Top 3 things: Overcoming Challenges
Tom Guttaso
VP of Events, SEMA
For 57 years, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) has been a must-attend event for anyone that works in the automotive aftermarket industry. Staying relevant to your industry over many decades requires constantly challenging the status quo.
So we asked Tom Guttaso, VP of Events at SEMA, what kinds of challenges he and his team had to overcome and how they’ve kept SEMA relevant for today’s audiences.
THING 1
Millennials and Gen Z are bringing a shift in values and show expectations.
One of the ways we’ve adapted is by producing show content in smaller, manageable sound bites while covering a wider breadth of topics. Then we aligned our show floor design to accommodate.
As attendees’ needs change, our exhibitors’ needs change. So we offer an exhibitor education summit where we share demographic information and how to target new versus existing customers.
Then, we also added activations like a music concert and ‘industry night’ — so all of our audiences, including younger generations, have a unique opportunity to network.
THING 2
On the last day, SEMA Show would see a decline in attendee engagement.
We strategically built activations into the experience to keep the energy up. This encouraged exhibitors and attendees to stay engaged throughout the trade show and even after the floor closes.
We also launched SEMA Cruise, a parade-like procession where exhibitors drive their vehicles out of the convention center. This gives exhibitors a chance to highlight their products while also creating a memorable experience for thousands of attendees.
Tom’s 3 Tips for Getting Attendees to the Show Floor:
- Plan activations that engage your attendees such as new product showcases.
- Use signage and wayfinding to make the attendee journey ultra clear.
- Make the journey an immersive part of the experience, especially if there are longer distances between halls, exhibits, showcases, and activations.
Find tips to overcome exhibit challenges with these booth backup ideas.
THING 3
As every planners knows, unexpected challenges can occur at any time.
Each year, I ask myself, ‘Is this that thing?’ This year, ‘that thing’ was a cyber attack that caused our registration platform to go down pre-show during our biggest registration day.
We focused on proactive communication letting people know what happened and the pricing tier, which was scheduled to end, would be extended. We also began building a temporary registration site just in case our permanent site didn’t go back up quickly.
Communication and customer service were the keys to success, and we did not lose any attendee registration.
I always like to look for how challenges become opportunities. And this experience gave me a chance to test and review our customer services processes.
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