Tuesday, October 9, 2018

SEMA Show or PRI Show - which should you attend??? As a diesel enthusiasts. . .

I get asked every year since I have gone to both for so long? Which show is worth going to for the money?

If you have never been to Las Vegas or the SEMA show then it is worth going if you have the time and the dollars. They don't call Vegas sin city for nothing, everything costs! And it cost more during the SEMA show, they know how many people come to this show!

If you come to SEMA, bring very good walking shoes since you will walk 5-7 miles in one day to view the show. When people in Vegas say it is only a block away, count on about 4 normal blocks. There is a lot of people which makes it difficult to view and talk to the vendors, it helps if you have a buyers badge.







Hotels surrounding the Convention center are expensive ranging $170-$350 per night, Uber and taxis all want $20 to go anywhere. If you want cheaper hotels go to outlying areas or by the airport, you can get rooms for $79-$130 a night.

SEMA has been cracking down on industry badges for both events so if you are a diesel shop or repair shop you can qualify as a buyer. Just go online and register but it does cost $40 per person or $75 if it is past October 12th. Make sure to put your wife down as spouse which is easier to register.

There are a lot of diesel trucks with HUGE lift kits and large wheels but very few performance upgrades on newer trucks since this violates EPA rules.

To me if you want to look for performance items plus tooling for your shop, the PRI show is a much better show and cheaper to attend. Hotels are $59-$200 per night and taxis/Uber are normal rates. It is located in Indianapolis which takes you less time to travel to and easier to get back home to the shop.

There are no vehicles to view so if you are expecting a truck or car show you will be disappointed. What you will see is real performance parts/services and tooling machines. Yes you can actually talk to the vendors at this show especially if you are listed as a buyer and not a competitor.

Even though what you would see in Las Vegas would be more entertaining it would not relate to your shop business as much as the PRI show.

You can see everything at the PRI show in most likely one or two days where you could not see everything at SEMA/AAPEX if you walked 5 miles everyday.

If you got the $$$ and time and have never been you should visit the SEMA show but if you have limited time and need to watch the $$ go to the PRI show!

If you have questions about either show please ask or respond back to me!

ronk@dieselmotorsports.US






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