Unified Dive Industry wants to change DEMA for the better!

[mdb]

Thanks to Dick Long who is spearheading this effort to take back DEMA for all in our industry.

It will now be very revealing to see who steps up in support of this much needed change and those who do not. Surely all will be aware of this initiative. I trust that most stakeholders will have the courage to start anew-unified.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Just signed with the following comments:


DEMA positions on votes and lack of term limits as well as the lack of focus on local diving is why I have have not joined them. As an independent instructor the health of the industry is of great concern to me. Especially in the area of local diving. Local divers buy gear, get additional training, and are usually safer and much more competent than the once a year vacation diver. Effectively ignoring them and pushing exotic locations and high dollar trips takes the money away from those who are necessary to keep the industry alive. A balance needs to be struck and the seemingly incestuous relationship between the DEMA BOD and a few entities does nothing to correct that perception.

 

[Oceanus]

signed earlier, missed this thread...

DEMA might be interesting this year

Bill

 

[cerich]

signed earlier, missed this thread...

DEMA might be interesting this year

Bill

it is my hope that DEMA is a great show!

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I'm skipping the show and going to Bermuda.

PDIC as an agency isn't going.

The owner of Lehigh Valley Dive Center isn't going.

I know several other friends who aren't going this year purposely.

 

[Web Monkey]

If you are a part of our industry then you need to hop on over to: Unified Dive Industry

Wow. The big names are signing up already. ScubaBoard is on there as well! If you really want to try to change how we define the future for the Dive Industry, then this is the way to go!

Viva La Révolution!​

Assuming I went to the right site, it looks like people are unhappy with DEMA leadership.

Since I don't get involved with equipment sales, I might be missing something, but aside from a "show" that doesn't seem to do very much, DEMA doesn't seem to have any purpose.

Do they actually do anything?

Why not just ignore them?

Terry

 

[The Chairman]

Assuming I went to the right site, it looks like people are unhappy with DEMA leadership.

I would say that you are a MASTER of the understatement!

 

[cool_hardware52]

Since I don't get involved with equipment sales, I might be missing something, but aside from a "show" that doesn't seem to do very much, DEMA doesn't seem to have any purpose.

That's basically the problem in a nutshell.

DEMA is a membership dues supported organization that's supposed to promote diving.

In addition t the membership dues the Tradeshow is ostensibly a source of funding for these "other" promotional activities.

I'd venture you could poll and 1000 randomly selected divers and of those recognized DEMA the vast majority would respond as you did.

Tobin

 

[cerich]

Do they actually do anything?

Why not just ignore them?

Terry

Do they actually do anything?-they "should" be a responsive member organization helping to market and grow diving. Instead they have become a old boys club making $$ on the backs of their members, extending special privedges to the choosen few and running a convention.

The industry association should be the forward thinking, non partisan voice and indeed conscience of our industry. They haven't.

Why not just ignore them?- Step one, remind them and get down to some serious work or...... Step two, parts of which are already in play.

 

[cerich]

That's basically the problem in a nutshell.

DEMA is a membership dues supported organization that's supposed to promote diving.

In addition t the membership dues the Tradeshow is ostensibly a source of funding for these "other" promotional activities.

I'd venture you could poll and 1000 randomly selected divers and of those recognized DEMA the vast majority would respond as you did.

Tobin

here is an excellent post in another thread that gets to the heart of the matter

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/4776329-post317.html

it is interesting as well that DEMA did not even participate in social media like Facebook/Twitter until the noticable absence of them from social media was commented on here at Scubaboard! They are supposed to be the marketing experts of the industry yet manged to ignore using the Internet for anything but emails until 2009