LAS VEGAS, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Show organizers for Automotive
Aftermarket Industry Week 2002 (AAIW) announced that total attendance for this
year's event may set new records and was approximately 19 percent higher than
2001 levels. AAIW consists of the SEMA and AAPEX Shows and was held Tuesday-
Friday, Nov. 5-8, 2002.
Preliminary verified attendance figures for AAIW surpassed 82,000, which
was approximately even with 1999 figures, the record year until now. The 2002
total easily surpassed last year's event, even though it was the largest
business gathering in the United States following the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks.
Exhibitor count was also higher this year. SEMA featured 1,568 exhibitors
in 2 million square feet -- an all-time record -- while AAPEX had more than
1,700 exhibitors.
The SEMA Show is sponsored by the Specialty Equipment Market Association
and represents the $26 billion specialty automotive parts and accessories
industry. AAPEX (the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo) is the annual
trade show representing the $250 billion North American retail and service
aftermarket. AAPEX is sponsored by the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers
Association (MEMA) and the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA).
"Reaction to our decision to organize our expanded floor space into
sections according to market niche has been overwhelmingly positive," said
Christopher J. Kersting, CAE, president of SEMA. "Our buyers tell us that
having their suppliers located close to each other has made this larger show
efficient for them. Further, our 1,568 exhibiting companies, which include 12
carmakers, are telling us that this is one of the best shows we've produced in
the 37-year history of the SEMA Show."
"Considering the current state of global peace and unrest, the unstable
economy and numerous other external factors, we are excited that we were able
to rebound from last year's tragic events and attract so many quality buyers
and manufacturers from around the world," said AAPEX Show Manager Bill Glasgow
Sr. "The higher attendance is certainly a testament to the importance of
AAPEX and reflects that the additional value the shows are bringing to AAPEX
are paying off. The feedback from our exhibitors has been extremely positive
as they report being pleased with both the quality and quantity of buyers."
An example of the increased value of this year's AAIW was the return of
the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA), which held its
annual Business/Educational Conference concurrently with AAIW activities.
SOURCE Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association
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Related links:
http://www.mema.org
CONTACT:
Rosemarie Kitchin of SEMA, +1-909-396-0289,
ext. 104, rosemariek@sema.org ; Rich White of AAIA,
+1-301-654-6664, rich.white@aftermarket.org ; or Neal Zipser of
MEMA, +1-919-406-8811, nzipser@mema.org
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