by Terry Pritchard
Torque Staff Writer
The countdown has begun. I am finishing laundry and packing my bags. Cameras and electronics are on their chargers. Display vehicles are in the final stages of construction and cleaning.
In two days, I will be on my way to attend my first SEMA Show. What is SEMA you might ask? SEMA stands for Specialty Equipment Market Association and organizes the premier trade show in the automotive industry in Las Vegas.
As I said, I’ve never been to SEMA. But I have worked or attended other large industry trade shows over the years, most notably as an exhibitor and media trainer at Apple’s Macworld Expo and World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC). So I kind of understand how these things work. But I am told SEMA is like nothing else around.
I have also been told I will be walking a lot, and I have been training for my SEMA experience with daily workouts and walks knowing I will be covering four massive show floors of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Convention Center houses SEMA Show in these halls and fills them with exhibitors, media events and educational events broken down into numerous automotive categories.
I will, of course, be focusing my attention on the Off-Road and Truck Category, which is mainly housed in the year-old West Hall. There are new products featured throughout other halls I will want to see and write about as well.
I am definitely looking forward to participating in this automotive industry spectacle. As evidenced by previous SEMA shows, there are plenty of outrageous company builds all designed to draw you into their respective booths.
Quadratec is no different in that aspect. Last year’s build was our 30th Anniversary YJL vehicle. The company commissioned renowned builder and fabricator, Greg Henderson, to take a new Jeep Wrangler JL and model it after company founder Ted Wentz’s original 1989 Jeep Wrangler Khaki Metallic Sahara YJ. This creative build featured numerous YJ characteristics including square headlights, original YJ dash and steering column, custom rollbar, and an in-line YJ-era six cylinder engine.
To preserve this year’s unveiling and not lose the surprise, I’m not going to give away the details of our SEMA build yet. But I promise it will be electrifying. So expect coverage on this year’s fantastic Quadratec SEMA build throughout SEMA week.
I am blown away by the creativity and seemingly limitless canvas builders use to create concept designs for this show. I remember seeing pictures and reading about Quake LED’s builds and marveling at unbelievable wheel and tire sizes (both large and small). Almost every exhibitor has exceptional vehicles on display to show off their products. This a fantastic and whimsical approach to attaining, and maintaining, attendee focus in an otherwise sea of product noise.
For me, well, that old saying declares ‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’, right? I’m looking forward to some of the sights and experiences that can only happen in Las Vegas. From the oceanic human presence of Fremont Street Experience during Halloween to the various themed casinos, to arguably the world’s biggest aftermarket auto show.
Oh yeah, and the food. I can’t forget about the food. There should be some amazing meals sprinkled in throughout our Vegas experience.
So join Matt and me as we take you on our journey across the country to SEMA, and beyond. We’ll be documenting our adventures each day as we make our way to Vegas through live updates on our social media, as well as right here on Torque.
See you on the tra, er, road.
