The Hidden Value of SEMA: More Than Just a Trade Show

Every year, right around the time my plane touches back down in Orlando after the SEMA Show, the questions start rolling in.

“Do you think I should go next year?”

“What do you even get out of it anymore?”

“Is there really a purpose in going?”

I get where the skepticism comes from. For a lot of owners, SEMA feels like a bucket-list trip they’ll “get around to,” or something they’d only attend if the stars align. It’s expensive. It’s overwhelming. And, let’s be honest, Vegas doesn’t do anyone any favors by the time you’re on day three of five-mile walking days.

But after another year of making the trip, I’m more convinced than ever: You should go and not for the reasons you think.

Let me start here:

SEMA is not the place you go to find the magic tool, product, or piece of equipment that will suddenly make your business profitable. If that’s the expectation, you’ll leave disappointed and a few thousand dollars lighter. Because the ROI of SEMA isn’t in a booth. It isn’t in a demo. And it sure isn’t in whatever is wrapped in chrome and sitting on a turntable.

For me, it’s about something a lot more valuable: perspective.

At home, we’re buried in our shops, the KPIs, the staffing issues, the insurers, the parts shortages, the constant balancing act of keeping customers and team members aligned. The walls of the business get really close, and before long, every problem feels like your problem, isolated and unique.

But at SEMA, you’re suddenly surrounded by thousands of people who live the exact same stress you do. Different states. Different volumes. Different brands. Same battles.

And that does something to you.

You’re reminded that the world is bigger than your shop.

You see how fast the industry is changing, and how slow some owners are to adapt.

You hear conversations that shake loose ideas you didn’t even know you needed.

You realize, pretty quickly, whether you’ve been leading from the front… or just reacting.

The real value of SEMA is in the conversations you weren’t planning to have. The owner you bump into who finally solved that problem you’ve been wrestling for a year. The presenter who says one sentence that rewrites how you look at your operation. The supplier who finally explains a piece of tech in a way that clicks. The chance to step away from your own four walls long enough to see the bigger picture again.

Every year I return home exhausted but sharper. More grounded. Clearer on what matters and what doesn’t.

So, when someone asks me, “Should I go?” here’s my honest answer:

If you’re satisfied with the way things are, stay home.

If you think you’ve already figured out the best way to run your business, stay home.

If you’re not willing to be challenged, stay home.

But if you want perspective…

If you want clarity…

If you want to hold your business up against what’s possible instead of what’s comfortable…

Then, yes. You should go.

SEMA and large industry gatherings or conferences alike don’t change your shop.

But they are great opportunities to change you…. That is, if you let them.

And sometimes, that’s exactly what the business needs most.