Shipping Your Trade Show Booth to SEMA Las Vegas

Shipping your trade show booth to SEMA Las Vegas, one of the world’s largest automobile trade shows, can be an extremely difficult task. Mechanical products can be bulky and heavy making transportation troublesome. Although these items are oversized they can be delicate, special handling procedures need to be enforced when moving your products to SEMA.    

Shipping your trade show booths to SEMA Las Vegas can consume time and a large portion of money. Your company will need to resource a reliable, professional way to get your booth and materials to the show. Partnering with a logistics company can allow you to focus on your strategizing marketing techniques for your booth, while they take care of delivery. 

What is the SEMA Show?

SEMA once stood for Speed Equipment Manufacturing Association but was changed stands in the 1970’s to Specialty Equipment Market Association. The organization came after car gurus were looking to trade with others with similar products. The first-ever SEMA Show was held in 1967 at the Los Angeles Dodger’s baseball stadium. The industry has had substantial growth since then, the capacity of smaller locations became too limiting and the event was moved to the Las Vegas Convention Center where more than 2,400 companies participate. 

This trade show brings tuners and motorheads from across the country together to learn about the latest and greatest in aftermarket components and products. The destination for tools, parts and other components for cars, trucks, SUVs and other vehicles. When combing the SEMA trade show floor, you’ll find exhibitors like equipment manufacturers, distributors, dealers, retailers, installers, restoration specialists and more. 

New cars and special models are debuted at the SEMA Show annually, giving attendees a chance to see the latest and greatest in the auto industry. Many major auto manufacturers including Ford, Honda, Chevrolet, Honda, Mazda, Acura, Toyota, and Lexus display the latest models and prototypes to 70,000 motorheads. However, this event is not open to the general public, only to the professionals within the industry. 

Cost of SEMA?

Companies pay quite a chunk of money to be present at this event — If you are a SEMA member you get a discounted rate at roughly $22 per net square foot of your booth. All others pay about $15 more at $37 per net square foot. The minimum amount of square feet purchased must be equal to 100 or more. An island booth costs an additional $4,000 and peninsulas cost an additional $1,000. 

Show attendees have big buying power, according to figures from the association, 57 percent of attendees make buying decisions for their companies, while 30 percent make buying recommendations. 

Why ship your trade show freight to SEMA:

• 87 percent of buyers come to the show to see new products
• 78 percent of buyers come to get ideas
• 72 percent of buyers come to keep up on trends
• 65 percent of buyers come to find new vendors
• 60 percent of buyers come to see existing vendors

The show doesn’t end for consumers once the event concludes, 87 percent of individuals who attend the convention plan to order products after the show. There are a plethora of reasons it’s beneficial for your company to participate in SEMA. Regardless of the reason, you plan to exhibit at the SEMA Show, it will likely be a rewarding experience.

Attracting an Audience 

SEMA fills the halls with people looking to purchase products but, with booths that have cars on display, how do you stand out? Aim for a stand surrounded by aisles like peninsulas or islands. The location of these booths have openings on all sides allowing you to communicate with individuals walking the floor. 

Challenges of Shipping Trade Show Booths to SEMA Las Vegas

With such a large venue and bulky products, how do participants ship their exhibits to SEMA? Having booths assembled prior to the show is vital for each business involved but, you can’t demo your company’s products and services to buyers if they don’t show up on time. 

To increase the complications of getting your products to the show, SEMA has only one handling contractor, Freeman. They organize the Marshaling Yard and Loading Docks during the move-in and move-out periods and oversee the handling of freight and moving of materials for the show. Partnering with an experienced logistics provider who has a relationship with this contractor could make the process of getting your products in slightly easier. 

There are two main ways to ship to the show, through direct shipment from your location to SEMA or warehousing. You can select to ship your freight directly from your location to the show site. The other option is to ship your booth and materials directly to a Freeman warehouse, then Freeman will deliver your items to the site. The SEMA Exhibitors guide, mentions Freeman can construct your booth before the show and dismantle it when you’re done.

Shipping to SEMA with R+L Global Logistics 

Trusting a logistics company can help ease the pain and stress behind trade show planning. R+L Global Logistics provides advanced warehousing for your trade show materials and direct shipping to the location. R+L Global Logistics’ trade show services team has nearly 50 years of combined experience, we’ve gotten our trucks in and out of the Las Vegas Convention Center many times and are prepared to offer you the best solutions for shipping to SEMA.

R+L Global Logistics can also help with your other trade show shipping needs. From shipping to a pet expo to shipping to CES, we have you covered.

Take advantage of R+L Global’s Logistics’ services and contractor partnerships to get your booth and materials to the SEMA Show safely and on time. We ensure the materials will be delivered in the same condition they were received in. Chat, email or call R+L Global today to get started with our trade show shipping services.

R+L Global Logistics can make shipping your trade show booth to SEMA, Las Vegas less stressful. We are prepared to be your shipping and logistics partner under all circumstances. Our experienced trade show booth shipping team works with providers like Freeman to navigate you through transporting your products using the best system possible.