more than 460 who attended. That same year, Willie Nelson was the featured entertainer for the SEMA Awards Banquet.

In 1983, the import parts section of the SEMA Show was added under the auspices of sister organization, Automotive International Association, thus changing the name to SEMA/AI Show. In 1984, there was a combined SEMA/AI/APAA Show in Las Vegas. The Industry Awards Banquet was held at the MGM Grand, and the entertainment was provided by The Platters and Gallagher. By all indications, the move to Las Vegas has been an overwhelming success. In 1986, Car and Driver magazine noted that the Show was a “…prime opportunity to monitor the West Coast car culture without breathing the smog or fighting the freeways.” That same year, Jay Leno made his first appearance on stage at the SEMA Show Industry Awards Banquet.

In 1990, the onsite registration fee was increased to $20. All exhibitors are eligible to submit an entry into the New Products Showcase at no cost. SEMA, above all, dedicates itself to its members. The association is constantly adapting to meet their needs. As the economic, technological, legislative, and social environments change, the association is constantly on the lookout for ways to fulfill its mission.

In 1992, the SEMA/AI Show and the Automotive Service Industry, Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association and Automotive Parts & Accessories Association (ASIA/MEMA/APAA Show—formerly the Big I/APAA Show) came together to form Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW) in Las Vegas. The two shows together boasted in excess of 1.6 million square feet of exhibits.

In 1997, the National Tire Dealers & Retreaders (NTDRA) trade show was combined with the SEMA Show. Affiliating the 77-year-old NTDRA trade show with the SEMA portion of AAIW provided benefits to both sides. In the same year, Goodyear sponsored the first SEMA-NTDRA “Racers’ Night Out” at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In 1998, the SEMA Show broke the 500,000-foot mark with 502,912 net square feet of rented space. Each year since then, the Show has set new records of some sort. It now occupies more than one million net square feet, draws more than 3,000 media, and has a buyer attendance in excess of 60,000. The SEMA Show now routinely brings together more than 2,000 exhibitors, occupying in excess of 10,000 booths. Total attendance at the Show now tops 100,000 manufacturers, buyers and other industry representatives, making contacts and doing business.^[4]

1967

• Dodge Dart Drag Race Car
• Ford GT40

67 Dodge Adventurer D100 Truck Parts

1984

• Chevrolet Camaro GTZ Concept^[5]
• Pontiac Fiero by IRM

1985

• Buick Wildcat Concept

1987

• Ford Bronco II Concept

1990

• Chevrolet Camaro B&M Neon

1991

• Chevrolet Camaro LT5 Concept
• Geo Tracker "Boom Box" Concept
• Geo "Zonker" Metro

1992

• Boyd Coddington Chezoom
• Chevrolet Highlander Concept
• Chevrolet Impala SS Concept

1993

• Callaway C8 SuperNatural
• Chevrolet Camaro by BBS Wheels
• Chevrolet Camaro by RK Sport
• Chevrolet Camaro by Kobel
• Chevrolet Camaro by Pro Cut
• Chevrolet Camaro by Paxton

1994

• Chevrolet Blazer ZR2 Concept
• Chevrolet Cavalier Touring Sedan Concept
• Chevrolet NASCAR Super Truck ^[6]
• Chevrolet Monte Carlo Sport Concept
• Chevrolet Lumina Super Sport Concept
• Chevrolet Ram Van Concept
• Chevrolet S-Series Wings Concept
• Geo Tracker Kalahari Concept
• Geo Tracker Outbacker Concept

1995

• Chevrolet Cavalier Spyder Concept
• Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 ^[7]
• Chevrolet Caprice "Fire & Rescue"
• Chevrolet Tahoe SS Concept
• Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Concept
• Chevrolet Monte Car-Low "Lead Sled" Concept
• Chevrolet S-10 Elongate Concept ^[8]
• Chevrolet S-10 Hugger Concept
• Dodge Ram VTS Concept
• Dodge Viper GTS Indy 500 Pace Car
• Ford Ranger Splash MATCO

1996

1997

• Chevrolet S-10 Xtreme Force Concept
• Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 Technic Concept
• Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Indy 500 Pace Car
• Chevrolet Malibu Sport Concept
• Chevrolet Ski Van Concept
• Dodge Durango Super Pursuit
• Ford F-150 Super Duty
• Ford F-250 Super Duty
• Ford F-350 Super Duty
• Ford F-450 Super Duty
• Ford F-550 Super Duty
• Ford "Baja Baby" Ranger Concept
• Ford Mustang GT Shinoda Boss
• Ford Mustang Super Stallion Concept^[9]
• Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX SCC Magazine^[10]

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

• Mercury Mariner "Urban Edition" Concept^[44]

2005

2006

2013

SEMA awards

Since 2003, the GT awards have been presented at the SEMA Auto Convention, and these include categories such as Best in Show, Best Hot Rod, and Best European Import.^[52][53][54] SEMA was also presented with the Grassroots Motorsports Editors' Choice Award in 2012.^[55]

SEMA Action Network

Since 1997, the SEMA Action Network (SAN) has been a grassroots network for the automotive hobby. The SEMA Action Network is a partnership between enthusiasts, vehicle clubs and members of the specialty automotive parts industry in the United States and Canada who have joined forces to promote automotive hobby-friendly legislation and oppose, what they consider, unfair laws.

In the past, the SAN has successfully:

• Enacted street rod and custom vehicle (including kit cars and replicas) registration and titling laws in over 20 states
• Protected classic vehicles waiting to be restored on private property from confiscation
• Safeguarded legal off-road nitrous oxide use with SAN model legislation
• Defended enthusiast’s right to use aftermarket exhaust systems
• Junked state level “Cash for Clunkers” legislation
• Enacted legislation to lower taxes and fees for hobbyist vehicles
• Advocated to ensure public lands remain open to responsible off-road recreation

See also

• Aftermarket exhaust parts
• Clean Air Act, Warranty Provisions (42 U.S.C. S 7541 (C) (3) (B))
• Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

References

External links

• Official SEMA website
• Official SEMA Show website
• Official SEMA Hall of Fame website
• Official SEMA digital media site
• Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week
• History of SEMA
• SEMA Action Network website
• Clean Air Act Warranty Provisions (42 U.S.C. S 7541 (C) (3) (B)).
• SEMA Show Pictures
• SEMA Photo Coverage and More