Each year at the SEMA Show, SEMA Education presents a variety of free daily seminars aimed at helping member companies realize their potential, increase their earnings, maximize efficiencies and stay abreast of the latest and most consequential changes to the workplace. The following are some program highlights. Register to attend at www.SEMAShow.com/education.

How to Market and Sell in the Post-Pandemic World

• Monday, October 31, 9:00 a.m.– 10:00 a.m.
• Location: N258

The pandemic drastically altered the business world. What will the marketplace look like throughout the decade? How can your company adapt to an evolving business climate? Understand what drives customers' purchasing decisions and how to influence their journey. Gain insights into the best ways to connect with B2B, B2C or e-commerce buyers. Discover the tools and messaging that can make your company as a market leader.

Uncover Strategies for a Profitable Automotive Business

• Monday, October 31, 11:00 a.m.– 12:00 p.m.
• Location: N258

Running an automotive business can be challenging. Whether dealing with cash-flow issues, looking to up your marketing game or trying to hire the next best employee, this session is for you. Identify proven strategies to uncover hidden profit and build a consistent flow of qualified leads.

Ideation to Creation: A Roadmap to Developing a Profitable Product

• Monday October 31, 1:00 p.m.– 2:00 p.m.
• Location: N258

What does it take to bring an idea through the design process and create a successful product? Grasp the essentials of the product-development process. Follow a roadmap from idea inception and prototyping to the role of research and competitive analysis to engineering and manufacturing.

Diversity and Inclusion: How You Can Advance Equal Opportunity in Your Workplace

• Tuesday, November 1, 9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
• Location: N258

It has never been more important to understand the social constructs of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and how these concepts impact communities and organizations. Gain valuable insights and information about what companies can do to advance equal opportunity within their workplaces.

Keys to Running a Lucrative Tuning Business

• Tuesday November 1, 3:00 p.m.– 4:00 p.m.
• Location: N254

Modifying vehicles to optimize engine performance and handling characteristics takes time, talent and technical know-how. Pinpoint the keys to running a successful tuning business, beginning with the challenges involved in tuning modern vehicles.

Leadership for Remote Teams: Sharpening Your Skill Set

• Wednesday, November 2, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
• Location: N252

Post-pandemic aftershocks have transformed workplace environments. Many companies are pivoting to an all-remote or hybrid workforce. Remote teams need a remote leader with a unique skill set. Uncover techniques to sharpen soft skills, such as empathy, coaching and active listening. Nail down long-term strategies to create an organizational culture that cultivates employee loyalty.

Understanding Private Equity in the Aftermarket Industry

• Wednesday, November 2, 1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
• Location: N254

Private equity can take on many forms, from complex leveraged buyouts to venture capital. Private-equity firms are very active in the automotive aftermarket. Join a panel of industry professionals, including institutional investors, fund managers and specialist advisors, as they cover a wide range of topics.

Tips and Tactics to Rally Your Career

• Wednesday, November 2, 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
• Location: N252

Discover hidden parallels between an off-road rally and an aftermarket career pathway. Compare the challenges of an all-female desert rally to navigating everyday workplace situations and the need to rely on teammates for motivation and resources.

10 Ways to Increase Revenue

• Thursday, November 3, 11:00 a.m.– 12:00 p.m.
• Location: N258

Increasing revenue streams is essential to long-term success. Hear humorous and time-tested examples of real-world techniques to help shop owners, managers and salespeople increase sales. Understand how to build an impactful brand strategy. Get a handle on basic sales processes.

Proven Strategies to Recruit and Retain Top Talent

• Thursday, November 3, 1:00 p.m.– 2:00 p.m.
• Location: N254

With unemployment at an all-time low, employers need to up their game to attract and retain top talent. Learn how compensation trends and regulations, overtime, paid time off and other factors influence a company's ability to hire, motivate and engage employees.

Start your pre-event planning with the 2022 SEMA Show app, available now for free download at your mobile device’s native app Store. The app “puts the SEMA Show in your pocket” and can help you begin to build an event itinerary before you arrive in Las Vegas.

Key features include:

• My Schedule Planner: Allowing attendees, media and exhibitors alike to plan and save all of the educational sessions, events and meetings they wish to experience at the Show.
   
• Maps and Step-by-Step Show Navigation: Find your connections quickly, along with the quickest, easiest route to them.
   
• New Products Showcase Scanning: The app is the only way to scan and view all the product entries in the Showcase, plus it offers direct links to exhibiting companies and their booth locations.
   
• Show Vehicle Scanning: Similar to the New Products Showcase, attendees can scan any vehicles displayed at the Show. These include featured, sponsored and booth vehicles. The feature lets you learn more about a vehicle build, including its make, model and year; the products used in the build; the builder’s name; and direct links to the sponsoring exhibitor.
   
• Event Listings: Including all celebrity appearances, Show events, educational sessions and speakers.

Celebrating its 55th birthday in 2022, the annual SEMA Show has evolved to fit the times, reflecting and responding to changes in the specialty automotive industry, and this year’s Show will be no different. While all of the information contained here was accurate at the time this issue went to press, many new features were still being fine-tuned, so be sure to visit  www.SEMAShow.com or the SEMA Show app for the latest updates and schedules.
 
SEMA Award Presentation
Silver Drive, Outside the Central Hall Entrance
Monday, October 31, 5:00–7:00 p.m. 
The annual SEMA Awards, given to the top-trending vehicle models in six categories, will be presented Monday, October 31, the day before the 2022 SEMA Show officially opens.

SEMA Central
Grand Lobby
Monday, October 31–Thursday, November 3, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Friday, November 4, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
This year, SEMA Central expands to offer Showgoers a more immersive industry experience than ever before.

The New Products Showcase 
Upper South Hall, Booth #31307
A first stop for many attendees and a must-see for everyone else, the New Products Showcase provides a window into the automotive aftermarket for the coming year as hundreds of manufacturers roll out their latest innovations.

SEMA Overland Experience
West Hall, Booth #62236
Buyers at the 2022 SEMA Show will be able to see products and vehicles specifically for overlanding in the all-new SEMA Overland Experience area.

SEMA Electrified
North Hall, Booth #11268
SEMA Electrified offers the industry an opportunity to see where this growing segment might take us in the next five to 10 years and beyond.

SEMA Launch Pad 
Central Hall, Booth #22970
Fifteen executive-level innovators compete in a “Shark Tank”-like business competition for automotive entrepreneurs. The Top 5 are then selected for an elimination competition to be held on Wednesday, November 2, at SEMA Central, with the final two candidates presenting their pitches at the SEMA Industry Awards Banquet, Thursday, November 3.  

Battle of the Builders
North Hall, Booth #10139
SEMA’s premier showcase of the builder’s art culminates in final competition on Friday November 4, 10:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m. 

The SEMA Cruise Presented by CTEK
Silver Drive, Adjacent to Central Hall
Vehicles from the 2022 SEMA Show begin parading out of the Convention Center at Show close—4:00 p.m. on Friday, November 7—to the delight of thousands of fans in grandstands along the route. 

SEMA Ignited
LVCC West Hall Parking Lot
The 2022 SEMA Show Week culminates with SEMA Ignited, the official after-party that launches immediately after the Show ends on Friday, November 4. The event takes place in the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall Parking Lot.

LVCC Loop
West Hall, Central Hall, Lower South Hall
Walking the SEMA Show floor can eat into valuable time, but Showgoers looking to maximize their efficiency can take advantage of the new LVCC Loop.

With the 55th annual SEMA Show upon us, the specialty-equipment industry is again gearing up for some serious—and exciting—business. The 2022 SEMA Show takes place November 1–4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. To assist with advanced Show planning, SEMA News has produced this 2022 SEMA Show Preview.

The annual SEMA Show is the only place in the world that brings together every segment of the automotive industry to celebrate innovation, ingenuity and passion for automobiles. After a highly successful return to live events in 2021, this year's trade event is designed to promote business growth through partnerships, collaborations, education, and insights into industry trends and new products.

This publication offers a sneak peek into the key features, events and opportunities awaiting you at the Show. From Racing & Performance to Business Services, we shine a spotlight on each market category to be found there. To add background and context to what you'll see on the Show floor, we've also included our latest reporting relating to category trends and SEMA market research. Exhibitor listings and other noteworthy items round out our pre-Show coverage. With many exhibitors increasing their booth spaces or otherwise enhancing their Show presence for 2022, there will be plenty of new and exciting innovations to discover.

The information we present was up to date as of press time. Please consult www.SEMAShow.com or the SEMA Show mobile app for the latest exhibitor listings, attendee news and media updates. The website is also the place to go to register for the Show and SEMA Education tracks.

Ultimately, leveraging the 2022 SEMA Show to its fullest can deliver a substantial ROI for your business. We hope this special issue from SEMA News serves as both an invitation and a guide to access everything the Show has to offer.

This year marks the 55th SEMA Show, a trade event that promises to reflect the tremendous evolutions taking place in the specialty-equipment industry. Last year, the Show made its much-heralded return after COVID-19 forced its hiatus in 2020. That 2021 Show proved incredibly successful, and ranked among the top U.S. trade shows held last year. With expectations again running high, we'll build on that momentum this November 1–4, at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC).

Our industry has entered an exciting and challenging time of innovation and transformation. You'll see this immediately in our Show's growing vehicle electrification features. But even as interest in electrification builds, our industry continues to bring significant developments to the internal-combustion engine (ICE) to refine and improve its performance. It goes without saying that the excitement around current, mainstream platforms and products also remains a key focus.

Plus, we're showcasing other alternative-energy solutions coming onto the scene. For example, hydrogen platforms will be represented as well. You'll also see new or expanded Show features focusing on growing and emerging markets, such as overlanding, advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS), and other technologies and innovations.

At the same time, we recognize that there has been a huge shift in our marketplace's work paradigm. Many buyers attending our 2022 Show will be in new or expanded roles within their organizations. Our expert speakers, expanded educational events and topics, and the business, networking and awards opportunities that we've planned will no doubt be highly beneficial for both your business and your career development.

You'll also experience many live-activation features demonstrating the power and the excitement of the aftermarket. And, of course, you'll see the thousands of new products that the Show is famous for—the life's blood of this ever-changing industry. We're presenting all these trends so that Show participants can start to think about the new solutions that these advances can evoke.

This underscores the benefit of live trade events. From a business standpoint alone, there's an instantaneous return on investment in terms of the conversations, networking and camaraderie that take place. As our industry gets back to full capacity, we know there's a higher-than-ever need to meet in person to make your upcoming year truly productive and profitable.

In the end, the SEMA Show isn't simply about seeing new products and trends—it's also about forming relationships. We're connecting the dots between the brands, buyers, media and the innovations that are reshaping our industry.

We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas.

Tom Gattuso

SEMA Vice President of Events