With AAPEX and SEMA just around the corner, it’s time to start preparing for the year’s biggest trade show. There are plenty of changes in store, including new show floor layouts and educational sessions exploring new topics. 

To help get the most out of your visit, Mark Bogdansky, vice president of meetings and events at Auto Care Association, and Tom Gattuso, vice president of events for SEMA, give a sneak peek at the changes coming this year and what to expect. 

AAPEX 

AAPEX has taken strides in organizing its show floor to better serve attendees. The show recategorized its entire floor into broad product category areas in 2025, similar to SEMA and most trade shows, and will continue the practice this year. Some of the spaces will be shifted around, however, to allow for more space in 2026. 

One of the biggest changes coming to AAPEX this year is its integration with iFLEX. PAMA will have its own stage to share essential information for quick lube operators, allowing AAPEX to better tap into the quick lube crowd. 

“We didn’t have a whole lot in the quick lube segment. We obviously always had the oil companies and lube companies and waxes, but not necessarily from the buyer standpoint. They weren’t always well represented,” explains Bogdansky. “This is another area within the industry, and they do so well. Quick lubes are a big part of our business that we’re very excited about having in there.” 

Additionally, companies located at the AAPEX Forum last year, including those specializing in international sourcing, most international companies, and all international pavilions, will relocate to downstairs in the Venetian Level 1, where Joe’s Garage is located. 

“All the different sections have moved around this year, which we’re very excited about. And in doing that, it also gave us the opportunity to really think differently about what we’re trying to do on the show floor,” says Bogdansky. “And instead of it being exhibits all over the floor and relying on those exhibits to keep attendees on the floor, we now have the opportunity to do all different types of education all over the floor that we have not done in the past.” 

The AAPEX Forum will now host the show’s Monday opening reception, moving from where it was last year in the lobby of the Venetian. Some of AAPEX’s most popular sessions—including some that have been off the show floor for years—will return to the middle of the show floor in a large session room at the forum. 

There’s one thing that never changes from year to year: Bogdansky encourages all who attend to have a healthy appetite for knowledge, and to always be curious to learn. 

“One of the really exciting things about the show is that there is always something new going on in the industry,” Bogdansky says. "I don’t care if you’ve been to the show for 40 years. There is always going to be something new as you’re walking around the show that you haven’t seen before." 

SEMA 

This year’s show is going to feel familiar, with five exhibit halls full of exhibitors and attendees spanning more than 1.1 million square feet of net exhibit space. SEMA is looking to amp up its powersports section, following its acquisition of the Off-Road Business Association. 

“We did that (acquired ORBA) strategically because we found ourselves at the table with legislative and regulatory issues with them. And we thought that maybe combining our efforts could really have a benefit for the industry at large,” explains Gattuso. 

The acquisition has led to one of the most significant changes at the show: more audience-oriented activities, including a biker build-off and the Battle of the Builders competition. SEMA is also partnering with I-CAR and SCRS to offer more collision programming.  

Emerging and new technologies such as ADAS will also continue to be covered at the show. This year’s SEMA will have the Future Tech Studio, which specializes in innovative vehicle technology, including electric vehicles, alternative fuel vehicles, synthetic fuels, synthetic oils, and hydrogen. 

“It really is our opportunity to go to an industry and say, ‘What are you doing that’s really outside the box?’ and, ‘Where are we going to be in five to 10 years?’” explains Gattuso. “And we’ve been successful over the last three or four years to be able to bring that all together in one place.” 

Since last year, SEMA’s new product showcase has been located adjacent to the main registration area in the Lower South Hall. Featuring nearly 2,000 new products from around 1,500 companies, the new location allows people to register at the show and then enter the new product showcase before the show opens. 

“It gives buyers an opportunity to look at the innovations that are happening, and they can plan where they’re going to go on the show floor based on what they’re seeing in the new products area,” Gattuso says. “We’ve got survey data that shows almost 50% of the buyers who go to the new product showcase discover a product they didn’t know existed, and they close the loop by visiting that company on the show floor. So, we see this as an opportunity to further connect a buyer with a manufacturer of a product.”