Hello drift fans! It's fall once again and the days are counting down to one of the America's biggest automotive products events.... SEMA 2008 in Las Vegas, NV.

For those of you that haven't heard of SEMA before, SEMA stands for "Specialty Equipment Market Association." The SEMA show is a huge automotive products trade show that takes place annually on the first week of November at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This year, the SEMA show takes place from Tuesday November 4th, 2008 - Friday November 7th, 2008.

The reason the SEMA show is so important for people in the automotive industry (including you drifters) is that its a mass congregation of all the people who build, design, sell, and use all of those cool products and services available for your vehicles. For those of you involved with drifting and the tuner industry, the SEMA show will contain hundreds of vendor booths showcasing the products and vehicles you've come to appreciate.

While there will be tons of show and race cars on display, the SEMA show is not your typical car show. Most vehicles in attendance are there for the purpose of helping to market great new products: wheels, tires, in-car electronics, performance parts, etc. Many industry manufacturers bring out the best display vehicles they can find so that you have the opportunity to see new design concepts and awesome parts applications.

If you own or work in any type of automotive business, you should attend the SEMA show at least once to see what's going on in the automotive specialty product industry. For you pro-drifter hopefuls out there, you should attend the SEMA show to sit in on the annual Formula D / NOPI / D1 Grand Prix driver's meetings to know what those organizations are up to in the world of drift competition. If anything, attending the SEMA show will give you a quick chance to mix and mingle with vendors, event promoters, media, and other drivers so you get a better feel as to where you are on the professional drifter totem pole.

So, now that you've decided to attend the SEMA show this year, let's look at how to  get you there:

Book your travel and hotel

Depending on where you live, you may be able to drive to Las Vegas. However, given gas prices nowadays, you should calculate your mileage to determine how expensive it will be to head to Vegas round-trip by car. I checked Expedia and found roundtrip airline tickets for around $125 from LA to Vegas so a quick flight might be worth it.

Hotels in Vegas can range from super cheap and crappy to ultra posh and rediculously expensive. If you're looking to stay within a reasonable budget, see if you can book any hotels near the Las Vegas Convention Center. If you can walk to the Convention Center (rather than driving your own vehicle or taking a taxi) you'll save a few bucks and the headache of finding parking. Hotels and parking lots around the convention center are notorious for jacking up their rates when conventions roll into town and $20 - $30 daily parking fees are the norm.

Cheaper hotels are probably going to be off the Strip or even in Downtown Las Vegas. It may be worth your while to save a few bucks on the hotel and use the extra money for taxi fares or a rental car.

Book your SEMA Tickets

If you purchase tickets to the SEMA show before October 24th, the tickets are just $15 if you purchase them online through sema.org. After the early purchase deadline, tickets go up to $60; so make sure you get your tickets early.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the SEMA show is an industry trade show. Meaning that supposedly only automotive industry related people are allowed inside. No kids under 16. And supposedly no one that's not in an automotive related business. This means that you may have to provide a tax ID number and / or a company business card (with your name / job title) to be determined as a legitimate attendee.

If you're just Joe Blow drifter guy who doesn't work for a auto company and you don't have your own business, the easiest way to get automotive credentials is to talk to your buddies at your local tuner shop and see if you can register to attend under their business name. You'll probably need to print yourself up a handful of business cards that match their company, but that's probabaly the quick and easy way to attend SEMA.

If you don't want to register under anyone else, you should register yourself as a business and get a federal tax ID number. You can create your own company as a racing team and use that company to establish automotive credentials with SEMA.

Tips for going to SEMA:

The show is really big so give yourself enough time to look around.

The day before the show is still a setup day where people often are arriving to pick up their show passes. You can show up on that day to get a sneak peak around SEMA. There will be less people and probably better opportunities to look around, but less opportunities to talk to vendors because they'll be busy setting up.

Definitely show up for the first 2 days.

The first 2 days of the SEMA show are the most exciting to me. There are often a lot of vendors with cool giveaways, special guests, models, etc. Most importantly, the vendors at the show are still fresh and excited to be there so they'll talk to you and answer questions, etc. By Thursday and Friday of the SEMA show, many of the vendors are worn out from spending all day on their feet and answering the same questions all day. They might not be as enthusiastic to see you as they were when the show first opened.

Bring a pack and roll box.

You know those small rolling carts that fold up into a briefcase looking thing? Those are indispensable at the SEMA show. You'll be picking up tons of flyers, brochures, catalogs, stickers, etc. from the many booths at the show and carrying all of those things is a major pain. If you have a pack and roll box you'll be able to transport all your swag easily and you'll also have a place to store your own personal items while you explore the show.

Pack a lunch.

I bought a $10 chicken wrap and bag of Fritos at the SEMA show before so save yourself a few bucks and pack something to eat. If you have a pack and roll box, packing a small lunch and a bottle of water should be relatively easy.

Get there early.

Whether you're driving or walking, arriving early to the show is always a good thing. Parking tends to fill up quickly around the convention center so you'll need to arrive early to get choice parking. If you get into the show early its also easier to navigate and see the things you want to see while it's relatively uncrowded.

Wear comfortable clothes & shoes

A few years back at the SEMA show there were a lot of guys wearing suits. Since then, the attire at the SEMA show has gotten a lot more casual. While I wouldn't recommend wearing jeans and a t-shirt to SEMA, a casual pair or khakis or slacks and a button down shirt or polo will help you to look sharp, yet remain comfortable on those long days. Comfortable shoes are a must as well because you're going to be doing a lot of standing and walking.

Plan out your days at the show

If you absolutely need to visit specific booths at the SEMA show, make your plans accordingly. Create a list of vendors and meetings that you want to attend and map out those locations. Create a schedule of events so that you can plan your route through the Las Vegas Convention Center. You don't want to be rushing back and forth between opposite sides of the Convention Center.

Keep your eyes open for after-hours events

Many companies will throw parties and get togethers in the evening after the SEMA show closes for the day. Be on the lookout for invites, flyers, guest lists, etc. while you're at the show so that you can line up some activities for your nights.