LAS VEGAS — SEMA's Wheel & Tire Council (WTC) will host a pair of educational seminars at this year's SEMA Show, one heavily wheel-oriented and one geared more toward best practices in tire/wheel servicing.
The seminars — Wheels Up at 10 and How to Stay in Your Lane with Tire and Wheel Replacement — will take place Nov. 2 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively, in Room S226 on the second floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center's South Pavilion. The Stay in Your Lane seminar is being co-sponsored by the Tire Industry Association (TIA).
Wheels Up at 10 will feature of panel of experts discussing wheel specifications and testing procedures. The seminar is designed to raise attendees' awareness of domestic and international standards for testing and quality — JWL, VIA, TUV and SAE — and the relevance to businesses in the sector.
Nicholas Cross, project engineer at Smithers Group, will be a featured speaker. Gary Ruede, senior product and quality management for Discount Tire, will moderate the panel.
The Stay in Your Lane seminar will explore the challenges and opportunities with wheel and tire replacements. A TIA representative will discusses the topic from an OE wheel and tire perspective, while a WTC representative will address designing aftermarket wheels and tires to stay within OE standards.
Speakers scheduled thus far are: Brett Kinsfather, strategic partnerships senior manager at Shopmonkey Inc.; Gary Ruede from Discount Tire; and Kevin Rohlwing, chief technical officer for TIA.
The WTC has three other events scheduled during the SEMA Show:
- Members reception, starting at 5 p.m. on Nov. 1 at the WTC members' lounge in the South Hall of the LVCC, booth #34000.
- Coffee & Conversation — a casual gathering in the lobby outside the west entrance to the South Hall, 8 to 9 a.m., Nov. 2 and 3.