Every fall, SEMA throws a few thousand booths at the collision repair industry and asks shops to figure out which ones matter. This year, we skipped the guesswork.
Autobody News’s 2026 Industry Insights Survey asked 120 shop owners, managers, and technicians two specific questions: what actually moves you to buy, and what you’re planning to invest in next. Here’s what you told us, and exactly where to find it on the SEMA floor, whether you’re walking it in person or just skimming this from the shop.
Full session details, including room numbers and times, are on SEMA’s official education schedule, and for the full day-by-day rundown of what’s happening when, see our SEMA 2026 event preview.
In-person interactions still win
Of the shop respondents who answered our survey, face-to-face demos or meetings with vendor reps led every other influence at 52.9%, more than six times the 7.7% who pointed to supplier ads in print, email, or online. Trade-show and conference exhibits specifically (25%) also outranked vendor webinars (15.4%) and online buyers’ guides (9.6%). Whatever else is true about how shops research a purchase, nothing beats standing in front of the thing.
That’s basically a mandate for the floor itself. The demo-first destinations this year:
I-CAR’s live welding demos
Near Booth #33139, SEMA show floor, Tuesday through Thursday
Take an I-CAR GMA/MIG welding course, built around OEM-aligned repair procedures, then walk straight onto the show floor and apply it live with an I-CAR welding expert on hand.
Why it matters: It’s hands-on skill-building you take straight back to the shop, not another session in a chair, and welding, bonding, and riveting equipment is already one of your top five purchase categories this year (30.8%).
FutureTech Studio
Booth #24401, rotating 30-minute sessions, Tuesday through Thursday
Topics range from EV and hydrogen propulsion to AI in product development to custom-build engineering.
Why it matters: It’s the one spot on the floor where you can sample a wide range of “what’s coming” topics in half-hour bites, without committing to a full session.
ADAS Showcase
Booth #31200, South Hall Upper, all four days
A dedicated area built around direct engineer access, with OEM-led vehicle setups you can walk up to and open-engagement blocks for asking questions, not just static displays.
Why it matters: Scanning, diagnostics, and ADAS calibration systems are already one of your top purchase categories at 41.3%, and 12.5% of you are specifically planning to bring sublet work such as ADAS calibration in-house this year.
Best New Product Awards, Collision Repair & Refinish
Announced at the SEMA Kickoff Breakfast, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7 AM, Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino
Drawn from SEMA’s New Products Showcase, with Collision Repair & Refinish among the categories the awards have historically recognized.
Why it matters: It surfaces genuinely new collision-specific product before you’d ever stumble across it walking the aisles, worth tracking even if you skip the breakfast itself.
If you’re not attending: knowing which exhibitors lead with demos versus brochures is still worth knowing before you take a follow-up call after the show.
Where the money’s actually going
Asked what they’re planning over the next 12 months, the shops we spoke with tied adding new revenue streams and improving cycle time and throughput at 29.2% each for the top spot.
Behind that: streamlining operational costs (24.2%), pursuing or expanding OEM certifications (22.5%), technician training (20.8%), bringing sublet work like ADAS calibration in-house (12.5%), and reducing dependence on DRP relationships (12.5%).
Here’s where each of those plans has a session or booth waiting for it:
Capturing Mechanical Labor: Being Intentional About the Opportunity
Mike Anderson (Collision Advice), Tuesday, Nov. 3, 12:00–1:30 PM, Room S231
Anderson’s session on mechanical labor that shops are already doing and not billing for sets up a same-day follow-on, “Bringing Mechanical Repairs In-house” (2:30–4:00 PM, same room), on what it actually takes to add the capability. Full details in our SEMA preview.
Why it matters: Bringing mechanical work in-house is a revenue stream that doesn’t require a whole new service line, and it directly cuts the share of jobs you take on insurer-steered DRP terms, addressing two of your top planning priorities at once.
The Estimator Bottleneck: How Modern Shops Shape Mindset for Complex Repairs
Deric Krist (Kri-Tech Solutions), Tuesday, Nov. 3, 12:00–1:30 PM, Room S230
Targets the manual workflows and duplicate data entry that quietly cap shop throughput, with a structured, automation-driven alternative.
Why it matters: Cycle time and throughput is tied for your #1 stated priority this year at 29.2%, and the session’s own framing is built around exactly that word.
Run Your Collision Business Like a Fortune 100 Company
Rachel James (Torque Financial), Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2:30–4:00 PM, Room S230
Applies Fortune 100-style strategic planning, tax efficiency, and leadership structure to running a collision shop.
Why it matters: Streamlining operational costs is your third-highest 12-month priority at 24.2%, and this is the session built specifically around running the business side with that kind of discipline.
Preserving the Safety System: Sensors, Calibration and Repairability
OEM Summit, Session III, Thursday, Nov. 5, 3:30–4:30 PM, Room S233
GM, Ford, and Rivian engineers on what actually proves a calibration restored a vehicle’s safety systems. Full Summit schedule in our SEMA preview.
Why it matters: This is the one place all week you hear directly from the engineers who write the repair procedures, and OEM certification is tied for your #1 purchase category at 46.2%.
Defensible ADAS Calibration: Documentation, Measurements, and Risk Mitigation
Pam Oakes (Driven Evidence), Thursday, Nov. 5, 12:00 PM, FutureTech Studio
Covers the documentation and measurement verification that makes a calibration defensible if it’s ever questioned.
Why it matters: Feeds directly into the 12.5% of you planning to bring sublet work such as ADAS calibration in-house, and gives you the paper trail to defend the bill.
I-CAR’s full course slate
Rooms S224 and S225, Tuesday through Thursday
Diagnostics, blueprinting, glue pull repair, welding, and ADAS calibration courses, plus the Collision Repair Stage (Booth #32145). Full room-by-room schedule in our SEMA preview.
Why it matters: Completed courses apply directly toward I-CAR credits and count toward ProLevel recognition, so this is where your 20.8% training investment actually turns into a credential.
What shops are already buying
Shops told us which categories they’re personally involved in purchasing for their business:
- body-shop consumables and OEM certification costs and requirements tied at 46.2% each
- scanning, diagnostics, and ADAS calibration systems at 41.3%
- training, certification, and consulting services at 33.7%,
- welding, bonding, and riveting equipment at 30.8%
- paint, coatings, and refinish materials at 28.8%.
Scanning, diagnostics, and ADAS calibration (41.3%)
ADAS Showcase (Booth #31200) and “ADAS Unlocked: Ensuring ADAS Performance on Modified Vehicles” (Wednesday, Nov. 4, 1:00 PM, Room N255)
Real-world ADAS workflows from SEMA Garage facilities, plus “Right-to-Modify” and SEMA Certification updates.
Why it matters: At 41.3%, this is your single largest equipment-purchase category this year, and these are the two spots built around it specifically.
Welding, bonding, and riveting (30.8%)
I-CAR’s live welding demos and GMA/MIG Welding Basics and Advanced Features courses (near Booth #33139, Room S225)
Foundational and advanced welding technique in one stop, built around OEM-aligned repair procedures.
Why it matters: It’s the exact equipment category roughly a third of you are buying into this year, covered at both the beginner and advanced level.
OEM certification (46.2%)
The OEM Summit (Room S233) and I-CAR’s OEM-aligned course slate
All three Summit sessions bring in outside expertise, from NHTSA’s own safety priorities to GM, Ford, and Rivian engineers walking through what a successful calibration actually proves.
Why it matters: This is tied for your #1 purchase category, and these are the two places at the show built specifically around OEM-aligned repair compliance.
Training, certification, and consulting (33.7%)
I-CAR’s full course offering and the Collision Repair Stage (Booth #32145)
Every completed course adds toward your I-CAR account, and the stage itself is a steady source of I-CAR expertise on the show floor all week.
Why it matters: I-CAR course credit and ProLevel recognition toward your annual training requirements come directly out of these; it’s the credential your training spend is actually buying.
Body-shop consumables (46.2%) and paint and coatings (28.8%)
No single session covers either; this is exhibitor-floor territory.
Why it matters: Check the Best New Product Awards’ Collision Repair & Refinish recognition (announced at the Tuesday Kickoff Breakfast) for the fastest read on what’s new here without covering the whole floor.
How to use this on the floor
None of this requires four days of wandering a convention center and guessing. If you’re going, these are the sessions and booths that match what shops like yours told us actually matters. If you’re not, you now know exactly what to search for once the recaps start rolling in.
Methodology: based on Autobody News’s 2026 Industry Insights Survey, 120 shop-side respondents (owners, managers, and technicians). Purchasing-influence and category figures reflect the 104 respondents who answered those specific multi-select questions; 12-month planning figures reflect all 120 shop respondents.
Lisa McArdle