SEMA 2023: Six Exhibit Experiences that Encouraged Active Participation

Revving engines, tire smoke, meticulously restored classics, and futuristic concepts were all part of the action at the 2023 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, a trade show for the automotive aftermarket industry that brought about 2,200 exhibitors and 160,000 attendees to the Las Vegas Convention Center from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3.

As other trade shows dabble in festival formats, SEMA this year added an actual music festival—SEMA Fest—open to the public with headliners including Imagine Dragons and Wiz Khalifa, to name a few. The event took place on the Las Vegas Festival Grounds a few blocks from the show and featured motorsports activations, such as drifting demos by Formula DRIFT, motorsports action by Hoonigan, and a BMX Big Air Show by Nitro Circus.

“The SEMA Show is about preserving and promoting car culture, and instilling that passion for cars in younger, more entertainment-oriented generations,” says Tom Gattuso, SEMA vp of events. “SEMA Fest will help us build new audiences that are passionate about the automotive lifestyle.”

The same high-octane energy and passion for personal expression powered the most successful activations on the showfloor. Here are some of our favorites, and one lesson to be learned from.

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Real-Time Battles

SEMA is known for the Battle of the Builders, a prestigious competition of the best builders in the industry, and it came as no surprise that several brands successfully tapped into their audience’s love of competition. At the booth of Hexis Graphics, for example, attendees cheered on teams transforming cars with different types of wrap products. The excitement was real as the pros showcased the products’ capabilities in action and drove engagement.

Retro Vibes

With this industry so heavily focused on restoration, it came as no surprise that brands big and small leaned into that narrative. Restomod Air built its exhibit out of a rusty shipping container lined with repurposed wood—a perfect backdrop for shiny controls and LED vent covers. A drive-in diner-style exhibit complete with neon lights showcased Walmart’s e-commerce platform and the brand’s white-label delivery service. The space was anchored by Walton’s 5-10, a reference to the brand’s original Walton’s 5 &10 Cent Store, which offered a backdrop for the presentations next to a custom F-150, a treasure of the Walmart Museum.

Down and Dirty Demos

Wanna rebuild your first carburetor? Paint perfect pinstripes? Real Deal Revolution, a women-empowerment nonprofit, brought together brands, experts and attendees at the She Shed, to get their hands dirty with real new tools and techniques. Although women were the core of the audience, guys were just as enthusiastic and made up a good part of the crowd. Rosie the Riveter would have been proud.

Feeling is Believing

Toyota’s massive presence across the entire concourse showcased several custom-built vehicles in a multi-brand environment themed, “Track or Trail, Your Thrill Awaits.” While the vehicles on display got lots of camera time, attendees also lined up for a full-motion simulator experience with the brand’s new IsoDynamic Seat, fueling their interest in adventure and exploring. In a show filled with impressive vehicles, this activation offered one of the few opportunities for a physical experience in action.

Power to Creativity

Bigfoot Polishing Systems invited a dozen artists known for their work in custom auto restorations to design handles for the brand’s polishers and presented them in a display dubbed the Art of Bigboot. An Insta hit, the installation attracted lots of attention from attendees, who could learn about each artist and about the charitable cause they were competing for and bring them closer to $3,000 with their vote. The activation turned a technical product into a symbol of self-expression and celebrated the creative drive that powers this industry.

Lost in Transmission

Each trade show has its own audience, and even though that seems like an obvious concept, accounting for that is not always a given, especially for large corporate brands with an intense show schedule. One brand invested heavily in a showfloor presence and set out to have informative presentations in its space, a strategy that looked good on paper but at the show where attendees are happy to weld, paint and admire the craftsmanship, corporate-speak Powerpoints failed to spark the ignition, leaving executives to talk to empty rows.

Quirky Sense of Humor

Cleantools showcased their absorber towel with a picnic scene complete with a 1956 Chevy Nomad parked on real grass next to a picnic table under a tree, and… a wooden outhouse with a mannequin sitting on the toilet. The “inside” joke made for a good laugh and a lasting impression.

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