2020_ADN_V5_No3_web

INDUSTRY NEWS
SEMA offering eMARKETPLACE solution
SEMA, the Specialty Equipment
Market Association, announced today
that it is offering an online marketplace to
allow manufacturers and resellers in the
specialty automotive segment to connect
and conduct business. Taking place Nov.
2-6, SEMA360 was created after industry
members expressed a need for a viable
marketplace solution in the absence of
the 2020 SEMA Show.
“Creating a platform where the industry
can gather and discover new products
and trends has always been a SEMA priority,”
said Chris Kersting, SEMA president
and CEO. “SEMA360 is the ideal
solution to bring the industry together,
at a time when we’ve all been kept apart.
The platform allows qualified buyers to
interact with manufacturers, see innovative
new products, check out top SEMA
Show builds, and take in industry-leading
educational offerings.”
Show organizers gathered input from
industry members who registered concerns
with typical “virtual trade show”
solutions. The result is SEMA360, a simplified
platform where SEMA will help
manufacturers create a straightforward
brand presence that will reach quality
domestic and international buyers. With
a focus on helping the industry grow their
businesses, participating resellers will have
access to product offerings and demonstrations,
and manufacturer personnel.
“The industry made it clear there is
a void to fill,” said Tom Gattuso, SEMA
vice president of events. “SEMA360 addresses
that need by leveraging SEMA’s
exclusive buyer database to connect manufacturers
with resellers.”
KEY FEATURES OF
SEMA360 INCLUDE:
• A simplified platform for
manufacturers to showcase their
new products and innovations
• Efficient interaction between
manufacturers and resellers for
quality business exchange
• SEMA vehicle reveals from
world-class builders
• Industry-leading education
focused on professional
development and new strategies
• SEMA’s unrivaled media contacts
amplifying news, products, and
innovations to a world-wide
audience
Manufacturer applications for
SEMA360 will open Sept. 3, 2020, at
a SEMA-member rate of $495, and a
nonmember rate of $1,495. Attendee
registration, which opens mid-September,
will be free to qualifying buyers who
are SEMA members, and $25 to nonmembers.
Qualifying media will be able
to register at no cost.
Mobile Tech Expo Orlando!
Mobile Tech Expo Orlando is still on
the calendar – put it on yours! The Gaylord
Palms, our 2021 home, has already
hosted a safe and health centric event in the
convention hall. They’re preparing to host
other events through 2020 and into 2021.
Our hope is that the situation nationwide
continues to improve and we will all be together
again in Orlando in February.
In other MTE news, after the Las Vegas
Mobile Tech Expo was canceled due to
the pandemic, show organizers announced
that plans for the 2021 are still a-go.
According to a statement: Mobile
Tech Expo Orlando is still on the calendar
– put it on yours! The Gaylord Palms,
our 2021 home, has already hosted a safe
and health centric event in the convention
hall. They’re preparing to host other
events through 2020 and into 2021. Our
hope is that the situation nationwide continues
to improve and we will all be together
again in Orlando in February.
MTE also announced it is accepting
nominations for its People of the Year awards.
AWARDS HANDING OUT
AT THE EXPO INCLUDE:
• Detailing Person of the Year
• PDR Person of the Year
• PDR Tool Person of the Year
• Lifetime Achievement Award
• Windshield Repair Person
of the Year
• Rufus Lowery Mentor
of the Year Award
The Detailing Person of the Year
award honors the individual who has
made a difference in the detailing industry,
either through product innovation, service
to the overall industry through marketing
and advocacy or has advanced the industry
through mentoring and education.
PREVIOUSLY, AWARDS
WERE GIVEN TO:
• TOM NATIONS
(PDR Person of the Year)
Tom Nations was an industry leader in every
sense of the word. He always spoke honestly
about the pros and cons of the industry,
and was strong enthusiast of the industry
and an asset to the Dent Wizard Team. He
was straight-forward and always had a smile
on his face and brought one to those around
him. In his memory and to honor his consistent
support of the paintless dent repair
industry, Mobile Tech Expo has named the
PDR Person of the Year award after Tom.
• SID EMMERT MEMORIAL
(PDR Tool Person of the year)
Sidney (Sid) Emmert began manufacturing
his own tools when he started his career in
paintless dent repair after college. An industry
icon, Sid was a leader and mentor, and
his company DentCraft Tools became one of
the most highly regarded in the industry. In
addition to his PDR work, Sid also was well
known for his charity work with children as
he created the “Twinkie Drop”. But it is for his
many contributions in forwarding the PDR industry,
that the PDR Tool Person of the Year
award is named in his honor
• NAT DANAS MEMORIAL
(Lifetime Achievement)
Nat Dinofsky, who eventually shortened his
surname to Danas, owned a small trip shop
in the 1950s. He realized there was no way
to share information between trim & upholstery
shops, so he started Auto Trim News in
1951. This 60-year publication reshaped the
automotive aftermarket. Danas was a true
mentor, friend, and gentleman. The Nat Danas
Memorial Award honors those who have
also dedicated themselves selflessly to the
Auto Care industry.
WINDSHIELD
REPAIR PERSON
OF THE YEAR
Honoring an individual for their contributions
through product development,
mentoring and advocacy or has advanced
the industry through other methods.
People who have passed away may
also be honored. The Rufus Lowery
Memorial is in honor of Lowery, a PDR
Tech was known to offer help to anyone
who needed it. Lowery, was killed in April
2006 at the age of 49 when he was robbed
by two men and killed for his tools and his
truck. In his memory, the Mentor of The
Year Award is named the Rufus Lowery
Mentor of the Year Award.
Nominations may be made by visiting:
mobiletechexpo.com/orlando/nomination
14 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 5, NO. 3 • FALL 2020