Detore: Assessing the glitz, glamour of SEMA

LAS VEGAS — To paraphrase Mark Twain, the claims of SEMA's death are greatly exaggerated.

At least that's what some exhibitors and attendees think. Others, however, aren't so sure.

There's no question that the Specialty Equipment Market Association Show — or SEMA as it's commonly called — draws huge crowds. That was abundantly clear at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), which hosted this year's show in early November.

Walk through most exhibit halls at SEMA — or the exhibits at the Sands Expo, where the complementary Automotive Aftermarket Product Expo, or AAPEX, is held — and it's often like rush hour on a Southern California freeway. You'll bob and weave to avoid the traffic, slowing down at some spots, accelerating through others, as you attempt to get from Point A to Point B.

SEMA boasts on its website that 2,500 companies exhibit in 5,500 booths, and that 70,000 buyers attend — only those credentialed as buyers and media can attend the four-day event.

Those numbers would seem to indicate that SEMA is, indeed, an industry heavyweight.

But is it? How important is the event?

Or is the show losing its luster?

Some argue that it's bigger, better and more relevant than ever before.

For those who haven't attended the event, the Global Tire Expo (GTE) — which features the vast majority of tire and tire-related exhibitors — is located on the ground floor of the South Hall. The Tire Industry Association (TIA) and SEMA team up, they say, to serve the "unique needs of the tire dealers and the tire business community," targeting all segments of the tire industry.

Traffic throughout the hall seemed to remain steady each of the show's first three days (visitors traditionally leave town on Friday).

This year, we at Tire Business doubled the size of our booth to accommodate our livestream events. The advertising and editorial departments of this publication hosted 10 half-hour livestreams over a three-day period. They are available to view at tirebusiness.com/SEMAlive.

Visitors stopped by our booth frequently to see what was happening and listen to the broadcast.

Hunter Engineering Co. occupies the largest booth in the hall, a 7,000-sq.-ft. space that faces the entrance. No matter what time of day, it seemed, the Hunter booth was teeming with activity.

In fact, the company said it had more than 175 scheduled meetings alone during the show. That, of course, doesn't account for walk-up traffic that resulted in a meeting and, perhaps, in a sale.

Traffic seemed to be just as crazy at the Toyo Treadpass, an exhibit area between the South and Central Halls that included an air-conditioned tent.

Executives from Toyo Tire U.S.A. said they couldn't be happier with the number of visitors to their display, many of whom said they were there to claim limited-edition pins that the tire maker gave out periodically. Toyo smartly uses its social media expertise to target a specific audience that, in turn, seems to support its products.

Naysayers, however, would point to the fact that none of the Big 3 tire makers — Bridgestone, Michelin or Goodyear — have exhibits, and that most other major companies — Continental, Nexen, Sumitomo/Falken, Yokohama — that do have a presence at the show opt for exhibit space in the open-air section outside of the LVCC's exhibition halls.

Cooper Tire is the only U.S.-based manufacturer to exhibit inside the South Hall. Tire Business has identified roughly 70 companies as tire makers that exhibited this year, and 50 or more of those were Chinese.

While the Chinese contingent was essentially on par with 2018, it should be noted that a dozen or so Chinese companies displayed "Made in Thailand (or Vietnam or Malaysia, etc.)" signs prominently in their booths.

This reflects commercial reality, as major Chinese tire producers are increasingly adding capacities in those Southeast Asian nations to avoid the elevated U.S. import duties imposed on tires from China.

One Chinese company told us that it was only there to preserve its booth space.

The heavy presence of Chinese companies in the GTE space certainly didn't go unnoticed, especially by those who say SEMA has lost some steam.

"I can't believe the number of Chinese companies that were there, all selling a similar product with a similar pattern," said one dealer, who said he attends the show sporadically.

Other dealers, however, said they enjoyed visiting booths and talking with their suppliers.

"We had some very productive meetings," one dealer told me. "(Coming to SEMA) was worth the time."

And in a back-handed compliment to the strength of the SEMA Show, numerous major tire manufacturers sent representatives to the show and/or met customers off-site.

Tires, however, still must resonate with both attendees and exhibitors. Beginning next year, AAPEX will have a special section at its show dedicated to the products and equipment needed for balancing, aligning and servicing tires.

The new space, to be called Repair Shop HQ, will occupy level 1 of the Sands Expo, meeting demands of this "growing sector," according to AAPEX. 

That inaugural event, coincidentally, will debut the same year as TIA will celebrate its centennial anniversary.

So just how important are SEMA and AAPEX to the tire industry? If you attended the shows, what are your impressions? If you haven't attended them, why not?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Email me at [email protected] with your comments.