A survey run by US industry website CollisionWeek targeted at collision repair industry stakeholders and asking them whether they think they will participate in the SEMA Show later this year has discovered that, against the backdrop of COVID-19, a majority are likely not to go.
The survey, conducted from 30 June to 6 July, also included questions about the many meetings and training opportunities surrounding the November event in Las Vegas. The number of submissions and valid responses was not disclosed.
According to CollisionWeek, 29 per cent of respondents said that they would definitely not participate in the SEMA Show this year, while an additional 24 per cent indicated they would “not likely” participate. Combining the two numbers, 53 per cent of respondents are uncomfortable about attending the SEMA Show in November.
9.7 per cent of respondents said they would definitely attend and 10 per cent indicated they were likely to attend, meaning 19.7 per cent overall are leaning towards attending. 27.3 per cent said they were currently undecided.
Industry respondents who said they were definitely or likely not to attend SEMA were asked to rank their concerns and issues that led to their conclusion – 59.8 per cent said safety due to the COVID-19 pandemic was their number one concern, while 23.3 per cent said company travel restrictions and exhibition plans were their biggest concern. Others also cited cancellations of other meetings surrounding SEMA, along with economic factors facing their business and possible lower attendance for the event as reasons for concern.
Another common issue mentioned was concerns about government travel quarantine requirements that might be in place that could impact participants on their return to their home community. Both participants based in other US states and international participants said they were concerned about uncertainty on the need to quarantine after returning from the SEMA Show as a factor affecting their decision to participate.
Several US states have 14-day quarantines for travellers from other states considered COVID-19 hot spots or that have incidence of positive coronavirus tests above a specific percentage of the population.
Many international trade shows and events originally scheduled for this year have either been rescheduled for 2021 or brought online, while others have been cancelled altogether. However, the SEMA Show has continued to plan for its 2020 event amid the backdrop of increased coronavirus cases across many states in the USA, especially Nevada, California and Texas.