Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) of the automotive aftermarket was formed in 1963 by Paul Schiefer, Roy Richter, Ed Iskenderian, Els Lohn, Willie Garner, Bob Hedman, Robert E. Wyman, John Bartlett, Phil Weiand Jr, Al Segal, Dean Moon, and Vic Edelbrock Jr. Now it consists of 6,383 companies worldwide, bringing together aftermarket manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers (OEM), media, car dealers, specialty equipment distributors, installers, retailers, and restoration specialists.

The largest of the SEMA events, held annually during the first week of November, is the SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, in conjunction with the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week. As part of this event, SEMA and other automotive aftermarket trade groups make up one of the single largest events on the Las Vegas calendar. This auto show is not open to the public. Registration as media, manufacturer, buyer or exhibitor is required.

On August 5, 2020, SEMA announced that its 2020 show would be cancelled for the first time in the show's history, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

History

The SEMA acronym originally stood for Speed Equipment Manufacturing Association. In 1970, government regulations became an issue and the name was changed to Specialty Equipment Market Association to improve the overall image of the association. It was also warned that bureaucrats in the industry may be turned off by the word "speed," which Corporate Council Earl Kitner felt they may associate with "the swinging generation." SEMA came about as a result of the company Revell Models attempting to fill a gap in industry trade regulation. Its first president was Ed Iskenderian. Other original members of the organization include Roy Richter, Willie Garner, Bob Hedman, Robert E. Wyman, Paul Schiefer, John Bartlett, Phil Weiand Jr., Al Segal, Dean Moon, and Vic Edelbrock Jr.

Founding members of SEMA Company Founder Ansen Automotive Engineering Louie Senter B&M Automotive Products Bob Spar Cragar Industries Inc. Roy Richter Eelco Manufacturing & Supply Els Lohn Grant Industries John Bartlett Ed Iskenderian Racing Cams Ed Iskenderian Milodon Engineering Don Alderson Moon Equipment Company Dean Moon Schiefer Manufacturing Paul Schiefer Trans Dapt Willie Garner Weber Speed Equipment Harry Weber Weiand Power & Racing Phil Weiand Dempsey Wilson Racing Cams Dempsey Wilson

SEMA Show

The SEMA Show is held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It is among the largest conventions held in Vegas. The 2013 SEMA Show drew about 60,000 buyers. The displays are segmented into 12 sections, and a New Products Showcase features nearly 2,000 newly introduced parts, tools and components. In addition, the SEMA Show provides attendees with educational seminars, product demonstrations, special events, networking opportunities and more.

The first SEMA Show was held in 1967 in the basement of the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California before moving to the new Anaheim Stadium in 1974. In 1967 they had 98 manufacturers manning booths and an attendance of 3,000 people. In 1967 there were 5 cars on display, including a 1967 Ford GT40 in the Shelby America booth and a drag-race-prepped Dodge Dart. The early shows, held in Los Angeles and Anaheim, California, were exclusively card-table-and-masking-tape affairs, but by the early 1970s, sophisticated display and marketing techniques were visible throughout the show. At that time, a Show booth cost $375.00. The Show moved to a different location—the new and expansive Anaheim Convention Center (across from Disneyland). Booth sales and attendance kept increasing dramatically. The SEMA Show continued to cater to the needs of industry representatives rather than consumers and began to develop a reputation as a place where business was expected and completed. As part of the ’70s SEMA Shows, one of the must-attend events was Doris Herbert's Drag News party, which was topped only by the SEMA Awards Banquet.

In 1975, the featured entertainers for the Awards Banquet were April Stevens and Nino Tempo. In 1976 (the last SEMA Show to be held in Anaheim), the show was a sellout with 570 booths and, in fact, had to turn away a number of manufacturers due to lack of space. Over the next few years, the Show grew much larger and soon filled the Convention Center to capacity and was moved to Las Vegas in 1977. Las Vegas was chosen because it provided room for continued growth, dependable weather, big-name entertainment and a world-famous location.

In 1977, SEMA's Awards Banquet (run by Sheldon Konblett) was held at the Sands Hotel and featured Norm Crosby. Sheldon Konblett also developed the design for the SEMA trophies, which have come to symbolize product innovation and excellence in the industry.

In 1979, Nile Cornelison began plans for his Innovations Day seminars program, which has since become one of the major annual association programs. The following year, Innovations Day was a smashing success and featured Lee Iacocca as the keynote speaker. Never before had any activity held on the day prior to the Show's opening attracted anything near the more than 460 who attended. That same year, Willie Nelson was the featured entertainer for the SEMA Awards Banquet.

In 1983, the import parts section of the SEMA Show was added under the auspices of sister organization, Automotive International Association, thus changing the name to SEMA/AI Show. In 1984, there was a combined SEMA/AI/APAA Show in Las Vegas. The Industry Awards Banquet was held at the MGM Grand, and the entertainment was provided by The Platters and Gallagher. By all indications, the move to Las Vegas has been an overwhelming success. In 1986, Car and Driver magazine noted that the Show was a “...prime opportunity to monitor the West Coast car culture without breathing the smog or fighting the freeways.” That same year, Jay Leno made his first appearance on stage at the SEMA Show Industry Awards Banquet.

In 1990, the onsite registration fee was increased to $20. All exhibitors are eligible to submit an entry into the New Products Showcase at no cost. In 1992, the SEMA/AI Show and the Automotive Service Industry, Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association and Automotive Parts & Accessories Association (ASIA/MEMA/APAA Show—formerly the Big I/APAA Show) came together to form Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW) in Las Vegas. The two shows together boasted in excess of 1.6 million square feet of exhibits.

In 1997, the National Tire Dealers & Retreaters (NTDRA) trade show was combined with the SEMA Show. Affiliating the 77-year-old NTDRA trade show with the SEMA portion of AAIW provided benefits to both sides. In the same year, Goodyear sponsored the first SEMA-NTDRA “Racers’ Night Out” at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In 1998, the SEMA Show broke the 500,000-foot mark with 502,912 net square feet of rented space. Each year since then, the Show has set new records of some sort. It now occupies more than one million net square feet, draws more than 3,000 media, and has a buyer attendance in excess of 60,000. The SEMA Show now routinely brings together more than 2,300 exhibitors, occupying in excess of 11,000 booths. Total attendance at the Show now tops 150,000 manufacturers, buyers and other industry representatives, making contacts and doing business.

1967

Dodge Dart Drag Race Car Ford GT40 1967 Dodge Adventurer D100 Truck Parts

1984 Chevrolet Camaro GTZ Concept Pontiac Fiero by IRM

1985 Buick Wildcat Concept

1987 Ford Bronco II Concept

1990 Chevrolet Camaro B&M Neon

1991 Chevrolet Camaro LT5 Concept Geo Tracker "Boom Box" Concept Geo "Zonker" Metro

1992 Boyd Coddington Chezoom Chevrolet Highlander Concept Chevrolet Impala SS Concept

1993 Callaway C8 SuperNatural Chevrolet Camaro by BBS Wheels Chevrolet Camaro by RK Sport Chevrolet Camaro by Kobel Chevrolet Camaro by Pro Cut Chevrolet Camaro by Paxton

1994 Chevrolet Blazer ZR2 Concept Chevrolet Cavalier Touring Sedan Concept Chevrolet NASCAR Super Truck Chevrolet Monte Carlo Sport Concept Chevrolet Lumina Super Sport Concept Chevrolet Ram Van Concept Chevrolet S-Series Wings Concept Geo Tracker Kalahari Concept Geo Tracker Outbacker Concept

1995 Chevrolet Cavalier Spyder Concept Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 Chevrolet Caprice "Fire & Rescue" Chevrolet Tahoe SS Concept Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Concept Chevrolet Monte Car-Low "Lead Sled" Concept Chevrolet S-10 Elongate Concept Chevrolet S-10 Hugger Concept Dodge Ram VTS Concept Dodge Viper GTS Indy 500 Pace Car Ford Ranger Splash MATCO

1996

Chevrolet 2500 by Innovative Truck Storage Inc. Chevrolet Impala SS "Binford Hot Rod" Chevrolet Tahoe Police Package Concept Chevrolet Tahoe SS Concept Chevrolet Camaro F1 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 SS Chevrolet C-1500 Extended Cab Chevrolet C-1500 Regular Cab NASCAR Supertruck Series Pace Truck Chevrolet Silverado SuperWIDE Concept Chevrolet Camaro Z28 "30th Anniversary Edition" Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Convertible "30th Anniversary Edition" Chevrolet ZL2-Plus 4 Concept Chevrolet Cavalier ZR-24 MOAB Concept Dodge Dakota Sidewinder Concept Dodge T-Rex 6x6 Concept Truck Ford F-150 XP Concept Truck Ford Ranger SuperCab Concept Ford Ranger Sandcourt Concept Jeep Wrangler Tabasco Concept Jeep Wrangler Ultimate Rescue Concept Geo Rad Tracker Concept Hennessey Venom 600 GTS Nissan 240SX by HKS Mazda RX-7 A&L Racing Mitsubishi Eclipse by GReddy Pontiac Firebird by Lingenfelter Saleen Speedster Saleen Ford Mustang SR Shelby Series 1

1997 Chevrolet S-10 Xtreme Force Concept Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 Technic Concept Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Indy 500 Pace Car Chevrolet Malibu Sport Concept Chevrolet Ski Van Concept Dodge Durango Super Pursuit Dodge Sidewinder Ford F-150 Super Duty Ford F-250 Super Duty Ford F-350 Super Duty Ford F-450 Super Duty Ford F-550 Super Duty Ford "Baja Baby" Ranger Concept Ford Mustang GT Shinoda Boss Ford Mustang Super Stallion Concept Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX SCC Magazine

1998

Buick Riviera Northstar Concept Chevrolet AdVenture Concept Chevrolet Blazer ZR-2 Shark Edition Convertible Concept Chevrolet Corvette C5R Chevrolet Camaro LS1 Dragster Super Performance Chevrolet Express Tool Time Van Concept Chevrolet Lone Star Suburban Chevrolet Silverado Greg Norman Hot Rod Concept Chevrolet Silverado Pace Truck Chevrolet Silverado Race Truck Chevrolet Silverado SS Concept Chevrolet Silverado Tonka Truck Concept Chevrolet Tahoe Limited Chevrolet Tahoe Police Package Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 Chevrolet Tracker ZR-2 Concept Chevrolet Sterling Silverado Concept Chevrolet Venture Taxi Chrysler Sebring Convertible Allure Show Car Chrysler Sebring Convertible JXTRA Show Car Chrysler Sebring Convertible Seamist Show Car Chrysler Sebring Convertible Tech 27 Show Car Dodge Durango SP360 Carroll Shelby Edition Ford Expedition Himalaya Concept Ford Mustang Cobra SVT Ford Mustang Roush Ford F-650 Super Crewzer Concept Ford Ranger Duraliner Ford Taurus Rage Concept Ford TekSport Windstar Concept GMC Jimmy Typhoon II Concept GMC Sierra Modern Nostalgia 1-Les Jarvis Concept Honda CR-V King Motorsports Mercedes-Benz Millennium GLK Concept Mercury Cougar Eliminator Concept Mercury Cougar S Concept Mercury Gametime Villager Concept Mercury Marauder Concept Oldsmobile Silhouette Premiere Pontiac Grand Am SC/T Concept Toyota Supra TRD 2JZ

1999

Buick Park Avenue "California" Chevrolet S-10 Baja Crew Cab Show Car Chevrolet S-10 V8 Xtreme Concept Chevrolet Blazer Xtreme Concept Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 Sedan Chevrolet Corvette C5 Cavallo GT Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Concept Chevrolet Tandem 2000 Concept Chevrolet Tracker Chevrolet Tracker ZR2 Chevrolet Silverado Extended Cab Chevrolet Suburban Z71 Concept Chrysler 300M Special Concept Chrysler GT Cruiser Concept Dodge Dakarta Concept Dodge Dakota Quad Cab "Discover" Concept