This year’s SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center attracted over 132,000 automotive professionals from more than 100 countries to view products and services in the automotive, truck and SUV, powersports and RV markets. The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) reported the show experienced an increase of more than 20 percent in attendees identifying themselves as working in the collision repair industry and a nearly 30 percent increase in collision repair facility attendees compared to 2010.
According to SCRS, the Collision Repair and Refinish section also grew, with 21 percent more exhibitors from the previous year covering 25 percent more square footage. The North Hall had more than 80,000 square feet of space, including exhibits from more than 100 first-time exhibitors in both the Collision Repair and Tools and Equipment sections.
"This year’s SEMA Show was a vibrant success," said Frank Terlep, CEO of Summit Software and Mobile Solutions. "SCRS really did a phenomenal job of working with SEMA Show management to further enhance this year’s experience for collision repair businesses. We had a tremendous show, with our leads and sales surpassing previous performance numbers by the second day."
The SCRS said that coupled with the show floor, the Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series experienced a 400-percent increase in registration from 2010, which included a 160-percent increase in Full Series Pass selections. Overall, SCRS says registrations for 2011 included more than 1,700 course selections.
"The SEMA Show is a huge venue for education, and what makes it especially great is that it puts a lot of information together in one place for easy access," said Shawn Hart, director of technical services for Car-O-Liner. "RDE is a good example of this. Speaking for Car-O-Liner, the show has been great for us as a supplier in a number of ways, including the opportunity to expand the potential audience for what our company delivers while still getting prime face time with our collision repair customers."
Added SCRS Chairman Aaron Clark, "All aspects of the 2012 SEMA Show exceeded our expectations. The show was great, the atmosphere was electric and the RDE keynote was inspiring. I received dozens of compliments from show and RDE attendees, which was very satisfying for all of us. SCRS is really looking forward to the 2012 experience, and what we can do to make it even more riveting for our industry."
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SCRS
