SEMA/AAPEX Recap

It was against a somewhat unique backdrop that the Autosphere team headed to the traditional SEMA/AAPEX show in Las Vegas, widely regarded as the world’s largest automotive aftermarket event.

Trade relations between Canada and the United States remain strained, directly impacting domestic businesses while driving up prices and disrupting the availability of certain goods crossing the U.S. border into our market. Adding to this political backdrop coloring trade operations were the recent midterm elections, where results brought either disappointment or relief depending on who you spoke with.

Our publication takes no political stance, and regardless of the clear Democratic victory, discussions across the cavernous show floors remained squarely focused on business.

The Autosphere team certainly logged tens of thousands of steps over those days navigating the exhibition halls. To put things into perspective: you could lay New York’s Empire State Building end-to-end inside SEMA’s South Hall Upper with room left over for several buses. Our team wove through SEMA’s crowd of 160,000 attendees after walking the floor alongside 45,000 industry professionals at AAPEX.

We met with numerous partner exhibitors showcasing their latest equipment innovations and solutions for mechanical repair shops, collision centers, and tire dealerships. Our team also attended several social events, including AIA Canada’s must-attend Canada Night under the Maple Leaf banner.

Over the coming days, we will share the highlights from these meetings and are preparing comprehensive photo coverage and feature stories for our December issue of Autosphere.

Happy reading and happy exploring!