Dema show???

[PhilEllis]

In this terrible economic time for the scuba industry, maybe this thread will cause the DEMA organization to change. We ALL want this organization to be a success, because WE all want to be a success.

I don't think they understand how some of their actions have actually DAMAGED the health of the overall scuba industry in the United States. Shifts they made years ago have helped channel the average families limited disposable scuba income away from local scuba store purchases, into areas which there is little income for the store. DEMA has become obsessively concerned with exotic travel. Travel eats up a considerable amount of a families budget, and there is little compensation to stores who direct important consumers to the travel portion of the industry. While the travel membership is very lucrative to DEMA, I think I could make a very good argument that AS CURRENTLY CONSTRUCTED, the system actually HARMS the local scuba store.....the very group that DEMA considers the "cornerstone" of the scuba industry.

Phil Ellis
www.divesports.com

 

[cool_hardware52]

I think it's an oversight on their part on that page...

Maybe, maybe not...


Tobin

 

[cool_hardware52]

In this terrible economic time for the scuba industry, maybe this thread will cause the DEMA organization to change. We ALL want this organization to be a success, because WE all want to be a success.

I don't think they understand how some of their actions have actually DAMAGED the health of the overall scuba industry in the United States. Shifts they made years ago have helped channel the average families limited disposable scuba income away from local scuba store purchases, into areas which there is little income for the store. DEMA has become obsessively concerned with exotic travel. Travel eats up a considerable amount of a families budget, and there is little compensation to stores who direct important consumers to the travel portion of the industry. While the travel membership is very lucrative to DEMA, I think I could make a very good argument that AS CURRENTLY CONSTRUCTED, the system actually HARMS the local scuba store.....the very group that DEMA considers the "cornerstone" of the scuba industry.

Phil Ellis
Discount Scuba Gear at DiveSports.com - Buy Scuba Diving Equipment & Snorkeling Equipment

I agree.

While there have been many factors at play the shift from the Winter to Fall dates for the Show, and the increased emphasis on Travel vs Manufactured products will likely be seen as the "tipping point" for DEMA.

Tobin

 

[mike_s]

I think it's an oversight on their part on that page... Here is the Floorplan and Here is the Exhibitor List.

so I'm looking through that list and there sure are a lot of "travel vendors" in there.


like dive charters, hotels, "bureau of tourism" for some area, travel companys, etc.... resorts, etc....


Didn't see any of the "Big Names" like Aqualung, Scubapro, Dive Rite, Oceanic, etc....

The biggest booth there (that isn't a DEMA booth) is PADI and TUSA.

Who would have ever thought that TUSA would be the biggest equipment vendor at DEMA?

 

[PhilEllis]

Who would have ever thought that TUSA would be the biggest equipment vendor at DEMA?

Well, they are one of the largest scuba companies in the world.....and the president of TUSA is a DEMA board member. PADI probably benefits more than any other company in the industry from the DEMA show.....and they have board members on the DEMA board. It would be VERY difficult for either of them to skip the show (no matter what they might WANT to do from a business point of view).

Phil Ellis
www.divesports.com

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I've been away from this thread for awhile but have been following it to catch up. As a new INDEPENDENT instructor the biggest thing I'm hearing now from students and potential students is "Where can we dive around here?". They just can't or choose not to do big exotic vacations. Granted that we don't have resort style accomodations at most of the sites) hell some don't even have porta johns) or exotic women in string bikini's ( we do have some hotties in daisy dukes though- just look past the missing teeth!) but we do have some nice sites to work on skills, interact with freshwater species, and most inportantly dive often without breaking the bank. If DEMA were smart they'd start to focus on getting divers in the water who are qualified to dive and not just splash around. This is where the local shops, instructors, and manufacturers benefit. The person who dives once a year on vacation is not going to spend nearly as much as the guy diving the quarry every weekend. And he will be much better in the water and therefore healthier for the reefs and such he'll hit eventually. If they want, have a seperate travel show for the exotic places. And drop the friggin price to exhibit and go there. Why would I spend nearly a grand in airfare, hotel, admission, etc to attend and see little of what I'm interested in. I can dive a helluva lot on that locally and better serve my students by doing that. I can go online and find deals, research resorts without having to put up with a hardsell or fight for time against 100 other people trying to book trips. ANd it still boggles my mind that they make decisions by voting when the voting is decidedly against the smaller players in the game.

 

[The Chairman]

I was forwarded this e-mail this morning:

Dear XXXX:

As I write this, a survey has been sent to you via email requesting your responses to questions about your business, and your opinion about admitting consumers to DEMA Show. For many years, DEMA has received input from some trade professionals that access to consumers would enhance their DEMA Show experience. DEMA has also received input that such a practice would be detrimental to the Show. I need your help to better understand your point of view on this topic.

I would appreciate your responses to the questions, and I would especially appreciate your written comments at the end of the survey so that I can share them with the DEMA Board and Staff. Comments and the survey results will guide the discussions about DEMA Show and help maintain its importance as part of the diving industry's overall marketing effort.

As always, I appreciate the positive comments DEMA continues to receive from many of you, and I value the "less-than-complimentary" comments as well. All of these help us understand and better serve the needs of the entire industry. One thing's for sure - the Industry is passionate about DEMA Show. It's that passion that will help all of us get through and prosper during these toughest of times.

Regardless of how you might "feel" about DEMA Show, you should know that it WILL take place in 2009, in 2010, and beyond. The revenue generated by the show will continue to be used for the industry-wide promotion of recreational diving and make it possible for DEMA to offer programs like the $150,000 Be A Diver matching funds advertising campaign and the Be A Diver Pool and PR campaign. Funds from the show will continue to provide FREE member access to the PSYTE Geo-Demographic database - a sophisticated marketing tool also used by organizations like MasterCard, Rexall Drugstores, Fairfield Hotels, and many others, to help locate and contact potential target customers. Monies raised through DEMA Show also allow members of DEMA to shape legislation that promotes diving, such as the 2008 DEMA involvement with the proposal and passage of the Florida Ships2Reefs bill. Funds raised through DEMA Show provide access to research, allow for educational programs such as the Financial Impact of Recession meeting taking place in Tacoma, WA this weekend, and they provide a means of assisting members during natural disasters. DEMA needs your support of DEMA Show, in order to continue its support of the industry.

DEMA Show 2009 continues to have hundreds of companies ready to exhibit in Orlando later this year. The list of current exhibitors can be found at Home, and includes a variety of full line manufacturers such as TUSA, and specialized manufacturers such as Atomic Aquatics and XS Scuba (more than 160 manufacturer exhibitors in total). Vendors to support every diving and business need will be there; exposure protection companies such as Body Glove and Trelleborg Viking, travel sellers such as Trip 'n Tour Pacific and Maduro Dive Fanta-seas, destinations such as the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Hawaii, Sipadan, and Bonaire, and training organizations such as DAN, NAUI, PADI, SDI/TDI, and SSI. The show will continue to provide attendees with the most cost-effective access to new products and services, exhibitor-sponsored and DEMA-sponsored seminars, environmental education, and much more. Perhaps most valuable is the opportunity for buyers and sellers to network face-to-face, share experiences and work together to get through these hard economic times.

We appreciate your continued input. Please take the "DEMA Show consumer attendance" survey (which offers slightly different questions for each stakeholder category) and let us know your opinion. It will help everyone.

See you in Orlando,

Tom Ingram Signature
Tom Ingram
Executive Director

 

[widget]

An interesting thread indeed, this has turned out to be.

I must say I get the impression that Dema management is feeling the pressure of a lot of possible empty booths this year and scrambeling to shut the door - possibly a little late in the day for 2009, but, sometimes it takes a bit of a shakeup to get some action, and this maybe good for the organisation and the industry on into the future.

 

[mike_s]

An interesting thread indeed, this has turned out to be.

I must say I get the impression that Dema management is feeling the pressure of a lot of possible empty booths this year and scrambeling to shut the door - possibly a little late in the day for 2009, but, sometimes it takes a bit of a shakeup to get some action, and this maybe good for the organisation and the industry on into the future.

Is this really the "shakeup" they need though?

I"m not a dema member, but I don't think that opening the show to the "consumer diver" is going to get the "big name manufacturers" to come back to the show and get Dema back to what it used to be. (just my opinion. maybe I'm wrong).

 

[The Chairman]

Yes, it might be an interesting thought, but I am not sure that blurring the lines further between trade and consumer is a good idea.