As it turned out, while attendance was definitely down, the quality and buying power of attendees was in line with recent shows.

"What we found is that where a buyer might have sent six or seven people in years past – many of whom were not in key decision making positions – this year, they might have only sent two or three people; but they had the authority to make those purchasing decisions," said TIA executive vice president Roy Littlefield.

While Bridgestone has not exhibited at SEMA for a number of years, with the current fiscal conditions being what they are, it was likely that this was a major factor in the decisions of a number of other key players who did not exhibit at this year’s show. While manufacturers such as Michelin and Goodyear had very little, or no, presence at all, there were plenty of other manufacturers who came out in full force, such as Pirelli, Toyo, Yokohama, Cooper, Dunlop, Sumitomo, Hankook and Falken.

The mood on the show floor was generally upbeat. That said, everybody was naturally concerned about the current economic situation. Talking to T&A, Peter MacGillivray, SEMA vice president of communications and events, said, "We watched pre- registration numbers, hotel reservations and stand sales very closely and thus felt we had our fingers on the pulse. Our feeling is that this year’s show has exceeded expectations and has reinforced the SEMA show as an important business tool for the aftermarket industry."

In response to the observation that increasingly SEMA seems to be taking on the mantle of a ‘boy racer show,’ where the number of exotic performance cars, classic and customised vehicles, loud music and glamorous girls could well be detracting from the main purpose of exhibiting, i.e. to market and sell product, Littlefield said, "While it is understandable that many might draw such a conclusion, just by the sheer size of the event SEMA still remains one of the best shows for automotive and tyre professionals to see the latest developments, make important business contacts and facilitate sales.

“Perhaps even the venue, Las Vegas, does, in many ways, itself dictate the format of the show. What I can definitely say is that this year SEMA has provided the TIA members exhibiting with its best year in terms of overall sales, proof enough of the continuing success of this most important show.”

Produced by the Specialty Equipment Market Association, the SEMA show is a premier automotive accessories trade event. Serving the US$38 billion specialty equipment industry, the show is held annually at the Las Vegas convention center and this year involved more than 2,000 exhibitors occupying over one million square feet of floor space and was attended by well over 100,000 visitors.

Throughout the show attendees were able to learn valuable business skills by taking part in nearly 60 educational seminars on topics ranging from marketing and advertising to management and hiring. These seminars were available without charge and this year were specifically designed to address the many issues facing companies in today’s ever-changing economic business environment.

Many of the manufacturers exhibiting launched new tyres. "Yokohama used the show to highlight new products that demonstrate our technical and environmental achievements" said Fred Koplin, director of marketing communications. "We introduced our new UHP tyre, the ADVAN Neova AD08. This will be available during the second quarter of 2009. Also, two environmentally friendly tyres; the bB Super E-spec passenger tyre, which is going on sale next summer and an experimental Eco Race tyre."

Continental presented three new UHP tyres for the U.S. market only, the Extreme DW – (DW refers to dry and wet conditions) plus, the Extreme DWS, a UHP tyre combined with all season handling. Both will be available during the second quarter of 2009. The third member of the team is the Extreme winter tyre, which will be released for the 2009/2010 season. “At the end of 2008 Continental had introduced over 700 tyre sizes to the market," said Andreas Gerstenberger, executive vice president sales and marketing.

New Taiga branded light truck and SUV all season tyres from Vee Rubber International were introduced by managing director Vitorn Sukanjanapong and sales and marketing manager Vee Rubber America, Patrick Hyland. Available worldwide in 11 sizes with planned development to 20 sizes. A new winter tyre is currently finalising testing and will be available for season 2009/2010.

Dunlop featured their new uhp summer tyre the Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec, delivering dry traction handling for track events. This stand also offered one of the most bizarre attractions with a tattooing service for visitors.

Pirelli’s new P Zero Nero all season UHP tyre, available to the North American market only, already has a growing list of OE fitments and replacement sizes both in conventional and run flat constructions. The tyre features an asymmetric tread design for precision handling in all road conditions and is backed by a 45,000 mile limited treadwear warranty.

The appearance of the first low-rolling resistance touring tyre from Cooper Tire was spoken of by Hal Gardner, the company’s vice president of marketing. "The new Cooper GFE is designed to provide great fuel efficiency, as it initials imply, as well as reduce rolling resistance without sacrificing tread life or traction " Gardner told T&A. "The Cooper GFE will play a significant role in the battle to improve fuel economy, ultimately helping consumers save money in this tight economy. It will also ensure that performance and durability do not have to be surrendered when purchasing a low-rolling resistance tyre." The Cooper GFE is scheduled to be available in the summer of 2009 in a size range from 14 to 16 inches.

Director of marketing communications at Toyo Tire USA Corp. Julie Sediq told T&A that the company had introduced 18 new tyre sizes with products appealing to the performance passenger car segment as well as light trucks. Launched last month, the Proxes TQ, the first DOT- approved drag radial by Toyo Tires. Designed specifically for high-horsepower muscle cars and street machines, the Proxes TQ delivers maximised grip during launch for quicker 60-foot times and lower elapsed times.

General Tire unveiled their street version new concept Grabber tyre, which will be available in the autumn of 2009.

Sumitomo presented three new truck tyres, the ST709 regional steer tyre, the ST938 for major and minor road use and the ST778 longhaul tyre which, minimises irregular wear by controlling the shape and pressure distribution of the tyre footprint. This tyre also features stone ejectors that protect the casing from damage to the base of the groove.

The new Winguard NEO winter tyre from Nexen together with the Winguard Sport, the company’s latest high performance winter tyre created considerable interest. Nexen also unveiled a new OE tyre the Rodian 542 and the CP672, which is currently available in 16 sizes including three in OE.

Nitto Tire announced the release, due February 2009, of its new performance tyre, the NT05. The development of this tyre incorporates the company’s award winning race technology, but is specifically designed for maximum road performance.

To meet the demands of today’s high performance drivers in inclement conditions, Falken introduced their new Eurowinter HS439. This tyre features an asymmetric tread design with four circumferential grooves to evacuate water, a silica tread compound for maximum treadlife and traction in all weather conditions and multi-angled sipes for wet and snow grip.

On the membership front, TIA announced that in 2008, with the addition of three new programs to the benefits roster, members now can potentially save over US$23,000 a year through their member discounts. "With economic conditions continuing to deteriorate, tyre dealers, not just in the U.S., but worldwide, need to find every means possible for increasing revenue and decreasing expenses. Through the member programs, the TIA is saying more than an abstract ‘we have great programs’; we’re showing specific, easy ways that tyre dealers can both increase their customer base and potentially save a very significant amount of money," said Littlefield. "These savings mean that a member could potentially avoid painful cuts, which could affect their families, their staff and their custsomers."

TIA was also busy on the international front. Members of TIA’s Global Council and representatives from Bipaver, Europe’s largest retreading organization, gathered to discuss issues relating to the international tyre industry. Among the topics discussed included right to repair, tyre ageing, rolling resistance, tyre recycling and 4/32-inch vs. 2/32-inch minimum tread depth. It was the first official gathering between the two organisations.

"It is the first of what hopefully will be many future discussions where American tyre industry professionals can exchange ideas, best practices and lessons learned with our international colleagues," said Littlefield. TIA’s international reception was attended by record numbers from over 16 different countries.

The ‘Tires at Two’ training seminars continued to draw many interested tyre service professionals. They were able to get the latest information on TPMS, and the ‘Successful Tire Dealers Share Their Secrets’ seminars gave tyre dealers valuable insight and tips on how to not only weather this economic downturn, but actually increase their business.

Daniel Beach assumed the presidency of TIA at their annual meeting, which was held directly before the start of the SEMA show. Beach stated, "In 2009, TIA’s first loyalty and priority will be to continue their full support to ensure the ongoing success of all our members.

We will also continue to work hard on the legislative front on issues such as minimum wage/tax relief, small business health plans, right to repair, tire ageing, TPMS, the National Energy Bill, etc." Additionally, Beach advised that he wished to continue the work done by TIA in helping its members save thousands of dollars through the use f the various member discounts and also to maintain the tremendous efforts of TIA’s training department to make their training programs some of the best in the business.

With the recent launch of the earthmover tyre service training course, the planned 2009 update of the commercial tyre service training course and the release of the revolutionary TPMS relearn chart, Beach declared that he had no doubt that all these aspirations will be achieved.

TIA honoured Larry Morgan, CEO of Morgan Auto Group and Terry Westhafer, president and general manager of Central Tire Corp. by inducting them into the Tire Industry Hall of Fame. Morgan, who is a former TIA president, was chosen for his 43 years’ service to the tyre industry, and for his leadership in making tyre service centres more responsive to consumer needs, including implementing extended service hours to include evenings, weekends and holidays.

Westhafer, who has a 46-year history in the tyre industry, was chosen for many years of service to various tyre organisations, including TIA. He was also very active in U.S. state and federal study committees on a number of issues relating to tyres, including his work with the Virginia State Police, which carried out an analysis of the source of tyre scrap on highways.

Francois Michelin, managing general partner (retired) of Groupe Michelin and Joe Esco, founder of Esco Tire Co., were recognized as ‘Historical Contributors,’ and Harold Herzlich, president of Herzlich Consulting received the ‘Friend of the Industry Award.’ (Tyres & Accessories/Staffordshire, U.K.)