"In a word, awesome!" shares Frank Terlep, CEO of Summit Software, of his company's experience as a vendor at the 2013 SEMA Show. "I am amazed at the level of growth that the Collision Repair & Refinish section of the show has experienced in a few short years. What's also very encouraging is the steady increase in number of collision players coming through. Every year, we meet more and more buyers and professionals directly related to the business of collision repair, and in terms of quality leads, this was our best year yet."

As he explains, part of Terlep's enthusiasm as an exhibitor stems from the positive direction the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) has taken in promoting the industry through the SEMA Show. "As soon as I heard SCRS was taking a larger role [at SEMA] with the Collision Repair & Refinish section, I immediately said, 'I'm in,'" he recalls. "They do an amazing job of promoting the industry and the collision repair pros that comprise it, between a strong presence at the show itself and a ton of awesome educational opportunities. As I've experienced, every year that SCRS partners with the SEMA Show is better and better. If you're into cars and the business of repairing them, there's no place like SEMA for you."

"I can't say enough good things about this year's show," says Tim Morgan, managing director of Spanesi Americas. "Everything about the event is so exciting - from the new products to the nonstop traffic of current and future customers. We don't often get to meet all our customers face to face, so SEMA is a terrific opportunity for us to reach out to these people in person to thank them for their business, answer any questions they may have and tie together their experience as a customer."

The Spanesi team showed their support in a big way at the 2013 SEMA Show, from various show specials to a celebrity booth appearance by television star Mark Boone Junior (Sons of Anarchy) and educational support with Morgan himself presenting "Maximizing Efforts Through Blueprinting and Shop Layout" on Thursday, Nov. 7th as part of SCRS' Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series. "I am completely blown away by how SCRS has helped bring an already fantastic event to the next level," Morgan notes. "From a training standpoint alone, they've raised the bar immensely. As long as SCRS is a part of SEMA, we will be, too."

NAPA Paint & Supply (NAPA) showcased their largest exhibit space to date at the 2013 SEMA Show, and as NAPA's Chris Nichols, director of PBE (U.S Automotive Parts Group) explains, they have already noted a return on their investment with increased booth traffic and publicity. "We came to SEMA this year with a completely redesigned, expanded booth, and we experienced a great deal of traffic through our area every day of the show," he offers. "We've participated in SEMA as part of the Collision Repair & Refinish section every year since SCRS has been involved in its development, and this was without a doubt our largest presence, not to mention the largest show." 

As Frank Jemiola, global technical manager (pigments-solventborne) for PPG Automotive Refinish adds, in term of quality trade shows, SEMA is a clear winner. "The crowds here are different from those at any other event in the world," he says. "They are the most committed to being here, in my opinion. They expect to leave with solutions and understanding, and we are able to provide them with informative solutions and quality products to take back to their businesses."

"We had a great show, and we're so pleased to work with SCRS this year," adds Jemiola, a panelist at one of SCRS' RDE additional free educational sessions that were held on the Collision Repair & Refinish (CR&R) stage. "They are incredibly helpful not only to us as an exhibitor, but to the collision industry in general. They've taken an already great location and event, and enhanced it even more with training opportunities and a ton of knowledge you can use in your shop tomorrow. We've received great support from SCRS, and have enjoyed our show greatly."

The 2013 RDE series is sponsored by supportive industry organizations such as SEMA, PPG Automotive Refinish, GM Genuine Parts, BASF Refinish, Ford Motor Company, AkzoNobel Coatings, HERTZ, Axalta Coating Systems, Goliath Carts, PBES (a division of AAIA), LKQ Corp., SATA, Spanesi Americas, Sherwin-Williams and AASP.