SEMA 2011

[Woodie]

I had the privilege of traveling to Las Vegas last week to attend the 2011 SEMA show. No words can describe the size and scope of this show - Greg and I walked for a solid 7 hours per day for two days and still didn't get to see the whole show. The 3rd day saw us walk another 7+ hours through the AAPEX show, which was fairly impressive in its own right.

From a Meguiars perspective, there was the main booth in the central hall, two big rigs parked outside and the Car Crazy Central studio where Barry Meguiar spent time interviewing a variety of guests from the motoring world.





SEMA is also the traditional venue for the announcement of new Meguiars products, which were displayed throughout the Meguiars main booth.









A few photos of the central hall





The show itself is a sensory overload of cars, bikes, accessories and a few other attractions. I don't want to kill the site by posting all of my photos, so here is a random sample:









































I also got meet up with a couple of legends in the detailing world

Mike Phillips



Todd Helme



And not quite a detailer, but well known to fans of American Chopper



The worst part of the day was right at the end - waiting in line for the monorail back to the hotel

[Sankekur]

Wow that must have been awesome!

[STaX]

I see something that needs detailing......standing next to the orange 350Z.

[Jughead]

Wow !!! Amazing Woodie !!!

[Lambchop]

Very Cool Woodie
Going for the Hippie look i see

what on earth is this though

[calypso]

Awesome sauce

[STaX]

@ LC...looks like a DA drill attachment.

[Lambchop]

(07-11-2011 08:00 PM)STaX Wrote:  @ LC...looks like a DA drill attachment.

Looks like trouble

[Woodie]

(07-11-2011 09:19 PM)Lambchop Wrote:  

(07-11-2011 08:00 PM)STaX Wrote:  @ LC...looks like a DA drill attachment.

Looks like trouble

Stax has got it. It is a drill attachment that turns the weekend warrior's drill into a mini DA. The unit converts the rotational action of the drill into a DA action. It comes with a 3" backing plate and is used with the 4" foam pads.

It is aimed at the market which still has a fear of the DA machine, but is looking at moving beyond working by hand. Having had a chance to play with it at the show, I can see the benefit of having this in my arsenal - specifically for working in awkward or tricky areas that the normal DA is too bulky for.

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(07-11-2011 07:12 PM)Lambchop Wrote:  Going for the Hippie look i see

- I have a bit of a challenge/dare going at the office. I won't be cutting my hair until the next Cansa Shavathon in March 2012.

[SilverSabre]

I am so jealous Looks like you had a blast man

Why don't they bring those gorgeous chevy's to south africa?! I'm sure they would sell.

Also, No one makes booth babes like they do in America

[andrewbuch]

WOW that is so awesome.. Would love to go to that show sometime in my life....

(08-11-2011 09:10 AM)SilverSabre Wrote:  I am so jealous Looks like you had a blast man

Why don't they bring those gorgeous chevy's to south africa?! I'm sure they would sell.

Also, No one makes booth babes like they do in America

JIMS needs to work on that part of the show.. they had NO bikini women

[onyx]

Lucky guy!

We should see the new range by the 2nd half of 2012 then?
Hopefully the DA MF system would have made an appearance too?

[Woodie]

(09-11-2011 12:44 PM)onyx Wrote:  We should see the new range by the 2nd half of 2012 then?

I hope not -the guys at Meguiars conceded that they had problems supplying new products to the international markets in the past, but that they are confident that they have resolved the issues. The indication was the we could expect to see the new products locally early in Q1 of 2012.

(09-11-2011 12:44 PM)onyx Wrote:  Hopefully the DA MF system would have made an appearance too?

The DA MF system has arrived locally. If you're interested, contact the Jhb office and they should be able to supply you with product and pads.

[Carn]

Fantastic pics Sean, looks like you had a terrific time. DA drill attachment looks interesting and as you mentioned, may be usefull for getting into gaps where a traditional DA won't reach.

Otherwise, anything of interest on the detailing front aside from the Meguiars fan fare?

[Woodie]

(11-11-2011 07:24 AM)Carn Wrote:  Otherwise, anything of interest on the detailing front aside from the Meguiars fan fare?

The "big 3" US brands (Meguiars, Mothers & Armor All) had a big presences at the show, and there were a couple of smaller booths from Sonax and Smartwax.

What I did notice was the number of detailing companies I hadn't heard of before. Obviously the US detailing market is big enough for each of them to make a bit of money. However, in terms of market share, the 3 big brands I mentioned above account for more than 80% of total sales.

As far as products are concerned:

• Aerospace 303
  Added a quick detailer spray to their range and have a neat effervescent tablet which you add to your washer fluid for windscreen cleaning.
• International Aero Products
  A company that has been doing products for the aircraft detailing industry since the early 80's have now introduced a automotive range. They claim to have an infused clay that not only removes contaminants like a normal clay, but also leaves a layer of protection behind. I got a sample of their detailing spray which I'll try out.
• Blackfire
  Todd Helme now works for Autogeek and has been given the Blackfire range as his "pet product". He acknowledged that besides the Wet Diamond paint sealant, the rest of the range is pretty average. With access to Autogeek's R&D and budget his brief is to improve/expand the range. He is working with Dr G from Optimum on this project and he is quite confident that we'll be seeing some good products coming out of the Blackfire stable in the new year.
• Temporary wrap - I can't remember the company name, but they have introduced a temporary wrap product that is applied to prevent road rash and bug build up on longer road trips. I though of the local car clubs (like VW) who tape up the front of the car with blue tape before setting off on their road trips. The product itself is similar to the normal vinyl wrap, but it is more pliable, thinner and clear. Think of it as cling wrap for your car . Easy on and easy off, the basic kit would contain enough product for 4+ applications. The idea is to wrap the front end before you set off and then remove it when you arrive at your destination. Simple, but impressive.
  

[springbok]

Great thread Sean. Congrats on the trip abd thanks for the interesting feedback.