Dema responds to petition

[The Chairman]

From Tom Ingram...

Attention: DEMA Members

Date: June 8, 2010

Re: DEMA RESPONDS TO PETITION

In 2009 DEMA received a petition asking the organization to change its current voting structure in the following manner:

1. Abandon the current voting structure in which votes are available in proportion to the dues paid by the member company and which corresponds to the member company's gross revenues, which are reported confidentially and voluntarily during the membership application process.
2. Adopt a system of voting which allows for one vote per member-company (regardless of size) and restrict the member to voting only within their respective membership category.

When the petition was formally presented to DEMA the President of the Board, Jim Byrem (A-4) indicated that the Board would address the content of the petition after the first Director's meeting in which all vacant seats on the DEMA Board of Directors had been filled. That meeting took place on May 13 and 14, 2010.

After extensive review of the data and documentation available through the association industry, the history of DEMA, review of past DEMA elections, and an analysis of the financial impact of the requested changes on the association, it is clear that the current DEMA voting, dues, and membership structure are appropriate and should not be changed.

In order to assist members in understanding the conclusion reached by the DEMA Board, DEMA has provided discussion which can be found by clicking here or visiting DEMA. Supporting data is provided following the discussion.

 

[cerich]

Hmmm, anybody else concerned that they were able to pull up all our past voting history history and recompile it? I would have thought ballots were destroyed after a certain amount of time....


Dues generate just over 300K, they are worried about losing some dues if they change systems, the show is obviously no longer a cash cow, in fact may be a burden around their neck. At the Tacoma show I had a BOD member of DEMA admit they have no idea of how to generate revenue outside of the show. That's funny really because I certainly can think of more than a few.


I would hazard the guess that the bottom line is that DEMA is broke already. As such they enjoy very little ability to actually meet their organizational mandate, nor given the economic reality of our industry, the broader economy and the decline of traditional conventions among all industries will they be able to meet that mandate in the future. Even if we believe that broader economic recovery is starting (and I do not), history tells us that the dive industry has NEVER recovered sooner than 18 months after recovery for the economy at large is well under way. That means best case we are still not looking at any meaningful dive industry recovery until mid 2011. Again this is at best. As I stated at the DEMA show, the good and bad news is that we as an industry have underperformed the economy, that means that in fact we have a generational opportunity if we seize it and indeed can position the industry very well by re-inventing it now. This is simply because at this point as a Industry we have NOTHING left to lose and everything to gain. So it is time. The companies that take advantage of this fantastic sea change will be the industry leaders for the next 20-30 years, the question is how large that industry will be. The current approach will net us a very small industry.


DEMA and indeed the the entire industry needs to re-invent if we are to reasonably expect to survive as even of shadow of what we were. If we recognize that, why on earth should we waste anymore time on an organization that resists even the hint of reality so venomously? I believe that if we do not vigorously embark on this re-invention we will easily be looking at a Dive Industry that is 30% the size of the dive industry we enjoyed at the turn of the century. (and 2000 was down from peak already...)


I'll cut my rant short and state emphatically that any company of any stake holder group that follows the status quo and "just holds on" waiting for economic recovery to save us is deluded. The path we are on as a industry was already well defined before this economic downturn, this is just speeding up certain aspects of the greater issues we face. There is a large segment of the industry that somehow in the face of all evidence believes we are just more victims of the economy and not dealing with systemic industry failures. they will be surprised, broke and in many cases out of business when the economy turns and the industry fails to ever follow. DEMA falls firmly in that camp. I personally consider this economy a cleansing circumstances and fully plan to take every advantage it offers.


I will be at the show, a booth I am still not entirely sure. I understand I have been nominated for the DEMA BOD this year and really question that even accepting the nomination would be a distraction from the important business that we all face.

 

[cerich]

I just received a email from Keith Sahm, who is on the DEMA BOD.

"Dear Chris,



I saw your post on Scuba Board this morning…



First of all, let me correct you in what you insinuated in your post.



Your comment “At the Tacoma show I had a BOD member of DEMA admit they have no idea of how to generate revenue outside of the show. That's funny really because I certainly can think of more than a few.”



Since, I was the only board of director at the Tacoma Show, I am assuming you mean me. You seem to have left a few key words out and come to your own conclusion that you felt needed to post.



I said, “I” cannot see how to “EFFECTIVELY” generate the revenue NEEDED outside of the show right now, but that “the board” were looking into several options.”



If you have ideas, I would hope you as an industry leader, that you would submit them to the board to let us do more fiscal and operational investigation to your ideas. I do not believe you shared them with me at the show in Tacoma to share with the board.



You also stated in your post today “I will be at the show, a booth I am still not entirely sure. I understand I have been nominated for the DEMA BOD this year and really question that even accepting the nomination would be a distraction from the important business that we all face.”



I sit on the chair of the Nominations Committee. I asked you if you were interested in running, when you erroneously tried to accuse this same committee on February 17th, 2010.



You can't just decide to run for the DEMA BOD, it is not possible. The DEMA BOD has a sub board comprised of BOD members who decide who gets to run. Think about that for a few minutes.



And you replied back to my response, after I set the record straight on that same day.



Hi Keith,
Thank you very much, I will certainly give it consideration.
Best,
Chris



When I again asked you of your intentions in Tacoma; you did indeed decline, because of the reason you stated that it would be a distraction from your business.



There has been no nominations that this committee or DEMA Staff have received, with your name associated with it.



I am just wanting to set the record straight and let you know that you are not currently a candidate as you stated.



Sincerely,



Keith



PS in regards to one more issue of your post, if you read the documentation provided, you would see that the communication specifically indicated that the election data was gathered through the third party administrator.



Please feel free to call if you feel the need."

Dear Keith,


I felt posting it here on Scubaboard is the correct thing to do, simply because when it comes to my interest in the operations of, and the the indeed my public comments and criticism of DEMA, they have been simply that...public.

Be assured I have ZERO malice towards DEMA or any of the present or past members of the B.O.D., or the employees of DEMA. My comments and concerns reflect my honest and sincere opinions, observations and interpretations of what I see in our industry and DEMA's function and effectiveness. I have no agenda expect the driven desire to see the recreational dive industry prosper and grow. I believe that is exactly the same driver behind the members of the DEMA BOD. This isn't personal and it isn't a attack upon DEMA. I understand it can be perceived as such however.

Fortunately, we all hold different views, that is what makes life interesting and worth waking up to every day.

Keith, your recollection of your words strikes me as completely true and accurate. I did not remember them verbatim, thus I did not use quotes in my retelling of the gist of our conversation. It doesn't really change the context however. While I believe you that the association Board members are working hard and looking into several options, it may be a case of too little too late. I would be happy to work with any member of the DEMA BOD or DEMA commitee to help address this pressing issue. That has not changed since I offered my assistance to the BOD at DEMA over 6 months ago regarding this very issue. Not one call or email until today.:depressed: In fact I approached DEMA 6 months prior to the DEMA show last year and offered 3 hours of ideas to Tom Ingram, I never got a call back and frankly have no idea if they were studied or filed in the round cabinet. I can say with certainty that they weren't implemented. Being the eager volunteer of ideas that i am I HAVE noticed a couple of my competitors implementing some of my ideas however...I need to be more selective I fear.

I didn't share many ideas with you at the Tacoma show because to put it simply you cut our conversation somewhat short of what i would have wished, which is not to say it wasn't a good conversation which I am appreciative of.. Trust me, I could have gone on for HOURS. But you and I were both were very busy.

Regarding the nomination, I said I didn't think so, but didn't completely rule it out. It's true I am very busy these days. I also REALLY don't think that I could win and even if I could that I would be able to effect meaningful change. Contrast that to NAUI where I was nominated this year and withdrew (citing same reasons as I voiced to you) and promptly sent NAUI a rather long email outlining some specific recommendations I had.

Indeed you had not nominated me, instead you and 3 others asked me to stand for it here on Scubaboard (http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/5051396-post389.html), but until they Tacoma show I was never sent a email, letter, phone call or anything. You did however mention it, thus our conversation. I was/am pretty sure to decline, however expected a more formal means of doing so! Damn shame that some of the very few public communications by a DEMA BOD is wasted on little ole me.

All this verbal sparring, political posturing and other BS aside...is the severity of what is facing the industry sinking in? Or will we continue to rehash and recycle the same old faster, quicker, slicker and technology and new blood phobic secular "preach to the choir" insanity that has lead us to this point?

There is no darn box, it was cardboard and in the rain the last 15 years,it held a few years but now it's done, even thinking of the box is futile at this point. rebuilding another cardboard box is even more stupid because the forecast calls for even heavier rains ..and that is my point. All I hear are ideas on maintaining the staus quo and building a new box. Screw the box.

Yours in Diving,

Chris Richardson
EDGE and HOG Gear
NAUI, PADI, TDI/SDI/ERDI Instructor and old Cayman Divemaster

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I was not surprised at all at their reaction. One member one vote is not in their best interests when it comes to control. Had they accepted it they would have gotten a new member in me and I suspect a few others. But then again all these new members may have actually made it possible to refocus efforts away from the resorts and quickie courses to local diving and promoting better training.

Something I'm sure certain people do not want to see.

What a shame. Local divers do more for the manufacturers than anyone. They buy gear, upgrade, and expand. Vacation divers supply little in the way of real support for the diving manufacturers. If they did prices would come down due to demand and volume. Instead local shops get screwed, money is taken out of local economies and sent elsewhere.

The LDS has to compete with it's own agency in some cases because all of it's students are pushed in ads that the shop is supposed to display promoting these exotic locations. Where are the ads featuring local quarries and lakes? Guess it is too tough to put a bikini on a hot model in 50 degree water and a drysuit does not say sexy. To some anyway.

I had very little respect for DEMA before. Their refusal to acknowledge the signers of the petition got rid of that. What is so hard about one member one vote? The bigger you are the more you can tramp on the small guy. Nice work. Nice message.

 

[clint@uniquescuba.com]

I'm very happy to see their reaction....as this means their demise will come that much sooner... by their own hand.

While there are some very respected industry leaders in the DEMA mix, let's not forget this is the same organization that seems to think TV ads will save us all...lol

Oh, and they also told us all that we were gonna kill everyone with NITROX..

.

 

[SeaLevelScuba]

If DEMA really wants to measure the value of their organization, remove the benefit of the discount for the show and then count their members.

Not that I am really suggesting they do that, but their membership audience is dynamic based on where the show is located.

Schott

 

[cerich]

Oh, and they also told us all that we were gonna kill everyone with NITROX..

.

Funny you mention that... back in 1995 when I moved to Cayman I was told by EVERYBODY to keep my Nitrox and Technical Instructor qualifications secret, I would NOT get a job in the dive industry because of them. The CIWA (Cayman Islands Water Sports Association) were VERY active in doing everything they could to prevent use of Nitrox. Now fast forward 15 years and some of the same players are playing the same tactics...

 

[clint@uniquescuba.com]

I've also noticed that the Unified Dive Industry website has not included this update... wonder if They've given up as well.

 

[cerich]

I've also noticed that the Unified Dive Industry website has not included this update... wonder if They've given up as well.

somewhat....in that the organizers I have spoken with overall have just decided to treat DEMA as a small regional show, pay the $150 fee and get a discount but that is about all.

The funny thing is I was looking at the DEMA website a couple days ago, seems they actually did a few releases there, only bothered to spread the word on the one that started this thread and the one regarding the oil spill. The "hidden in plain sight" release was regarding voting to eliminate term limits. If I were involved with DEMA and this was happening I would REALLY want to spread the word far and wide that that vote is occurring. I would have also put the release on Divenewswire, here on SB and emailed to every current and past member of DEMA. Of course they did not. I can only conclude that there is some other agenda at play.....

 

[cerich]

The funny thing is I was looking at the DEMA website a couple days ago, seems they actually did a few releases there, only bothered to spread the word on the one that started this thread and the one regarding the oil spill. The "hidden in plain sight" release was regarding voting to eliminate term limits. If I were involved with DEMA and this was happening I would REALLY want to spread the word far and wide that that vote is occurring. I would have also put the release on Divenewswire, here on SB and emailed to every current and past member of DEMA. Of course they did not. I can only conclude that there is some other agenda at play.....

GOOD NEWS! well it seems that after I posted this they had a change of heart and decided to actually make some effort.

As posted today and dated June 14th on Divenewswire]Divenewswire



Allow me to close with the following quote

"Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught.
J. C. Watts "