Who exhibits and buys at the SEMA Show
The SEMA Show is a business-to-business event for the automotive aftermarket, produced by the Specialty Equipment Market Association at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Attendees have to prove they work in the industry; the general public is admitted only on the final Friday, with a paid ticket and a minimum age of 16.
On its 2026 exhibitor page, SEMA cites more than 153,000 attendees and more than 70,000 buyers and decision makers. The buyer mix it lists leans toward people who install and sell parts: 42 percent repair, service, and installation; 25 percent retailers and jobbers; 17 percent wholesalers and distributors; 8 percent builders, fabricators, and converters; and 7 percent vehicle dealers. A booth that lets those buyers check fitment, quality, and margin tends to outwork one built only for photos.
SEMA Show halls and sections at the LVCC
SEMA groups exhibitors by product category, and the category decides your hall. Feature vehicles also show up outside the halls: SEMA's outdoor and vehicle documents place them in the Silver, Diamond, and Blue lots and in the hall lobbies. For 2026, the organizer lists these sections:
- North Hall: mobile electronics and technology, business services, and restyling, trucks, and new exhibitors
- West Hall: restyling and car care accessories; powersports, side-by-sides, and lifestyle; and trucks, SUVs, and off-road
- Central Hall: the Restoration Marketplace, Hot Rod Alley, and racing and performance
- South Upper Hall: collision repair and refinish, and tools and equipment
- South Lower Hall: the Global Tire Expo, and wheels and accessories
SEMA move-in, vehicle deadlines, and move-out
For 2026, exhibits are open November 3 to 6, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday. Move-in is targeted by booth number from October 29 to November 1, and Monday, November 2 is open to all exhibitors until 10 p.m. Vehicles displayed inside a booth must be in place by 3 p.m. that Monday.
Move-out starts at 4 p.m. Friday. Vehicles can't start until 4 p.m. in the West and North halls and 4:30 p.m. in Central and South, and they leave to join the SEMA Cruise. SEMA has already posted November 2 to 5, 2027 for the next show, and the Las Vegas trade show calendar tracks the rest of the season around it.
Staging vehicles, parts, and lighting for SEMA buyers
At SEMA the build is usually the headline, so the exhibit works like a showroom stage. Low platforms and ramps lift a vehicle into view and keep hands off the paint while leaving room to walk around it. Lighting does much of the selling: paint and body lines read best under even, color-accurate light from above and the sides, without hot spots on the hood.
Parts and accessories need a different kind of display. Brands that sell components often pair a hero vehicle with product walls, cutaways, or counters where a buyer can pick up a part and talk fitment and pricing. Keep a seated corner for distributor and retailer conversations, and plan storage for catalogs and samples so the counters stay clear.
SEMA rules for heights, signs, vehicles, and contractors
SEMA's 2026 display rules and contractor guidelines are specific. The points that most often change a design:
- Linear booths top out at 8 feet 3 inches, perimeter booths at 12 feet, and peninsula and island booths at 16 feet; islands must be at least 400 square feet, and lighting truss can rise above 16 feet if no graphics sit above that line
- No hanging signs over linear booths; over peninsulas and islands they can hang at any height but can be no more than 8 feet tall and must be finished on all sides
- Vehicles carry no more than a quarter tank or 5 gallons of fuel, with battery cables disconnected and taped, no charging or fueling inside, and they can cover no more than 80 percent of the booth
- Booths of 400 square feet or more and all multi-level booths file a design notification, and occupied upper decks need plans stamped by a Nevada-registered engineer
- An outside builder applies as an exhibitor-appointed contractor, holds an LVCC EAC permit and the required liability insurance, and badges every worker; for 2026 the application was due October 2
- Freeman, the official services contractor, handles material handling, electrical, suspended rigging, and booth cleaning; booth flooring is required and sound is capped at 85 decibels
Las Vegas logistics for SEMA week
SEMA week is more than the show floor. For 2026 the organizer's schedule includes a kickoff breakfast at the Westgate on opening Tuesday, the Industry Honors at the Fontainebleau on Thursday, and the SEMA Cruise and SEMA Fest on Friday. Staff schedules, hotel blocks, and vehicle transport all have to work around those dates.
Vehicles bring their own logistics: transporters, trailers, and drivers need a plan for the targeted move-in day, and trailers left on site are towed. Building in Las Vegas helps with everything else. Platforms, counters, and graphics travel across town on the exhibit's own schedule, and a damaged panel or a late graphic change can be cut or printed locally during install.
Planning a SEMA exhibit: a working timeline
SEMA's deadlines come early. For 2026, feature-vehicle forms were due July 31, sign approvals and design notifications September 4, and EAC paperwork October 2, all ahead of a late-October move-in. Our trade show checklist turns the steps into tasks; as general guidance:
- Spring: book space, pick the vehicles and products to feature, and brief your builder
- June and July: concept, 3D design, vehicle placement, and feature-vehicle forms
- August: engineering, the design notification, and hanging sign drawings
- September: fabrication and graphics, with the EAC application filed
- October: a walk-through in the shop, then transport for the targeted move-in