DEMA Show 2014: Detailed Marketing Analysis Now Available...

[DiveNav]

My DEMA week was quite busy as I had meetings from Wed. 10AM till Sat. 1PM. (Sorry RJP, but my boss wanted to be back home before 9PM)

At the end of each days I was so tired of walking and talking that in the evening I never went out. Not once ! (for full disclosure ...... my Italian wife cooks very well )

Most of the people I met with were very professional and open to new ideas.

Few of the people I met with were quite full of themselves, extremely busy looking at their one tree and had no clue about the forest - in fire - surrounding it. Just a few.

Alberto (aka eDiver)

 

[kafkaland]

Well, let me add something from the perspective of an amateur diver with no professional credentials or ambitions, who happens to spend (too much?) money on scuba gear and travel. Who has thus not attended DEMA.

I would encourage DEMA to open up part of the show to consumers like me. Perhaps the first few days trade-only, and the weekend open to all. Equipment manufacturers already know how important it us yo market directly to end users - just look at all the demo days they put on. Why not have it all in one place - for the consumer a fun weekend in Vegas, with shopping for new toys during the day?

Years ago, before I got I to diving, I went to the Boot trade fair in Düsseldorf, which is open to consumers. They put on a good show, with plenty of interesting stuff for the whole family, including a live TV show on national television for kids, to get them excited about all kinds of watersports. The atmosphere was electric. I'm sure DEMA could come up with a similar concept - better than a staid old trade show.

 

[redacted]

Well, let me add something from the perspective of an amateur diver with no professional credentials or ambitions, who happens to spend (too much?) money on scuba gear and travel. Who has thus not attended DEMA.

I would encourage DEMA to open up part of the show to consumers like me. Perhaps the first few days trade-only, and the weekend open to all. Equipment manufacturers already know how important it us yo market directly to end users - just look at all the demo days they put on. Why not have it all in one place - for the consumer a fun weekend in Vegas, with shopping for new toys during the day?

Years ago, before I got I to diving, I went to the Boot trade fair in Düsseldorf, which is open to consumers. They put on a good show, with plenty of interesting stuff for the whole family, including a live TV show on national television for kids, to get them excited about all kinds of watersports. The atmosphere was electric. I'm sure DEMA could come up with a similar concept - better than a staid old trade show.

What do you think this is? A car show or a boat show? Well it's not.

Drivers are the customers of car manufacturers. Boaters are the customers of boat manufacturers. But this is scuba. Scuba dealers are the customers of most scuba manufacturers.

FORE!

 

[drrich2]

The scuba industry veterans complained that "THEIR meeting" was slow, and there were far too many annoying people hawking massage chairs, TENS devices, and magnetic bracelets at a Dive Industry meeting
The travel and photography industry veterans complained that "THEIR meeting" was slow, and that there were far too many annoying people hawking scuba stuff at a Travel & Photography meeting.
GoPro had the largest, best, busiest booth... which was staffed by attractive, smiling, 20-something millionaires selling $300 cameras to middle-aged scuba divers by showing them videos of teenagers snowboarding and mountain biking. They didn't seem to care who else was at "THEIR meeting"

Obviously, at 1st glance, the GoPro people's attitude sounds far better for fertile ground for growth and adaptation. But then again, I'm not that familiar with the nature of DEMA. And also importantly, the purpose of this trade show. I went to the About DEMA section of DEMA's website, and that wasn't all that helpful.

I take it the purpose is to network dive business; vendors with product suppliers, LDS's with live-aboard & resort providers, etc...?

1.) The scuba industry veterans complained that "THEIR meeting" was slow, and there were far too many annoying people hawking massage chairs, TENS devices, and magnetic bracelets at a Dive Industry meeting

If the people hawking the products listed are not customers of scuba gear & service providers, nor likely to incorporate such products into their own venues, not offering anything a scuba industry vendor might want to add to his offerings (e.g.: a massage chair on a live-aboard or at a dive resort), then I can see where distractions diluting the scuba focus of the show could be irritating.

Were the magnetic bracelets to fight motion sickness?

Is the DEMA trade show exclusively about marketing scuba products & services to fellow scuba product/service vendors? If so, they may not want anything outside that focus.

Now, if DEMA is open to marketing scuba toward presently non-affiliated individuals or businesses, that would be another story. Then, the GoPro booth approach would make sense.

Richard.

 

[Hawkwood]

Cool. So who do you cater to?

Is this a dilemma or opportunity? Can you appeal to both or do you cut one group loose?

My meetings were very slow, but extremely high quality. I did not leave the booth for the first 3 days. I was heartened to see far more young store owners and divemasters/trip organizers than in the past. The young shop owners/trip organizers were excited about the kind of diving we provide. The old folks still want ensuite heads and expect to pay for it. The young folks want the ability to send their GoPro video home each night, they don't care if they have to come upstairs to take a leak.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

GoPros and new blood - my two oldest in high school are both on the ski team. They love to ski and there is an organized approach - similar to football / soccer at an early age - it is endorsed by schools, parents and kids all over the country.
So to me - how does Scuba break into that segment and become mainstream... That is the nut to break - IMO. How do we sell it to the parents and kids?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

What do you think this is? A car show or a boat show? Well it's not.

Drivers are the customers of car manufacturers. Boaters are the customers of boat manufacturers. But this is scuba. Scuba dealers are the customers of most scuba manufacturers.

FORE!

Well hold on now, there are two layers here. There are manufacturer to seller shows, and manufacturer to end user/customer shows.
The Long Beach show allows the customer.
Car shows and boat shows are smart, they allow the customer in so they will get all fired up about the new products and that creates demand on the dealers.
It works from the bottom up.

Speaking of DEMA, I've had this conversation with the guys at my LDS. I asked if they ever go to DEMA and their response was that it's fun for the first few times but then it's the same old stuff and each year and it seems to get smaller.
Not to mention the cost to get there, cost of the stay, meals, and attendance.
They don't go anymore.

 

[RJP]

What do you think this is? A car show or a boat show? Well it's not.

Drivers are the customers of car manufacturers. Boaters are the customers of boat manufacturers. But this is scuba. Scuba dealers are the customers of most scuba manufacturers.

FORE!

Have you ever bought a car from a manufacturer?

---------- Post added November 25th, 2014 at 01:01 AM ----------

Cool. So who do you cater to?

Is this a dilemma or opportunity? Can you appeal to both or do you cut one group loose?

As we say in marketing Frank "lives the brand" and that's ALL opportunity.

:d

---------- Post added November 25th, 2014 at 01:30 AM ----------

If the people hawking the products listed are not customers of scuba gear & service providers, nor likely to incorporate such products into their own venues, not offering anything a scuba industry vendor might want to add to his offerings (e.g.: a massage chair on a live-aboard or at a dive resort), then I can see where distractions diluting the scuba focus of the show could be irritating.

Were the magnetic bracelets to fight motion sickness?

Is the DEMA trade show exclusively about marketing scuba products & services to fellow scuba product/service vendors? If so, they may not want anything outside that focus.

The purpose of the massage chairs, and TENS devices, and magnetic bracelets is to sell...

BOOTH SPACE

These "companies" pay next to nothing for unsold space. The venue gets revenue, the association can report "sold out" status, attendees are visually tricked in believing it was a packed house, and someone probably got snookered into buying a charm bracelet that wards off the Ebola virus.

It's a win-win-win-win!

They are at every trade show you attend these days irrespective of industry - pharma, craft shows, clothing, furniture, dry good, flower shows.

 

[tridacna]

Have you ever bought a car from a manufacturer?QUOTE]

How did you know I drive a Tesla?

 

[Z Gear]

We were exhibitors at DEMA for the first time and overall it turned out to be a great experience for us. I will have to admit it was very challenging to figure out how to get potential buyers (store owners/purchasing agents) to stop in and take look at all the new products we had to offer. It got to be a little frustrating when the only people interested and asking questions were other exhibitors and foreign manufactures eyeballing,and pretty much dissecting my new products.I did manage get quite a few instructors and attendees, but my real reason for being at this show was for potential buyers from stores.
Needless to say I brushed it off as a temporary phase in the show, and remained confident that something would change. The second day I was convinced that I needed to do something, and that just doing more of the same would not be a good option. I decided to take some bold action, and hand out, only to those wearing the blue tag, the store owners/ purchasers, one of our free head strap leashes. I proceeded to get their attention by making eye contact and saying to them " Z Gear would like to give you a free sample of our head strap leash for your Go Pro mask. It worked like a charm!!! They now turned to look at my booth as I would walk toward one of the manikins which had the a mask, head strap with Go Pro attached to the leash. I explained how the Go Pro mounted mask, and Go Pro head strap are very popular. I demonstrated how our leash provided security and was a great practical, inexpensive way to protect the users investment.Most responded very positively and commented that it was a clever item and they gave me the green light to further demonstrate the rest of our products. It was easy from that point to wow them with our new items that they had never seen before. I was very appreciative to them for giving me this opportunity to demonstrate our products and they also thanked me for making the effort to get their attention. Some said that if I had not done this they would have walked right past my booth.

The experience I got from this show was priceless! I had no choice but to take this kind of action and I am glad I did. As a result I got a lot of interested stores and being an exhibitor at DEMA was a great move but taking BOLD action was even better.