SEMA 2021
The Super Bowl of automotive shows is on! With COVID -19 restrictions being slowly lifted thanks to vaccinations, social distancing and facemasks, state governments have made it possible to get businesses to open up..
This of course means that the SEMA 2021 show will go on as it normally would.
With more than five weeks to go before the SEMA Show space agreement deadline, Show management reports that more than 1,000 exhibitors have already been confirmed for the 2021 event. The news is significant, and underscores the work that Las Vegas and its businesses are doing to welcome back large-venue events like the SEMA Show.
The Las Vegas Convention Center’s newly constructed West Hall, a 1.4-million square feet facility, was completed in January, and will house exhibitors from the Restyling & Car Care Accessories, Powersports & Utility Vehicles, and Truck, SUV & Off-Road sections.
As the city continues to ramp back up to host events, the buzz among exhibitors anticipating the return of the in-person SEMA Show for 2021 has increased significantly.
“People are eager to get back to the SEMA Show and reestablish their in-person connections with colleagues and customers,” said Vice President of Events Tom Gattuso. “The groundswell of excitement among exhibitors increases each day, and the Show is the ‘Main Event’ that the industry is looking forward to in 2021.”
The 2021 SEMA Show is a little more than seven months away, and Show management continues to work closely with the convention center authorities and the state of Nevada to help deliver the best SEMA Show ever.
SEMA 2021 – Show Dates to Remember
- The Exhibitor Services Manual (ESM) will be live in May. The ESM contains all of the forms and applications required to prepare for the Show: feature vehicles, new products, booth vehicles, celebrity appearances, etc.
- Deadline to submit Exhibit Space Rental Application and deposit is May 7.
- SEMA Show Space Selection: June 7, 2021-June 23, 2021.
Reserve booth space for the 2021 SEMA Show at www.SEMAshow.com/exhibitor.
For complete information about the 2021 SEMA Show, visit www.SEMAShow.com.
What to Expect
So, with two years of absence, what should show-goers expect? Well, you can bet that the project cars that were started in 2019 are now finished – or should be.
Beyond that, there have been several developments and a great deal of innovation since the last SEMA Show, despite COVID. The introduction of new vehicles over the past two years should add to the excitement. The new Bronco and the new Supra should be popular on the show floor. Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda, Toyota and Volvo have all released new cars since the last SEMA show.
In the Hot Rod world, big changes have been happening over the last several years. Not the least of which is how hot rod builders get exposure and recognition for their works. With car magazines going the way of the Dodo bird, digital media has taken over. Hot rod builders and their audiences have been a little slower to embrace and exploit this new form of media.
Many of our sources mentioned the rapidly shifting media landscape as a potential market disruptor, as traditional print-based commercial media gives way to streaming video and social media as preferred tools of consumer engagement.
“The collapse of print magazines has been spoken about for years, but it has finally happened—and sooner than I thought,” Shawn Brereton, editorial director at Power Automedia, said. “Only time will tell if it is a good or bad thing, but I’ve already seen smaller niche titles popping up to fill in the void. Additionally, video has leapt to the forefront, whether it be hosted on a company website, Facebook or live-streamed. But I think companies are still trying to figure out the best ways to utilize it, not to mention make it profitable.”
“Today’s customer is different from what we had 15–20 years ago—or even five years ago,” Kyle Tucker, president of Detroit Speed said. “New customers coming into our industry many times do not recognize the long-running brands that gearheads growing up in the industry know. If new customers are online, they are there to reach manufacturers and make opinions based on social-media strength. The playing field is different today, and if you have a good online and social-media look, the playing field can be more equal than ever.”