Before you go believing every word you’ve ever been told about how great the SEMA show is, or that there’s nothing quite like it in the world when it comes to gathering all great things automotive into one place, we’d like to go on record for telling you how it really is.
Truth is the SEMA Show is a gigantic waste of time … that is, if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t absolutely love anything and everything on wheels. If you are the kind of person who loves the UTV industry and the aftermarket products that make it so popular like we do, then yes, it’s all true.
The SEMA show really is an experience like nothing else and it just continues to get bigger and better each year. Plus the enthusiasm for side-by-sides is continuing to grow at this annual show as the UTV market is becoming more and more popular.
The Specialty Equipment Market Association Show—better known as SEMA—is something the staff here at Dirt Toys Magazine fanatically looks forward to each and every year and it’s not just because it feels more like a guy’s road trip to Las Vegas than an actual work trip.
When tote bags full of swag and giveaways with celebrity signed posters show up to the office (as well as group photos taken with girls from the tire hall that seemed like a good idea at the time), those in-house who were left off the travel list start to question just how hard we really work during the week-long show. So this year we each clipped on a pedometer so we could keep track of our daily steps. After all, this show is huge and we wanted to prove how much ground we covered each day.
You really have to be organized to get to every booth on your pre-show short list and that’s when you have a full week to do it. The show today occupies more than one million net square feet, draws more than 3,000 media members and has a buyer attendance in excess of 60,000 people. According to SEMA officials, it routinely brings together more than 2,000 exhibitors, occupying in excess of 10,000 booths.
Counting the walking we did to get to the show each day as well as wherever we happened to grab dinner that night, the Dirt Toys staff averaged close to seven miles a day. Whoa, that’s a lot of steps. No wonder the place rents scooters, although when the aisles get crowded, those bulky scooters are as worthless as the Chinese version of a side-by-side.
In no particular order, here are 10 reasons we love attending the SEMA show each year.
No. 1 Great Outdoors
The show overflows into the surrounding parking lots and even when the main focus might be geared towards the truck, sometimes it’s what’s in the back that draws in the crowds—or at least it got our attention. While each of the main halls inside is full of vehicles, there are even more outside to drool over.
No. 2 People Watching
Celebrities are a big part of the popularity of SEMA and two of the friendliest are Richard Rawlings (R) and Aaron Kaufman from Gas Monkey Garage who were hanging out at the Ingersoll Rand power tools booth.
No. 3 Eye Candy
The scenery at the show is nice and the more you look around, the more your realize what a lot of manufacturers use to help lure guys into their booths. If there’s an easier job than sitting in a side-by-side all day and smiling, we’re not aware of it. No. 4 Respect
Although this guy thought the side-by-side in the Amsoil booth was just an elaborate table to lean on while he checked his e-mail, clearly more companies are choosing SEMA to launch new products geared towards our segment of the industry and the UTV market is gaining a lot of ground at the show.
No. 5 Product Showcase
One popular section of the show is the New Product Showcase that is a collection of innovative and cutting-edge aftermarket products. Nearly 2,000 items were entered into 16 different categories. While the Lorero straps weren’t new this year, it is nice to see products specifically geared towards UTVs.
No. 6 Novelty
You don’t have to be completely unpractical to be considered a novelty, but it helps. As we walked the show there were quite a few over-the-top vehicles that caught our eye and left us wondering who would possibly buy something like that? The lime green Ford, maybe. A jacked-up “toy” only a small kid could fit inside, not so much.
No. 7 Friends
In a lot of ways SEMA is like a big industry reunion. At the Bully Dog Powersports booth we waited in line to talk to Sales/Marketing Manager Adrian Croot (tall guy) while also checking out the latest from Boondocker.
No. 8 Indoor Madness
Throughout the show we found plenty of UTVs on display, but there was one particular hall that seemed especially geared towards our industry. Compared to just a few years ago, it’s clear the side-by-side market is exploding with excitement, plus even four-wheelers—with aftermarket wheels not exactly designed for off-roading—can be found.
No. 9 Accessories
From LED light bars to aftermarket products specifically geared towards UTVs, it was fun to see how many different ways you could modify a side-by-side in an attempt to make it your own.
No. 10 Parade Route
All of the vehicles have to leave following the show and there’s not a better way to see them all than to line up and watch each one roll out of the convention center. This put an end to the SEMA week. Is it wrong that we’re already looking forward to next year’s show?
