SEMA Show - Massive Custom Auto Show in Las Vegas, Nevada

What is the SEMA Show?: SEMA is short for Specialty Equipment Market Association, and their annual Las Vegas show encompasses 2-million square feet of exhibit space. If a product is geared to auto restoration, accessories, customization, car care or motorsports it's likely to be shown at SEMA.

Auto manufacturers show their concept and custom vehicles at SEMA -- autos they've designed themselves and autos other companies have customized. Sometimes manufacturers introduce production vehicles at SEMA, like the Sport Trac Adrenalin that Ford presented in 2007.

Marine and RV products are another focus at SEMA.

When Does the SEMA Show Take Place?: The annual SEMA Show takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center during the first week of November. Since it always begins on a Tuesday, early days are often in October.

Can I Attend the SEMA Show?: The SEMA show isn't open to the general public. You can register for access if you represent an auto, marine or RV-related manufacturer or retailer, are a buyer, an industry analyst, a member of the media -- or are associated with the industry in some other way.

The first show was held in 1967, with 98 booths and 3,000 attendees. By 2007, SEMA housed 10,000 booths and had over 100,000 visitors.

Outdoor Events at the SEMA Show: There are always outdoor events at SEMA's proving ground. In 2006 I had the opportunity to drive an FJ Cruiser on the off-road track. In 2007, Lexus and Toyota vehicles were available for hands-on off-road driving.

SEMA Overall: The SEMA Show is massive, and there's no way attendees can see everything that's on display, let alone have time to dig into the details about every item. I typically take a walk-through to get an overall picture of what's there before heading back to focus on the things that interest me the most.

One thing that's universal at SEMA, everyone I've met has been truly helpful about describing their products (without a lot of media spin), and even the celebrity guests are real, down-to-earth people -- just like you and me.