It has long been my belief that the DEMA show has become an anachronism. The show - like any business should be about catering to the needs of its CUSTOMERS. As an exhibitor I try to meet the needs of my clients as effectively as possible. The dive retailer is the client for this show - and in spite of numerous examples that demonstrate that the retailers want a show that is more in sync with the purchasing cycles of a dive shop. They refuse to meet this need. My retail facility participated in a survey in 2004 or 05 where they asked several questions about the show to over 1000 retailers. As a participant in the survey the accounting firm sent us copies of the results. Over 900 of the respondents (less than 1000 responded) indicated clearly that the timing of the show needed to be changed. DEMA reported in its status report that a very small majority of the "stakeholders" would like the timing changed. My dive store staff has not attended a show since 2004 and it has not hurt us one bit! Open it to consumers or close it completely it will not affect our business one way or the other.
