By Josh White
Las Vegas, Nevada — September 6, 2017 — It’s just a few short weeks until the Las Vegas Convention Centre opens its doors for the 2017 SEMA Show. The annual event has a lot to offer for collision repair professionals, including educational presentations, the New Products Showcase, and over 2,400 exhibitors. The 2017 SEMA Show runs October 31 to November 3.
There are a vast number of educational presentations coming to this year’s show. Of high interest to repair professionals is the Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series, presented by the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS).
A statement from SCRS says the content specifically focuses on issues and information that are relevant to collision repair professionals operating in today’s marketplace, and appeals to the diverse perspectives that exist within the collision repair industry. There will be both paid classes and free seminars being held that offer content based on feedback from previous SEMA attendees. SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg notes that the courses focus on practical application that can be put to use immediately.
“The classes include discussions on the challenges faced in the industry with speakers giving tangible solutions and advice that the attendees can use as soon as they get back to their shops,” said Schulenberg in an interview with Collision Repair magazine.
The free seminars offered this year include “The creation of car colors of the next 3 to 5 model years,” discussing how trending colours in other industries end up impacting the automotive colour palette, and “Choosing a Clearcoat is not so Clear: Helping You Understand Your Choices” which promises to provide attendees with an understanding of the differences between various clearcoats. The seminar covers the substrates to which the coat is being applied, how the vehicle’s purpose can be a deciding factor in what to use and factors that impact the longevity of the coat.
The RDE series also includes “Keep It Simple – focus on doing the basic things well.” This is an interactive session highlighting the importance of going back to basics and linking quality of repair to productivity and efficiency.
The OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit, taking place on November 2, is also part of the RDE series. This year’s Summit features three sessions addressing the impact that automotive research has on vehicle construction and functionality, the impact that construction and functionality has on performing once-commonplace repair procedures, and the impact that those OEM procedures—or failure to implement them—have on liability and safety. For more on this event, please see “OEM Summit to highlight how changing technology impacts repairers.”
SCRS will also host a number of other events during SEMA that promise to be great networking opportunities for repairers, including the Industry Conference and the Red Carpet Industry Awards Breakfast. On November 2, SCRS will serve as host for the Sky Villa After Party, a networking opportunity for those in the industry to get together in the gorgeous Sky Villa suites at the Westgate Hotel.
The New Products Showcase is always one of the biggest draws at the SEMA Show. In fact, there’s so many that it can be difficult to sort them out. The SEMA Show has a solution for that problem. Attendees will be provided with scanners that they will use to scan products of interest. At the end of the show, attendees can receive a print-out of the items scanned, and key information such as how to locate and contact the exhibitors. In other words, if it catches your eye at least once, you won’t forget about it the next day!
Closing the day on October 31 and November 1 will be a special event titled “Brew Talks.” Jeff Allen of the popular podcast SkidMarks will interview various industry personalities during the sessions. Attendees are invited to buy a drink, pull up a chair and listen to what are sure to be informative and entertaining discussions.
For more information on the 2017 SEMA Show, please visit semashow.com.
