Hello HAMBers, My wife and I will be attending the 2018 SEMA show in Las Vegas. This will be our first show, and our first trip back to Vegas in almost 20 years. We'll be there from Monday through Saturday, so hopefully plenty of time to cover a lot of ground. I've heard lots about the SEMA show, and how it is a mecca for gearheads. My nephew went last year and couldn't stop babbling about how great it was. I'm looking for advice from any SEMA show veterans online here that can give some advice about what to see - and what to avoid - in order to maximize our experience. Any and all observations and recommendations are greatly appreciated.
Hard to say without know what you are interested in. The hot rod/ restoration section is usually the central hall with performance and first time displayers. The rest of the show is huge so expect to walk miles so good shoes are a must. If you're not that into wheels and tires there is an entire hall dedicated to that. There is a truck section, there is a collision section etc so you can narrow things down or hurry through a bit if certain areas are of no interest to you.
We are prepared to walk miles every day, no worries there. Hot rod / restoration is definitely high up on our list. Also looking forward to see any/all of the commercial rod builders/shops and their current projects. Are the vendor displays scattered throughout the facility, or all grouped in one location? We love 'em all - street rods, muscle cars, restorations, plus checking out all of the latest new products from the vendors. Also: Vegas! I'm pretty sure we're gonna have a blast no matter what.
I've only been once recently, it was still fun. Years ago, I met a few notable people there--Smokey Yunick, Wally Parks, Pat Ganahl, etc. There are some neat things tucked away amongst all the modern marketing drivel.
be sure to pay attention to the map of the layout in the buildings - easy to be heading one direction and then see something in another aisle and forget to go back where you were - a small back pack, or shoulder bag, works better than just carrying the free plastic bags - if you are hungry go eat, and get something to drink - no need to over push yourself - plus, there is a ton to see outside - don't forget that there is a big outdoor event down the street right after SEMA ends - do not not lose everything while gambling, if you do any, the first day - make reservations early to take in a special show at one of the big Hotel/Casinos - be sure that you post H.A.M.B. friendly pics here
Bring good shoes and pace yourself. Its hard to see it all even in several days. Have a great time. Head down to fremont for a night and take in a show on the strip both well worth the time and money.
The division 7 points race going on at The Strip / LVMS https://www.nhra.net/2019/flyers/xxx_D7 Las Vegas Motor Speedway LODRS_19.pdf
On a somewhat related note, checkout this Tony Thacker article on the history of the SEMA show: SEMA LAS VEGAS TURNS 55 – HOW DID WE GET HERE?
I have been going since 1990. I learned the hard way to plan each day in advance. There are so much glittering eye Cady booths to distract you, and since the show is only 4 days, it's hard to see all of just what you want/need. You will be given 2 books. One will be a book listing every vendor and cross referenced. The other is a pocket guide to each vendor. Carefully review both of them and plan your daily agenda. If you still have time left, visit the new product display. If anything there interests you, the vendor and booth number is listed. If there is time left then by all means wandered the show and enjoy. Be advised that this show was once a hard core high performance and racing show which morphed into an all in one automotive show. I am still hard core so I plan to see that first. They have everything from winkey eye bobble head dolls, fake pin stripes, tires, and the lot if you want it. If my memory serves me correctly, we had 26 miles of aisle ways last year. I have bad knees so I scooter it. If you go bell to bell each day, your legs will feel like rubber at the end of the day. There is little seating except for a short section in the hall between north and center halls. By all means get a wheeled luggage carrier to haul all the materials you will collect. I go to the hotel and cull out the things that are not that good and set aside the good things. Also bring large water bottles. I refill mine at the nearest water fountain I can find. If you follow the must see, want to see, and enjoy everything else when done system that I have, the show becomes much more enjoyable. As a first timer, I ignored good advice from a friend that started at Dodger Stadium. Big mistake. I also eat a hearty breakfast and a good dinner. The food offered there is way overpriced and under taste. Unless you are a SEMA member and can enjoy their lounge. No matter what you choose to do, it is a spectacular show and whether you go this once or many more times, you will always remember it, and your feet will recover. Enjoy
My Model A has been on the CenterForce banner/poster for a couple years. And a very close friends Blown truck is in the finals for the Hot Wheels deal
Also the “card flickers” on every corner giving you companionship options if your wife pisses you off haha
Be careful going there. I went with some of the guys from Hollywood Hot Rods a couple years ago and it was a rough morning the next day. @cretin
Haha! That was a bit of a rough day. At least we didn’t have it as rough as Brett did. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Very interesting. Generally speaking, we had a blast. On the one hand, it was everything I expected. It certainly is as large and spread out as everyone says; my wife and I averaged a little over 10 miles of walking every day, including the mile back and forth from the hotel to the convention center. The weather was perfect. Lots of excitement, plenty of great displays, and the chance to see many new products displayed in person. As a (very) small business owner, it gave me a chance to exchange ideas with vendors and other like-minded individuals, and as a gearhead I had a chance to meet and speak to many of the people inside the hobby. Chip Foose is really as nice a guy as he appears on TV, and seeing his Ridler-award-winning 65 Impala in person was a real treat. On the other hand...by Day 2 the crowds at the show were a bit much. Too many people taking too many pictures of EVERYTHING, and carrying too much stuff in backpacks and tote bags, along with an overabundance of people on mobility scooters, and families with children pretending it was Disneyland, all combining to obstruct the aisles at every turn. Patience was the order of the day, and I saw my share of tempers boiling over (and rightly so). The overall quality of vehicles on display was...disappointing, and a bit uncreative. There were a few cars worth looking at, but just how many jacked-up neon-colored big-wheeled trucks does a person need to see? We saw everything we came to see on the first three days, and by Day 4 we were ready for a day off and hung out at the hotel pool. And beyond the show, for me anyway, a little bit of Las Vegas goes a long way. The best decision we made was to make sure we were in walking distance of everything we wanted to see, as driving - and parking - can be a real nightmare. Convention parking was $40 or $50, and you were still a quarter-mile from the venue. Even if you ride-share you need to allow plenty of time to maneuver through the traffic near the Strip, which can be infernal in the evening. In this current incarnation of Vegas, there are no more bargains to be found; hotels charge $40 a day to park, and there is that stupid resort fee that they all charge now. This is not to say that the City That Keeps Its Secrets doesn't have its charms; it just that , over the years, my priorities have changed a bit. This was definitely a bucket list item, and I am glad I did it. Would I do it again? Sure, maybe one more time, but only for a couple of days and with a clearer idea of what to see and what to expect.
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