2007 SEMA - Fear and walking in Las Vegas

Author Hunter S. Thompson, who spent a certain amount of time in Las Vegas, once wrote that "when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." And folks, it doesn't get a whole lot weirder than Halloween in Las Vegas.

It's interesting that the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association, or SEMA, chooses Halloween in Vegas for their annual show. SEMA is scary big--it covers more than a million square feet, draws 2,000 exhibitors, and more than 100,000 people attend. (See our post on SEMA by the numbers.)

It is said to cover the whole thing would require something like 11 miles of walking past all manner of tires, wheels, electronic accessories, widgets, and custom cars. Something of a circus, SEMA draws thousands of surprisingly normal looking, clean-shaven guys in khaki slacks sporting corporate logos on their polo shirts. The shuttle bus from my hotel looked like the express ride to a convention of "normals."

As the hours pass today, we've noticed the human wreckage from the toils of working the show. Normals are stacking up like cord wood around the perimeter walls, resting and sometimes snoozing. It is clear that the exhibiters have invested countless hours in preparing their expanding product lines, SEMA booths, and over-the-top show cars. Let alone setting up, working the floor, late night schmoozing, and sampling Vegas' entertainment.

We're focused on unearthing the products and trends our readers should know about, or at least might find interesting. And I can tell you, I've already seen myriad products that I will begin to chronicle, next time I get to rest my feet. At this rate, it may be tonight, after dark. Then, it'll also be interesting to see what happens to the boys in the polo shirts once the sun goes down.

Happy Halloween!

—Jim Travers

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