The SEMA Show is gearing up for 2026 with an increased focus on ADAS, a new exhibit area for collision repair tools and equipment, continued growth for SEMA Live, and the latest plans for the popular SEMA Fest. SEMA Vice President of Events Tom Gattuso and Trade Show Director Andy Tompkins discuss updates and changes to this year’s programming to make the experience even better for attendees.

FB: What are some of the changes to the show this year compared to last year that attendees should look forward to?

TG: We have a partnership that we're proud to be able to nurture with both I-CAR and SCRS, and we feel that that really gives us a finger on the pulse of the collision industry. We're working with them on their programming, and they've got some great stuff in the works. We're going to have a live stage on the show floor that we've had in the past, which we call our collision repair stage, and that will be where technicians and people in the industry can go see some of the most updated and latest innovations that are happening in the industry. We're going to have a little bit of an ADAS focused curriculum where we're going to involve some vehicle manufacturers and some equipment manufacturers and really educate the industry on some of the ADAS advances that are happening these days and that really can mean anything from modifying a vehicle to repairing a vehicle.

From my standpoint, there are a couple of industries that are at the forefront of ADAS, and the collision repair industry is one of those groups. I think we're learning a lot by connecting and partnering with them on these items. It's really going to help speed up the process when you look at some of the requirements and specifications we're going to need from a standpoint of people that are putting parts on vehicles or raising or lowering a vehicle. It's going to fall in line with one other thing that we do that we call our Future Tech Studio; that's us giving a glimpse into what people can expect moving forward. It can be modification everything from electric vehicles and alternate fuel vehicles…It really is our opportunity to go to an industry and say, what are you doing that's really outside the box and where are we going to be in five to 10 years?

FB: With ADAS gaining an increasing presence at the show, are there any specific events or education sessions that people should look to attend? 

AT: Through SCRS and I-CAR programming, they're going to focus on ADAS quite a bit, and anywhere from calibration spaces to new tools to the OE equation, how shops can potentially bring a vehicle back up to calibration or even a modified vehicle back to calibration. A lot of conversation is going to be happening around that and specific education sessions; that's in Upper South Hall. I would encourage you to go to Lower South Hall [as well] because, due to the market's expansion in collision repair and new tools and equipment largely brought on by ADAS, we have a new section in Lower South that's collision repair and tools and equipment.

It’s kind of an example of how that market is expanding, and we need to accommodate more. We've created a new section for that. The collision repair stage is going to have content throughout the show. It's not something new per se, but there's going to be new content displayed consistently.

FB: What is SEMA Fest looking like this year?

TG: We're going to be in the same space that we were [last year], and this really is an opportunity for us to engage with a consumer in a more organic and social level. In 2023, we came up with this concept of trying to take a consumer and show them what our industry is all about and get them excited to not only start to become more of an enthusiast or have more aftermarket parts on their car but really explore an industry in general…But we've found an unintended positive result of this as well, where we made tickets for SEMA Fest available to our registrants. Last year, we sold almost a third of our tickets to that group. So that was again this indication that we were on the right track by taking the passion of automotive and the passion of music and really combining it together. We're continuing to focus on the music this year. We're really excited about our lineup (The Offspring, Jimmy Eat World, 311, and The Alive). It's going to be a great exclamation point to a week of business that's happening.

FB: Is SEMA Live getting any updates this year?

AT: It’s going to be the third year of the program. So, we're literally livestreaming 31 hours of activity from the SEMA show. It's kind of an ESPN-style sports desk interface hosted by Chris Jacobs. There's going to be anywhere from industry luminaries to cool builds to new products. There's going to be some fun, different interactions. There are a variety of hosts that they'll kick to around the campus. Of course, this show is business-to-business-only Tuesday through Thursday, and the SEMA Show Friday is open to the public, but millions who are following this industry can't attend. SEMA Live is designed to be a window into the action, and it's getting a really great response. We've had millions of views. We published it on YouTube and Meta…If you're at the show, I'd recommend you check out booth 20341. You'll see it on the map, SEMA Live, that's in Central Hall. You can see the production happening in real time and it's impressive. It really does look like a TV studio, and it's fun to see them cut to different feeds and the content they're covering.