December 20, 2011
Broken records: 2011 SEMA Show wrap-up
More people attended the 2011 SEMA Show and Global Tire Expo than ever before. For those of you who didn’t, here’s the capsulized version, courtesy of MTD
By: Bob Ulrich and Bob Bissler
The numbers don’t lie. The 2011 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show was a huge success. A record 132,000 people attended the event, according to the Tire Industry Association (TIA), which sponsored the show’s Global Tire Expo section. There also were 61,000 buyers, also a record and close to 19% higher than last year.
Large independent dealers were out in force. Nearly half of the dealers on the Modern Tire Dealer 100 list, and nine out of the top 10, were in attendance. They accounted for 547 buyers.
The number of SEMA Show exhibitors was up, too. There were 2,142 exhibitors in all sections, up 12% compared to last year. The growth was even more significant at the Global Tire Expo: The 239 participating companies represented a 24% increase.
“Our relationship with SEMA has never been stronger,” says Roy Littlefield, TIA’s executive vice president.
Both the SEMA Show and Global Tire Expo were part of Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week, held in Las Vegas, Nev., Nov.1-4. The Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) was part of the draw.
The 2012 SEMA Show and Global Tire Expo will be held in Las Vegas from Oct. 30 through Nov. 2. AAPEX will close one day earlier.
TIA’s training tour
TIA is taking its four-day Automotive Tire Service (ATS) Certification Course on the road in 2012.
The 28-city tour is targeting the next generation of tire technicians, according to Matt White, TIA’s director of tire service. “We feel that vocational (education) in college does not have the proper tire service training.”
“They are lacking in the modern tire service training,” says Mark Cook, director of communications. “There is not enough emphasis on TPMS (tire pressure monitoring systems).
“We want to raise the bar of the educational level of the technician for 21st century demands. As a result, general public perception and trust will be improved.”
Those who complete the four-day class will be certified as Advanced ATS Instructors, allowing them to certify ATS instructors and technicians in the field.
The tour will visit cities in large metropolitan areas in the continental United States beginning in January. Here is the tentative schedule. For dates, see www.tireindustry.org.
First quarter: North Canton, Ohio; St. Louis, Mo.; Miami, Fla.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Chicago, Ill.; Los Angeles, Calif.; and Toledo, Ohio.
Second quarter: Minneapolis, Minn.; Atlanta, Ga.; Seattle, Wash.; Orlando, Fla.; New Orleans, La.; Greensboro, N.C.; Boston, Mass.; and Dallas, Texas.
Third quarter: Richmond, Va.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Baltimore, Md.; Denver, Colo.; New York, N.Y.; and Houston, Texas.
Fourth quarter: Memphis, Tenn.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Kansas City, Mo.; Jacksonville, Fla.; San Antonio, Texas; and San Francisco, Calif.
The training tour is being underwritten by 14 sponsors: 31 Inc., Mighty Distributing System of America Inc., AME International LLC, American Tire Distributors Inc., Mohawk Rubber Sales Inc., Hennessy Industries Inc., Patch Rubber Co. (Myers Tire Supply Distribution Inc.), Bartec USA LLC, NAPA Tire Hardware, Dill Air Controls Products, Plombco Inc., Ingersoll-Rand Co. Ltd., Rema Tip Top North America Inc. and MTD, the media sponsor.
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