It's DEMA Time

[Shaka Doug]

I've asked it before and I'll ask it again.....

DEMA is coming up real soon. Who will be attending from the Hawai'i O'hana? Is anyone going this year? It's a long way to Orlando but I'm making my reservations today. I always have a great time at the show and get to see lots of old friends. This will be my fifth trip to DEMA (third in a row) and I always find it's worth my while. I wish it wasn't such a long haul but I can visit some family members while I'm in town too. If you can't make it this time, mark your calendars for next year......Vegas Baby!! Yeah!

Let me know if you'll be going. HIRSA will have a booth there; so will SCUBABOARD. Maybe we can meet up and talk story or get a brew or something. Mahalo!

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I'm gonna stay a Vegas dema dude myself but next year I'll be there

 

[oboist]

I am off to DEMA this year. Was at DEMA last year and will enojy it again. But, yes, next year will be a much shorter flight and a great city.

 

[Dutchman]

Why is the general dive community not allowed to attend? I want to see all the neat new stuff also.

 

[friscuba]

There are a number of "open" dive events nationally that are similar, Hawaii even had a small one going for a couple of years that I think is now defunct. DEMA is an opportunity for manufacturers, wholesalers, and other business reps to show their goods and services directly to to the companies who are their immediate buyers that showcase their products to the general public. As it stands, DEMA's basically 4 solid days of meeting industry people, seminars and order writing. The people who have booths there are primarily there to sell product to those who represent them. Thousands of additional window shoppers would make it extremely tough to get the business they expect to get done in an already fairly tight schedule.

 

[Dutchman]

We had Seaspace here in Houston, TX for a few years. The 2007 convention was it's last one. Hoping it gets replaced by something else.

 

[torqd]

I'll be there again this year as well.

Why is the general dive community not allowed to attend? I want to see all the neat new stuff also.

I have to admit having had the same question before becoming a divemaster and instructor. At DEMA, the main purpose is for the manufacturers and vendors to come together and pimp themselves and their products to the local dive shops. This is where the big sales are made for the coming year, and where the shops talk to the destination spots to set up the package trips to Palau, Truk, Fiji, and so on.

Having attended ADEX (Asia Dive EXposition) where the public is welcome, there was very little sharing of business, and the vendors focused almost exclusively on the public. Keep in mind that the public there was almost exclusively made up of non-divers! As a result, there aren't too many vendors and the show is only a fraction of the size of DEMA (it took two hours to see everything at ADEX).

It's a tough trade off, but in the long run it really does pay dividends when the local shops that can get deals from the vendors, and then pass along those savings to their customers.

 

[gkndivebum]

My wife Vicky and I will be at DEMA this year; we're combining it with a 3 week trip to the
mainland, part of which will be on the east coast, so it seemed like a an Ok thing to do.

That, and I'm taking a PSI cylinder inspector class (which means, among other things,
that I can write that part of the trip off )

 

[Shaka Doug]

Well, I made it to Florida! The weather is pretty good here, a little cloudy but nice and warm. The show is great this year. Lots of people scrambling around. Seeing some cool new products too. I'm actually at the SCUBABOARD booth right now using their computer. They have a really big booth and impressive this year (a forty footer...$$$$$) and some very friendly staff. It's great to meet the faces behind the names. I'l try to get a few photos to post later.