AUSSIES at SEMA - The National Collision Repairer

speed, custom design and the collision industry
AUSSIES at SEMA
You just don’t know who you will run into at the show
The National
COLLISION
REPAIRER
2015 SEMA OVERVIEW
19
SPECIALTY
SPECIALTY EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT MARKET
MARKET ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION –– SEMA
SEMA
SEMAOverview ... the festival of
SEMA 2015 – what more
can you say?
David Newton-Ross joined more than
159,000 attendees at SEMA 2015.
Here is his overview.
VALSPAR BOOTH
ell, that’s it for
SEMA 2015 and
what an amazing
event it was once
again. When I look back at my
AXALTA BOOTH
headers for the past six years
of attending SEMA I am running
this has to be the best value proposition
out of exactly what I can say as SEMA just
for anyone in our industry or the
keeps on getting better!
automotive industry in total.
As you will see from the articles by both
Once again the number of attendees
our US correspondent John Yoswick and
was staggering over the four days – more
SCRS Executive Director Aaron
than 159,000. The number, variety and
Schulenburg, as well as Owen Webb, they
quality of the cars, trucks and motorbikes
are raving about how SEMA manages to
and some weird looking vehicles had to
consistently outdo the previous year’s event.
If you are going to SEMA just to attend
be seen to be believed. I think between
the collision repair section and the
Chris Stone and I we took over 4000
outstanding educational package
photographs (thank heavens for digital
presented by SCRS you would not be
photography!). We could easily have taken
disappointed. But when you add to this
a lot more but we only had four days!
all of the other attractions that not only
The number of personalities, not only
SEMA but Las Vegas has to offer, then
on the individual booths but also at the
W
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The National
COLLISION
REPAIRER
2015 SEMA OVERVIEW
Velocity Live session, was more than ever
and they are all really totally professional
and available to the attendees who want to
chat, have autographs signed plus “selfies”
and photographs taken (one young English
guy actually got up on stage with the
Wheeler Dealers to take a selfie!).
The educational sessions presented by
SCRS were very well attended and the
OEM all day presentation was not to be
missed – the information provided by the
OEMs on current and future technology
was invaluable.
The CIC (Collision Industry Conference)
meeting with a half day session on each
of the first two days was busy, informative
and at times heated as repairers,
suppliers and insurers came together in
one room to discuss industry issues.
I made a presentation on the second day
covering activity in the Australian market
speed, custom design and the collision industry
SEMA Stats:
Number of Exhibitors: 2,350
Total net square feet: 1,181,400
Total attendees: 159,757
(which includes 69,916
buyers and 3,505 media)
Number of Products in the New
Products Showcase: 3079
Number of Seminars held and
attendance at the Seminars:
64 seminars, with 6905 total
attendees
GLASURIT BOOTH
and the audience were very impressed
with the AutoPath website initiative put
together by NRMA to attract young
people into the industry. Included on
Autopath is a video of Steve Lozenkovski
from Bears Accident Repair Centre in
Wollongong talking about his business
and what he does to attract young people
to join the industry (this includes tats, a
nose ring and riding a skateboard or
Ferrari to work!). Check this out at
www.autopath.com.au and be as
impressed as your peers in the US who
applauded the video at the end!
All I can say about SEMA is, if you have
not attended then you need to go – add
it to your bucket list! I know that I will be
there again next year and looking for more
superlatives to describe what is THE
EVENT for our industry. Next year the
dates are 1st to 4th November. Be there!
Take a look at the following pages of
editorial and photographs and enjoy a small
piece of SEMA 2015 – which will hopefully
whet your appetite for 2016. NCR
3M BOOTH
THE PPG BOOTH WAS A WINNER
CAR-O-LINER BOOTH
AKZONOBEL USA AND OVERSEAS TEAM
The National
COLLISION
REPAIRER
2015 SEMA OVERVIEW
15
SPECIALTY
SPECIALTY EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT MARKET
MARKET ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION –– SEMA
SEMA
SEMAOverview ... the festival of
Just a few Cars, Bikes
and Trucks of SEMA
20
The National
COLLISION
REPAIRER
2015 SEMA OVERVIEW
speed, custom design and the collision industry
The National
COLLISION
REPAIRER
2015 SEMA OVERVIEW
21
SPECIALTY
SPECIALTY EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT MARKET
MARKET ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION –– SEMA
SEMA
SEMAOverview ... the festival of
Velocity Live 2015 once
again a great success
David Newton-Ross reports on the Velocity Live show from
SEMA 2015.
CHIP FOOSE
CHRIS JACOBS
thought that last year’s Velocity Live
event was big but it was certainly
exceeded this year with more stars and
more people lining up for a long time
just to get in – and it was free!
The Velocity TV channel in the USA
produces the entire speciality “car shows”
and is the equivalent to our own Turbo
cable TV channel in Australia. All of the
shows currently in the USA are also run in
Australia so that I knew every one of the
celebrities on centre stage.
The show was exactly the same as in
2014 and was held in the showroom of
the Westgate Hotel adjacent to the Las
Vegas Convention Centre. Chris Jacobs
from Overhaulin’ was once again the MC
for the event and asking questions of the
many celebrities onstage on the “Tonight
Show” style set.
Mike Brewer and Edd China – The
Wheeler Dealer stars – were the first
onstage and were very funny, especially
Mike Brewer in answering the questions
from Jacobs. They talked about their first
12-show series to be produced in the US
and announced that they are currently once
again based in Huntington Beach, California
producing another 12 show series.
Dan Short of Fantomworks spoke to
I
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The National
COLLISION
REPAIRER
2015 SEMA OVERVIEW
RICHIE RAWLINGS
Jacobs about the challenges he faces
every day in restoring whatever the
customer wants restored in his shop,
where sometimes the customer is not
always right!
Cristy Lee of All Girls Garage then spoke
to Jacobs about her love of the industry
and how she has been involved with cars
from a very early age. She certainly added
the glamour to this year’s event!
Dave Kindig of Kindig Customs, who
made his TV debut last year, was a very
entertaining guest. The quality of the
product he produces and the team that
he has assembled in his shop has him
well and truly towards the top end of the
AARON KAUFMAN
custom builders in the US.
Wayne Carini of Chasing Classic Cars is
still passionate about finding really old
cars and restoring them to their former
pride and then selling them. He also likes
to find and bid for classic cars for his
many loyal customers.
Ray Evernham of Americarna spoke
about the joy of finding old cars and
relating their history, whether they are
racecars or classic cars.
Jacobs then asked the crew to close
the doors and get the beer out before
introducing the stars of Fast N Loud,
Richie Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman. It is
obvious that these guys really enjoy what
speed, custom design and the collision industry
EDD CHINA AND MIKE BREWER
A TOUCHING MOMENT WITH CHRIS AND CHIP
they do and play well off each other and
appreciate the opportunity to be a part
of Velocity TV.
It was then a moment when there was
not a dry eye in the house! Chris
Jacobs, prior to introducing his good
friend Chip Foose to the audience,
spoke about the final episode of
Overhaulin’ and showed a clip of Chip
Foose being hugged by his father, who
had overhauled Chip’s truck that used to
belong to his father, in that final episode.
A very emotional Chip Foose then joined
Jacobs onstage and talked about what
that episode meant to him personally. Of
course, episodes of Overhaulin’ will be
shown for many years to come even
though the show will no longer be
produced, but expect to see Chip Foose
appearing in other shows in the not-toodistant future. I met with Chip Foose at
his shop in Huntington Beach a few
days later and he said that it had been
tough to talk to Jacobs about the end of
DAN SHORT
CRISTY LEE
RAY EVERNHAM
DAVE KINDIG (LEFT) AND WAYNE CARINI
the show and that particular episode.
Chris Jacobs then invited everyone
back on stage where they answered
questions from the audience for about 30
minutes and then signed autographs and
posed for photographs for the many loyal
fans of their respective TV shows.
They certainly know how to put
together a great event at SEMA and to
hear what makes these well-known
personalities tick and to see how
passionate they are about what they do
was certainly a highlight for me.
No doubt there will be a similar event at
SEMA 2016 – make sure you grab a
ticket if you are attending SEMA! NCR
The National
COLLISION
REPAIRER
2015 SEMA OVERVIEW
23