DIAMOND CAR, Calif. – The automotive specialty equipment industry typically gathers during the first week of November for the SEMA Show.
Although the in-person event is not taking place this year, the industry will connect online through SEMA360. Taking place Nov. 2-6 at www.sema360.com, the trade-only online emarketplace is set to include more than 650 manufacturing companies and thousands of attendees from throughout the world.
Like the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas, SEMA360 will include live activities throughout the week, including a 24-hour vehicle build by Ryan Friedlinghaus and the West Coast Customs crew, a press conference from Toyota, appearances from celebrities and more.
The stars of the week, however, have always been and continue to be the manufacturers and their new products, including 2,200 that will be included in the New Products Showcase and those that will be featured on the 330 project vehicles in the SEMA360 Builders Showcase.
Despite the consumer appeal of the SEMA Show, both the annual in-person event and the SEMA360 online event are trade-only and focus on helping businesses with new products and skills.
Since the first SEMA Show in 1967 under the grandstands of Dodgers Stadium, small manufacturers have been able to launch their businesses to a worldwide audience of professional resellers, buyers and media.
The SEMA Show has maintained its allure for small mom-and-pop shops exhibiting alongside established manufacturers and major automakers, and SEMA360 will continue that tradition.
More than 100 participating manufacturers have never exhibited at the SEMA Show before. They help make up the 650-plus manufacturers representing every market segment of the automotive aftermarket.
From motorsports, hot rods and restoration, to off-road, restyling and collision repair, SEMA360 represents a $46.2 billion industry. Attendees include buyers, distributors and resellers from big box stores, as well as speed shops, installers, restylers, jobbers, and online retailers.
Nearly 30 percent of the SEMA360 attendees are from outside of the United States, giving manufacturers greater opportunities to expand their markets.
“This will be the first time in more than 50 years that the SEMA Show will not take place in person,” said Tom Gattuso, SEMA vice president of events. “We’re pleased and excited to bring the industry together to connect and do business through SEMA360. The online platform is making it possible for the industry to celebrate SEMA Week during the first week of November. Manufacturers and buyers will be connecting and interacting, and they’ll be making history.”
The 650 Manufacturer Showcases, more than 2,200 new products and 30 education seminars are available only to those registered for SEMA360. Login credentials are required and will be sent to participants who are registered and approved.