The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has announced that the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, broke records for the number of attendees and exhibitors. TIA's Global Tire Expo - Powered by TIA (GTE) is held in conjunction with SEMA.
TIA says that with more than 135,000 overall SEMA attendees, this year’s preliminary numbers demonstrate that GTE is the place to be for the tire industry.
Taking place over four days at the Las Vegas Convention Center, during the first week of November, 3,000 members of the media and 60,000 buyers descended upon the desert oasis to attend TIA seminars, network and check out the latest offerings of 2,250 exhibiting companies, including over 500 first-time exhibitors.
“The overwhelming success, even over last year’s incredible numbers, shows that the tire industry and the automotive aftermarket, as a whole, are growing,” says Randy Groh, TIA’s new president. “With nearly 250 booths, just at the Global Tire Expo, not including rim-focused companies; businesses are positioning themselves for increased and diverse opportunities.”
“This has been one of the best Global Tire Expo’s ever, beginning with TIA’s pre-GTE activities at the Tire Industry’s Hall of Fame to our world class benefit partners to the incredible attendance of the Global Tire Expo at the SEMA Show,” says TIA’s executive vice president, Roy Littlefield. “
Wilson Beach, TIA’s director of membership said of the Las Vegas extravaganza, “TIA’s member benefit partners, including Hot Rod Processing, XcelHR, Select Benefits Group and Coface Collection North America had an incredible time with the huge attendance that GTE and SEMA enjoyed this year.”
To see a Facebook photo album taken by Modern Tire Dealer during the show, click here.
