According to the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), the Collision Repair & Refinish (CR&R) section of the 2011 SEMA Show has "far surpassed" the number of exhibitors and floor space square footage that the section had last year.
In addition to the services, equipment and offerings on the show floor, collision repair professionals will also have education opportunities available to them through SCRS’ Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series, which will have sessions each day of the SEMA Show in the afternoon.
RDE features subject matter geared specifically to collision repair businesses and will include a headline presentation from Afterburner Fighter Pilots on Thursday evening. A complete outline of the schedule and more details on the event are available in the RDE Digital Overview, which was recently published by SCRS.
"This is a highly exciting position to be in," said Aaron Schulenburg, executive director of the SCRS. "SCRS was very pleased with the response we received from the industry during our first year of partnering with the SEMA Show in 2010, but obviously, there was the understanding that our follow-up year had to be bigger and better, and we had to take the feedback we received from attendees and put it to use with the goal of enhancing our constituents experience at the show even more. We worked closely with the show management and with SEMA to use the input we received, and I think it is clear that the early results this year have demonstrated the industry’s excitement and support of our involvement at this venue. We are very fortunate to be in this position in June and are so appreciative of all the vendors who made the early decision to be a part of shaping our destination for the collision industry."
The SCRS says that not only have registrations to the RDE program increased over last year, there has also been increased interest from international repair groups in the SEMA Show and RDE. One example is a group of more than 40 shops that will be visiting from Australia.
"We firmly believe the caliber and variety of educational offerings found in our RDE program is one of the significant draws for our industry," said SCRS Chairman Aaron Clark. "There has been a continued emphasis and focus into putting together a program that delivers tangible and relevant information that a repair business can put to use as soon as they return home from the show; this year’s lineup is no exception, and the immediate response has been tremendous."
In addition to the programs offered by SCRS, I-CAR will have training classes available in the mornings on each day of the show, and a variety of collision industry-specific events and meetings will also be available from groups such as SCRS, I-CAR, CIC and the National Auto Body Council (NABC).
Companies wishing to exhibit in the CR&R section at SEMA have limited time and space to do so, show organizers noted.
"While the CR&R section nears capacity, we will continue to work with interested exhibitors to make sure they not only have a place on the show floor, but that the experience is exactly what they have come to expect from the SEMA Show," added Peter MacGillivray, vice president of events & communications of SEMA. "The SEMA Show has a fortunate history of growth and expansion, and our recent collaboration with SCRS and the collision industry have noticeably added to that formula for success on the show floor and attendance. We couldn’t be more pleased to partner with groups like this to provide collision repairers a world class show experience, with content that propels added business opportunities for these small businesses. For exhibitors, it is certainly not too late to participate in what is shaping up to be one of the best SEMA Show turnouts in years."
More information:
RDE Digital Overview
SEMA Show Activities
Tuesday, November 1
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
I-CAR Classes
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
SCRS RDE Classes
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
SCRS RDE Classes
Wednesday, November 2
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
I-CAR Classes
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
SCRS RDE Classes
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
SCRS RDE Classes
Thursday, November 3
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
I-CAR Classes
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
SCRS RDE Classes
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
SCRS RDE Classes
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
RDE Headline Presentation:
Afterburner, Inc.
8:00 PM – 11:30 PM
SCRS Afterburner After-Party
in the LV Hilton Sky Villas
Friday, November 4
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
I-CAR Classes
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
CIC Meeting
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
SCRS RDE Classes
Meetings
Tuesday, November 1
7:00 AM – 12:00 PM
NABC Board Meeting
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
OEM Collision Repair Roundtable
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Collision Industry Foundation
Wednesday, November 2
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Collision Industry Conference
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Collision Industry Awards Lunch
6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
CIC Reception
Thursday, November 3
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Collision Industry Conference
