Diesel shortage ??? How real is the threat?

 Any threat is real in today's environment but it's how you view the source. Realistically if it comes from our fuel suppliers I would take it under advisement, however coming from government parties it is somewhat unbelievable and viewed as politics.

Fuel for vehicles, home heat, electricity and transportation is big monies. When that much monies are involved then the government likes to be involved.

When the government takes control then it is normally a mess because of many factors including party politics. While I was at SEMA I was asked countless times about the diesel fuel supply! I told most people I was not worried it is all politics.

So here we are past the date they gave we would be out of fuel and actually the price fell this week for diesel fuel. I do understand in the NE with the threat of snow storm and falling temps the shortage of diesel fuel and heating oil was real and the price shot way up!

Isn't that normal this time of year and peel back the layers, how much of the increase was additional taxes for the NE part of the country?

Again, it is more about politics than a shortage or how much profit can we squeeze out of people before they start yelling?

The United States has the biggest reserve of fuel in the world under our ground and the refineries who can process it. Now, will they let them produce it is another question.

We will see what happens with the rail strike not being resolved, again politics involved!

Lake Ozark Performance Expo Review! 2022

 This was a first for this location as a area trade show and car/truck show! We held two like this before in Kansas City but when Covid hit they canceled them. So we had to start over for the Ozark show which turned out great for a first year. 

The show was supposed to bring in 4 sate area shops, manufacturers and services for our motorsports enthusiasts. We did fill the small space we had with a little bit of everything from all venues of motorsports.  It took a while to place everyone properly so it could flow for someone walking the hall.

What made this Expo Center unique was the hotel resort attached to it so you could stay in the rooms at night, along with eating and refreshments right next to it. We did fill the hotel but they were not used to the traffic since Covid along with worker shortage so we had our challenges during the weekend.

Even with the challenges most people staying and attending had a blast visiting with local motor heads and each other during the weekend. We are already discussing next year and what changes need to be made to make it better and bigger.

Of course heavy on the truck side since I had many people come in but we had circle track represented along with muscle cars, rat rods and vintage trucks. Everyone enjoyed talking to all vendors since many had over 30 years experience in what they had done for the industry. 

The weather started out warm the day before and during setup but like Missouri in the winter it fell from 70 degrees to 30s overnight with even snow flurries on Saturday. This put a damper on our car/truck show but some came and many were inside the competition.  The judges had to wear coats to go outside to view the entries but everyone was a winner.

These type of shows take a lot to setup and especially for the vendors to haul everything in for the show but after they seemed to think it was worth it and want to return for next year. We had a pretty good crowd of enthusiasts come in Saturday and of course lighter on Friday and Sunday.

Children were welcome and free under 12 with many things for them to see like the monster truck, the rat rod truck  that they could draw on with sidewalk chalk and of course the apparel trailer! The resort also had a arcade right outside in the open area before the expo center.

To expand we will need more space, more parking and more places to eat and relax! But what a good problem to have after the first year.

See everyone next year at the Performance Expo!

Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.6026245944076253&type=3

SEMA 2022 Review!

 What did I see at SEMA/AAPEX 2022? More and more people do not get to come to SEMA every year so I go to not only report to our members but also to meet and support our sponsors who are there! 

I have several meetings on every day I am there and into the evening hours. To give you and idea I walked the first day 4.8 miles, 2nd day 6.8 miles and half 3rd day 4.1 miles. I can tell you my feet were hurting on the way home.

It was great to always come out for SEMA/AAPEX show every year and yes, they are still rebuilding from being shut down during Covid. Being a show promoter and sanctioning body I can tell you this takes time with many obstacles. Obstacles like the hotels are charging unbelievable high pricing to make up for being off for Covid and monies lost. I stayed out by the airport in a plain non-casino Marriott which was $200 a night with resort fees while the same down by convention center was $400 a night. Parking during event at SEMA $40-60 a day and AAPEX free parking.

Expenses having to play a big part of crowd attendance since fuel in Vegas was easily $5-6 per gal depending on which station so yes, expensive week to attend a show that you go to as an industry show.

Attendance at SEMA was reported 35% over last year which I can say yes most likely so since last year was still low. Compared to 2018 or 2019 to be fair was about half. But again it takes a while to build back plus hurting economy, expensive accommodations and for the first time in a long time rain/cooler temps for Las Vegas! It was warmer back home in Kansas City! Weather makes a big difference on attendance and it was really cool the last 2 days there, people who live there had winter coats!

As far as SEMA having a fun and successful show I would say they did a good job, everything seem to be normal. Yes fewer vendors/exhibitors than 2018 but consider the circumstances it was better than last year. Some of the exhibitors I had never heard of but new people are always good. It was great seeing some of my usual people I see every year and also meeting new people and viewing new products!

The industry is in a transition stage and managing through it will take some time. Was all the people walking down the aisle having buyers badges on, no, not really but it was a diverse crowd that may be the new crowd that attends every year.

The AAPEX show I spent the last day attending was very busy with more business like atmosphere down every aisle but it has always been that way. AAPEX is for wholesale, jobber, chain store sales and fulfillment. We used to call this show the hard part show but it is so much more nowadays! I did not see any empty spots in the hall and many companies there to exhibit. No vehicle displays or performance activities at the AAPEX show, it is all business with many products, services you would find at chain garages, truck stops and part stores.

Overall it is always fun to attend SEMA/AAPEX show to see what each show plans to display and have for our entertainment while doing business. Both shows succeeded! Was it like the good ole days, nothing is folks, so be glad we have the NEW shows for our industry!

More than I could ever get around to see in 3-4 days but it is something we need to keep around for many years to come. 

PS - the reason for so many photos of the Rambler American halfway down is that was my first car at 16 yrs old - exact model! It was not as refined as this one but I did buy it used at a garage sale!

SEMA/AAPEX Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.5997568663610648&type=3