Las Vegas, Nevada — October 9, 2017 — Custom vehicles are always thick on the ground at the SEMA Show and this year’s event will be no exception. There will also be numerous educational sessions when the show opens on October 31 at the Las Vegas Convention Centre. Some of the sessions available at SEMA Show Education Days combine the two, with expert builders from around the world sharing their secrets to help attendees hone their personal vehicle-customizing skills.
Rick Love, Vice President of Vintage Air, will moderate the Hot Rod Builders Panel taking place on November 2. He notes that the sessions present a great opportunity for younger builders to learn from more experienced hands.
“The best thing that [the sessions] give younger aspiring builders is an opportunity to listen to the stories from some of the top builders on how they got started, and to learn some of the business practices that they subscribe to,” said Love. “We also have Q&A sessions where attendees can ask any questions they want.”
Regardless of experience or market niche, a statement from show management says SEMA Show Education Days has a program to take building and fabricating skills to the next level.
Fabrication Techniques — 3D Machining on a Router Table (AE2)
In this session, attendees will learn how to fabricate 3-D shapes safely and efficiently without a CNC machine. They will see fabrication demonstrations that use a router table and safety sled, and learn how to build professional-grade trim panels, dash faceplates, speaker adapters and other components that are compatible with factory interior designs.
Presenter: Todd Ramsey, Ramsey Consulting; Bryan Schmitt, President and Founder, Mobile Solutions USA
Time: Wednesday, November 1, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Upper North Hall, N253
Restoration Builder’s Panel, Powered by ARMO (BD1)
What does it take to become a successful vehicle builder/restorer? How do you differentiate yourself from the competition? How do you grow your reputation as a top-tier builder? What are the potential pitfalls you need to know? Whom should you partner with, or should you go it alone? In this session presented by the Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO), attendees will get answers to these questions, and much more, from some of the restoration industry’s most respected names.
Presenters: EJ Fitzgerald, Cool Hand Customs; Tim Strange, Strange Motion; Frank Arone, Arone Restoration; Chris Ryan, Ryan’s Rod & Kustom; Lenny Schaeffer, Redemption Rod & Custom
Moderator: Amy Fitzgerald, Cool Hand Customs
Time: Wednesday, November 1, 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Location: Upper North Hall, N258
Hot Rod Builder’s Panel, Powered by HRIA (BD2)
This session, presented by the Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA), reviews many of the same topics as the aforementioned session, with a greater emphasis on the rodding sector. Attendees will learn what it takes to be a successful vehicle builder and how to carve out their own distinctive niches in the market. They will hear expert tips to help grow their businesses, review potential obstacles and discuss solutions with some of the industry’s top builders.
Presenter: Rick Love, Vintage Air
Time: Thursday, November 2, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Location: Upper North Hall, N258
Builder Peer-spectives: Resto, Hot Rod, Off-Road, Tuner (BD3)
Every vehicle build takes on a life of its own, and each builder has his or her own unique design approach and market niche to cultivate. In this session, attendees will discuss best practices with master builders representing the sport-compact, hot-rod, restoration, and off-road sectors. They will discover which build elements are common across all sectors, and see how each vehicle type poses its own unique build challenges and solutions.
Presenters: Brian Brennan, TEN; Bobby Alloway, Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop; “Big Mike”; Jerry Zaiden, Camburg Engineering; Lenny Schaeffer, Redemption Rod & Custom
Time: Tuesday, October 31, 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.
Location: Upper North Hall, N258
Five Key Trends to Boost a Restyling Shop’s Business, Powered by PRO (VA2)
In this session, presented by the Professional Restylers Organization (PRO), attendees will get dialed into the latest trends in automotive restyling and learn how to transform these trends into exciting, profit-boosting accessory packages. Listen and learn as experienced top-tier restylers share effective marketing strategies in a fast-paced, information-packed session.
Presenters: Josh Poulson, Auto Additions; Joey Johnston, Tops & Trends; Dino Perfetti, Automotive Concepts
Time: Thursday, November 2, 10:15 a.m.–11:15 a.m.
Location: Upper North Hall, N253
The complete lineup of education sessions at the 2017 SEMA Show is available here.
