Leaders of car industry descend on Las Vegas as three shows converge

Monday, Oct. 31, 2005 | 9:07 a.m.

Automotive aftermarket industry leaders will celebrate America's love affair with its cars this week at an event that has accelerated into the Las Vegas convention fast lane.

More than 130,000 people are expected to invade the three major Las Vegas convention centers for Automotive Aftermarket Week -- the name given to the three car product conventions that are among the city's top business gatherings.

The shows together represent one of the city's largest industry conventions and is one of the best examples of co-location -- the practice of bringing multiple shows with related interests together at the same time so that conventioneers can attend more than one event in one trip.

Since show organizers began coordinating events and allowing delegates to register for one and attend all three, attendance has soared. Since last year, the nongaming economic impact of the shows on the city is projected to grow 19 percent to $189 million.

The Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo, an event that focuses on add-ons that replace or enhance car necessities, is scheduled at the Sands Expo Center with some exhibits spilling into the ballrooms of the Venetian.

The Specialty Equipment Market Association show, which offers car customization products and nonessential gadgets, is planned at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The International Autobody Congress and Expo, featuring products of interest to the car-repair industry, is slated at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

The trade shows are open only to industry professionals.

Arlene Davis, senior director of trade shows for the Bethesda, Md.-based Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, said even though her organization decided to toughen restrictions on who could participate in the event this year, projected attendance is up and the number of exhibitors planning to exhibit at the AAPEX show has climbed past 2,000 for the first time in the event's history.

She attributes the popularity of the $250 billion industry's largest show to retailers' response to the nation's infatuation with the automobile.

"In this country, we drive," Davis said while making final preparations for the event. "Sure, there's public mass transportation out there, but the United States is different from any other country because we love our cars. I think part of it is what we view as our freedom of expression."

To better serve a public hungering for more automotive products, more retailers are attending shows like SEMA and AAPEX.

"In addition to the major auto parts retailers, we're seeing representatives of a lot of the big-box stores like Wal-Mart and Costco," Davis said.

This year's show will, for the first time, include the judging of an estimated 500 new products. Members of the consumer and trade press have been asked to review products that enhance vehicle safety, security, fuel efficiency and performance.

The SEMA and AAPEX shows run Tuesday through Friday, and the autobody show, known as NACE, is scheduled Wednesday through Friday.

Richard N. Velotta can be reached at 259-4061 or at velotta@lasvegassun.com.