SEMA/AAPEX Show 2014

Wow, where to begin! This is going to be my first blog. OCD Machine has been doing very well and I have been inundated with numerous tech questions, referrals, etc…. I have wanted to start a blog regarding tech, features, etc, but somehow have fallen short of actually doing so…until now.

So with my first attempt, we’re going to start it off with my experience at the legendary 2014 Sema / Aapex Show. Almost all gear heads have heard of Sema, but few have attended. It is a special automotive show featuring the latest trends, builds, builders and products to hit the automotive market. It literally has the same mystic of Hollywood. All the top names and personalities in the business gathered for just a few days to show off their work and pimp their products.

To enter the show, requires you to be in the business, so to speak. And yes, they actually check. I had to send in my business license, Tax Id Permit, business cards, etc…After the background was complete, I received my badges in the mail and shortly after my wife and I were bound for Las Vegas!

So now that I have hopefully perked your interest, let’s switch gears to what I was really there for, the Aapex show. Aapex is the automotive after market parts expo. This show is HUGE! It runs concurrent with the Sema show, and last’s 3 days. Manufacturers from all over the world attend and have booths with there products and many perform demonstrations. It is an outstanding opportunity to meet perspective vendors, customers and future business partners face to face. You have the opportunity to handle and tryout various products for yourself and get a feel for the market and its trends.

Aapex 2014 was held at the Sands Expo Convention Center in Las Vegas which is a site to see in and of it self. It literally is 2.25 million square feet with multiple levels. The show had over 2,300 vendors and thousands of products. Attendance for this event has been estimated at over 130,000 business professionals. With so many booths to visit, it was impossible to see even 10% of what was there.

Finding particular booths was difficult, at best. Before we left, we had downloaded the Aapex apps to our phones in an effort to navigate our way through the show. I had numerous vendors from over seas that I had spoken with multiple times over the phone, but hadn’t had the privilege to meet in person until now.

My wife Lyn (who incidentally runs our website and handles the books) attended seminars related to our business while I shopped for new products. The biggest issues with being a small business came in the way of what’s known as MOQ, or, Minimum Order Quantity. Each manufacturer has their own MOQ and they can very greatly from say 100 items to a 40 foot shipping container or more! Buyers from all the major  parts chains were busy buying millions of dollars of inventory at a time, while I was only able to buy small quantities.

As I explained to so many manufacturers, I am in a niche market. With me wanting to purchase such small quantities (by the automotive trade standards), most manufactures would rather you go through a distributor. This however raises the prices dramatically as the items pass through several hands, each getting his slice of the pie. By the time items reach the customers, it literally has inflated to extortionate levels. This is simply NOT okay.

After having met with several wonderful manufacturers who are willing to work with us, you are going to see some new products coming over the next few months. Products directly from the manufactures to save you money. What products you ask? Well, stay tuned, it’s a surprise!