funded by dues and proceeds from shows...
The bigger the organization the more you can pay in dues and get more votes in return. Some companies have multiple "companies" who pay and end up controlling a BIG voting block. For instance if I bought a max membership at $2500 each for EDGE , then for HOG, then for EDGE and HOG Asia i would spend $7500 but get 75 votes in return, I used to spend a couple hundred and get 1 vote.
There is one company out there that seems to feel their heavy investment in this fashion is worthwhile. I don't get it but what do I know?
Last time I looked if I recall correctly they (DEMA) had like 11 employees and a payroll of over 900k. It gave me pause.
I strongly suspect and my opinion is that they are likely facing a cash crunch with the DEMA show shrinking and this show is more about revenue to keep those salaries and benefits in place, not so much to bolster the dive industry.
Is DEMA fully funded by its membership? What % of their budget comes from PADI and the other larger entities as opposed to the run of the mill members?
---------- Post added May 22nd, 2012 at 03:17 PM ----------
The link here is to a document (it appears to be a bit dated) regarding the thought process for the DiveFest. I'm not convinced the logic is sound, but it does offer some food for thought and maybe a bit of balance to this thread.
http://www.dema.org/associations/1017/files/WhyTheFestival-Final.pdf
The one item it brings up that has been absent from this discussion so far, is how to bring more people into diving. DEMA may be onto a good idea, with poor execution.
From that document
"Why is DEMA Considering the Opportunity to Produce a Consumer Event in the Spring Of 2013 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida?
After much industry discussion over several years, DEMA is investigating the production of a consumer event to help grow the number of new divers and bring currently inactive divers back to the sport. DEMA has identified a need to produce an event that is different from traditional consumer dive shows, which typically attract (mostly) active divers. Other consumer shows have their purpose, but dont attract non-divers in a way that would help bring a different audience to the professional diving community. Just as is done with DEMA Show, any such consumer event produced by DEMA would help raise funds which contribute toward the promotion of the diving industry."
The last sentence is the "money shot" pun intended.
"
For years, DEMA has heard that the DEMA Show (exclusive to industry professionals) should open one of the Shows four days to consumers. This concept seems logical as many diving businesses are already exhibiting at the Show. However, research shows that most retail DEMA members (90% of those polled) oppose this option, in part because doing so might allow consumers to attain access to wholesale pricing."
Disingenuous by a WHOLE lot, obviously we would all object to having consumers there while doing trade business, instead of asking us a STUPID question that has a obvious answer how about a smart solution, namely have a consumer only day after the trade show is complete?
The problem is that you can fluff up something all you want, but when the baseline premise is WRONG everything that follows is not relevant. They have some great ideas in that document, they should be helping their members (which includes consumer shows who they so freely bash) implement them, instead of proceeding in such a ill advised manner.
