Design Eye Q Review: SEMA 2021
Last month the Las Vegas Convention Center became, for all intents and purposes, a glorified garage for some of the most expensive, extraordinary, and outrageous cars the world has ever seen. SEMA happened, y’all.
The president of DesignEyeQ, Tina Mattison, along with lead designer/husband Ray, attended this year’s SEMA show with high expectations for both the seminars and showcases. We promised a follow-up outlining their experience. And so, without further ado, here it is: the good, the bad, and the beautiful of SEMA 2021.
The Good:
Smaller, better, faster, stronger.
In years past, the size, scope, and crowd-density of SEMA was...overwhelming. This year, because of COVID-19 safety regulations and travel restrictions, you could actually enjoy some breathing room. A few big players in the industry were absent, like the Ring Brothers, Liberty Walk, and Factory Five. But that proved to be a boon for smaller, domestic vendors.
Some highlights: the SEMA Awards Banquet was a blast. It successfully hyped everyone up. Comedian Adam Ferrara made an appearance, the food was great, and the audience enjoyed the finale of a shark-tank style competition, featuring young industry entrepreneurs. Also worth noting: Ray got to meet Ken Lingenfelter, a legendary car builder/tuner from Detroit. He is not only an amazing builder, but a genuinely nice guy.
The Bad:
Out-of-touch seminars
Dave Smith, Factory Five’s CEO, was originally slated as the keynote speaker. In his place, SEMA volunteered Lance Staddler as tribute. Stander is the CEO of Superformance, a custom build company that sells kit cars. Their builds are so good, GM actually licensed them to recreate a ‘63 Corvette Stingray. Ray attended Stander’s seminar, which was about SEMA’s push for new regulations regarding the sale of turnkey recreations like the Stingray. Not super relevant to our studio, but hey, we wish them luck.
At the Emerging Trends in Automotive seminar, the speaker pretended like everything would still be okay for the aftermarket industry in ten years. But as we’ve mentioned before, the advent of the electric car is already upon us. If SEMA doesn’t acknowledge this trend soon, it’ll be too late to adapt. How can an industry literally built on internal combustion engines survive in a world dominated by electric cars?
Tina, our studio’s president, attended a seminar on women in leadership. Though on the surface SEMA appears to be pursuing gender equity in a male-dominated industry, it was clear from the seminar that the association has a long way to go. One of the few men in attendance made a comment about how the #metoo movement has made workplaces more oppressive. Instead of challenging his perception, the panel (notably, two women and two men) appeared to sympathize. They encouraged the women in attendance to do their best to make men feel comfortable. Needless to say, the seminar was a huge disappointment.
The Beautiful:
Cars, cars, cars
For all its flaws, there is one thing that SEMA never fails to deliver: cars. This year, Tina and Ray couldn’t help but notice the Bronco was popular. Actually, that is an understatement: there were Broncos pretty much everywhere. Corvettes and Supras were popular, too.
As for design trends, Tina and Ray noted a real shift away from pro-touring, or 80s and 90s cars with a modern running train. Everything appears to be moving off-road. If the person wasn’t driving a Bronco, they were driving some other off-road car. You heard it here first: the passenger car will soon become a thing of the past.
We want to take time to shout out the five cars that really astounded us:
Bandit Truck. A 700 horsepower tribute to Burt Reynolds
Porsche 550 replica beautifully executed
Battle of the builders RX7 built by Chelsie Lesnoski
An all-electric Bronco by Gateway Bronco and Legacy EV
All- Electric Cobra by Superformance
The Takeaway
Though Ray and Tina appreciated the smaller scale and glorious spectacle, both were put off by the seminars they attended. If our studio was in charge of SEMA, we would be investing in seminars that are relevant, far-sighted, and forward thinking. We would be telling people who make fuel filters that they need to either diversify or close up shop, as electric cars will inevitably become the new standard. We would also provide more information on how performance parts can be used or adapted for electric cars. As for gender-equity, we would give women in the industry practical (not superficial) advice on how to move with confidence and success through male-dominated spaces.