Attendees walked the SEMA Show floor searching for the latest products on display.

Despite the poor weather that recently affected the East Coast, SEMA Show exhibitors in Las Vegas have seen consistent, some said higher, numbers of attendees.

Greg Duchinsky of Sharpline states that, “attendance is up from last year by about 15 to 20 percent.”

Suk Won Choi, president of Nexfil, saw a difference in attendance this year compared to last year.

“The weather has definitely lowered the attendance for the show,” he says.

“It’s pretty much similar to last year, but it’s a little slower,” adds Michelly Pak, sales assistant manager for Nexfil.

Though there have been contrasting reports on attendance, the quality of products on display this year has remained stellar.

Luxo Window Films, which currently caters to international markets but is looking to expand in North America, is displaying its Crystallite, TiNite and Metallic window films. The Crystalline films, which the company claims are virtually invisible and reject heat without altering the look of the car, offer of visible light transmission (VLT) between 42 and 73 percent. Infra-red (IR) rejections is available in 91 to 98 percent. The nano-ceramic TiNite series comes in a VLT range of 32-71 percent and an IR range of 10 to 48 percent. The Metallic series ranges a VLT of 9 to 48 percent and an IR of 60 to 80 percent.

ClearPlex is displaying its ClearPlex Invisible Windshield Protection. According to the company the protection film is a “patented film applied to the exterior surface of a windshield, preventing damage from ordinary highway rock strikes and road debris.” Additionally, the company is offering its polymer treatment ClearX HD. This treatment is a system to protect the ClearPlex windshield film to maintain scratch resistance and water repellency.

Another notable display came from the Scorpion Window Film booth where NASCAR driver David Ragan was available to sign autographs for show attendees.

Though some attendees may not yet have arrived as a result of the effects of the hurricane, day two of SEMA was certainly a success. Stay tuned to www.windowfilmmag.com for more show updates and videos.

Attendees gathered in the North Hall to view the latest restyling products on display at SEMA.

The North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center was packed today as SEMA Show attendees walked the aisles to visit with film representatives and learn about the latest products on display. The North Hall, which houses automotive restyling products, contained many new film products for attendees to view.

One of the more unique products on the floor was Tint Slime, created by Guardian Graphics, which exhibited with Global Window Films. The “slime” replaces the baby shampoo typically used in film placement but does not use the ingredient lanolin to prevent clogging in the spray when applying the soap and water mixture.

Another of today’s notable products was a self-healing film displayed by Xpel. The film comes in two varieties: Ultimate, a shiny-finish film, and Stealth, a matte-, or satin-, finish film.

Alan Hughey of Jiffy Steamer noted that SEMA is an excellent venue to market his company’s long-lasting steamer.

“What we want to do is grow our dealer base,” said Hughey.

“We’ve tried to discontinue some (steamer) models but that’s hard to do when you’re still getting orders for that item,” he added. “We want people to say our steamer works for 30 or 40 years.”

Stay tuned to www.windowfilmmag.com for more SEMA Show updates and videos. If you are attending SEMA, visit Window Film magazine in booth 12623 and the other film companies in the North Hall.

The automotive window film industry will also be out in force at the 2011 SEMA Show taking place November 1-4 in Las Vegas. Attendees can expect to find a variety of new products from window film manufacturers including plenty of paint protection film. Stop by to meet the staff of Window Film magazine in booth #12729.

4. Save your energy.
The whole country is in the midst of an energy-savings craze. While this is good news for our great-grandchildren it’s also exciting news for the window film industry. Almost every booth said that the industry is continuing to head in the direction of energy efficiency. People want to save money, protect their belongings and promote a healthy planet, and making their homes and vehicles as energy efficient as possible has become a top priority. Everyone seems to expect concerns over energy efficiency to continue to grow and become more important to manufacturers, dealers and consumers.

3. Is this real life?
In my blog before the SEMA Show I talked about not knowing what to expect. Little did I know that I was about to enter an alternate universe where the cars are insanely expensive, the girls unarguably beautiful, and the line for the men’s bathroom much longer than the line for the ladies’ room. There were times throughout the week that I had to remind myself that SEMA, while glittering with its shiny cars and flashy accessories, was not everyday real life, especially for your average window film installer. Making the most out of the week seemed to be everyone’s goal because they knew this was a one-time opportunity. When I stepped off the plane in Virginia I was shot back to reality at the sight of a good old beater car, instead of a shiny, new, lime green Ford Mustang, and a long line at the ladies’ room. I suppose it’s time to get back to reality.

2. Just tell me the truth.
I spent quite a bit of time chatting with window film installers and asking them about their SEMA experience. One of these installers gave me food for thought. He told me that while he was visiting window film booths he asked the same question over and over, “what makes your film/product better than the others?” He shared that often he was unable to get a straight answer. The lesson here is that these window film shops and their installers don’t want a sales pitch. They just want the facts and a solid, reliable product.

1. Its all about “PPF.”
Paint protection film was the hit of the SEMA Show for the window film industry. Nearly every single window film booth was displaying a variety of paint protection film and as soon as a demo started the crowds would form. Paint protection film, or “PPF” as the industry affectionately calls it, has proved to be a great add-on for tinting shops. Technicians’ familiarity with film and experience installing gives them a leg up in training and the crowds around the demos proved that the interest is there. Watching the paint protection demos didn’t feel that different from observing an actual window film or tint installation. Granted, there are differences like bumpers and rounded edges, but it seems like a trade that a tinter could pick up easily. After seeing the amount of PPF at the show I am expecting to see more installers and tinters adding PPF to their repertoire.

What did you learn at SEMA? E-mail khodge@glass.com to share your experience.

On a side note, you can expect a new episode of FILM’d in the next few weeks and be sure to check out our SEMA Show video reports from the show last week.