Editorial: Were SEMA and AAPEX successful this year?

Each year around this time, the same question is asked: How was SEMA and AAPEX?

And each post-pandemic year, the answer remains the same: It depends upon whom you ask.

Overall, the SEMA Show — the Specialty Equipment Market Association — and AAPEX — the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo — seemed to be a success both for those that exhibited and those who attended.

According to organizers, attendance at SEMA and AAPEX this year topped 161,000, on par with the 2023 event, with 140 countries represented. According to reports, more than 2,400 exhibitors were there, including nearly 600 first-timers.

This article appeared in the Dec. 6, 2024, edition of Tire Business.

On paper, those numbers look great, but did the shows live up to the hype? Are they a worthwhile endeavor for exhibitors and attendees, given the costs — not to mention the traffic nightmare that is Las Vegas, especially during the weeks prior to the Las Vegas F1 race?

Or is the shows' luster waning, especially for those in the tire industry?

The answer? Yes. To all those questions.

It just depends on whom one asks. One exhibitor in the South Hall, where the majority of the tire industry exhibits, called it the "best SEMA yet." A steady stream of customers visited his firm's booth, this person reported.

Another exhibitor echoed those comments. "We believe in this show," they told us, as the company's booth was filled with visitors.

Others told us the opposite. One said he was disappointed in the traffic in the South Hall. "We're going to have to re-assess (SEMA)," the person said.

While most of the world's major tire manufacturers no longer exhibit at the SEMA Show, their presence nonetheless is still felt. If they don't have a booth or some presence at the show, many rent suites in Vegas hotels to meet with customers.

AAPEX crowds seemed on par with last year, according to our calculations, but there seemed to be more exhibitors on the first floor. That included Joe's Garage and related auto service exhibitors, as well as an entire exhibit area for the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association (ATRA) Powertrain Expo.

International exhibitors were housed in the adjacent Caesars Forum.

Exhibitors gave us the same mixed reviews, but business at AAPEX seemed as robust as ever. There was a strong focus on electric vehicles through seminars, tech talks and demonstrations, with exhibitors providing tips for EV servicing, equipment and training.

No matter, several things seemed clear, at least for SEMA:

• The South Hall has rebounded from the pandemic-induced scourge. Exhibitors, many representing Asian companies, stretched through to the back of the first floor of the building, perhaps for the first time in five years.

• Traffic at the South Hall seemed steady, if not brisk, most days. The traffic, though, still paled in comparison to the elbow-to-elbow footfall at other halls, and, at times, at outside booths, where several exhibitors, exotic cars and trucks, and demonstrations were available.

• While tire makers, particularly those in Tier 1, continue to retreat from the event, other companies that serve the tire industry seize the opportunity. Hunter Engineering Co.'s booth seems to grow bigger, and busier, each year.

• The Tire Industry Association continues to resonate with the industry. While the group paused its annual Awards Banquet for a year, it drew another record crowd to its Right to Repair Summit. It's a topic that all tire dealers should embrace.

If you have never been to SEMA, we encourage you to go. It remains one of the biggest trade shows in the city that never sleeps.