The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
There was a meeting put on by DEMA almost a week ago in Pompano Beach to discuss their upcoming Dive Fest set for next year. No, I didn't make it, but after hearing 4 different people tell me about it, I wish I had been there. In the words of one: "It was Brutal!. Another called it "Carnage!" The other two referred to it as a blood bath. Mind you, these are all card carrying DEMA members and have been fairly supportive of DEMA in the past. At one point a DEMA Representative even told the crowd to "Kiss my ass!" under his breath. Oh the drama!!! There were accusations of malfeasance, incompetence and DEMA being completely out of touch with their membership. An event that should be bringing our community together has become polarizing: divisive even. It's apparent that Tom and company have their heels dug in the sand and are desperately trying to force this on us. Why? In diving, we teach that you can thumb (end) a dive at any time and for any reason, no questions asked. It's the ultimate rule that puts the safety of a diver in the diver's hands. Maybe DEMA should take a page from a basic Open Water diving class and thumb this dive (show). It makes sense on many different levels and here's my take on it from a diver's perspective...
You should only dive within your training and abilities! DEMA was designed and has the mandate to market our industry but not to compete with us. IOW they should be out supporting existing dive shows, encouraging new ones but not start competing with it's members. Heck, we have all the competition we need, let alone from the people who are supposed to be dedicated to support us. Let any of the Dive Shows mention that they want to incorporate a trade show into their consumer show and watch DEMA scream! I know of at least two individuals who were told if they did such a thing that they would be banned from the DEMA Show which is trade only. Here, DEMA should stick with their mandate and not try to increase their budget with this ill conceived show. What's next? Will they start manufacturing dive gear under the guise of cross promoting diving? Perhaps a DEMA LDS is in order? Once you start competing with your members, DEMA, it's a slippery, slippery slope. You're losing our trust and are messing with our livelihoods. You should thumb the dive (show) if only on this principle alone.
Stick with your buddy! If you lose your buddy, ascend a bit and look for no more than one minute and then thumb the dive (surface)! It could be argued that DEMA is nothing but an SOB (Same Ocean Buddy) in this regard. From what I understand, the shops in the area totally oppose the concept as it will drain their resources with little to no return. Kevin Senecal, Skip Commagere, Pavan and others were quite vocal in their opposition to this at the DEMA meeting. The manufacturers I have talked with are equally as opposed to it since DEMA wants them to sell direct to the consumer. As it sits right now, it appears that DEMA might be hosting a show with mostly non-scuba retailers at this point! Without the needed support, you need to thumb the dive (show).
Dive within your limits! When it comes to being underwater, every diver knows that they have to be aware of time, depth and gas! When it comes to a dive show, the biggest limit is MONEY. DEMA want's to charge $1,400.00 for each 10x10 booth if you are a DEMA member and $2,000.00 if you are not. According to one person, he will have to sell $50,000 worth of merchandise in order to break even. They want to do this during Ft Lauderdale's busy season where the participants will already be there. The best time for any consumer show is off season, so you can add more butts to the boats when they are almost empty not when they can't accommodate any more! Now here's the real rub... the people at the convention center inadvertently let the dive community know that DEMA is getting the convention hall FOR FREE for the first year. FOR FREE! Whoopsie... that was one helluva cat to let out of the bag. There seems little to wonder why DEMA is pushing this so hard. It's no secret that the DEMA Show has shrunk over the years even to the point that we are too small for the Las Vegas Convention Center this year. Surprise! The DEMA Show is being held in the Sand's Hotel Convention Center, which is a lot smaller than our most recent venue. Recently DEMA added a proviso making it's members responsible for any losses (up to $5,000) that it may incur. Why am I getting the feeling that this Dive Fest is nothing more than a way for DEMA to stay afloat? I certainly hope I am wrong, but I doubt they will be responsible enough to address our concerns publicly. If you can't stay within your limits (means), then it's time to thumb the dive (show).
Review your communication skills! Hello DEMA, we have a serious disconnect here. Not only are you not listening to your members, you are extrapolating their ideas into something that no one can support and then blaming us for it. You love your little 20/20 infomercials you have at a few of the dive shows where you can effectively control the outcome. It's time to put on your big boy pants, and have a frank and open discussion RIGHT HERE on the internet. By the internet, I mean ScubaBoard. The rest of the dive industry is here, why aren't you? Come on in, the water's fine. Don't let your fear of internet sharks keep you from enjoying the benefits of open discussions in the light of day. The only thing you have to lose is your reputation for hating the internet and ScubaBoard in particular. If communications have broken down the only safe thing to do is to thumb the dive (show)
Finally, it's important to know your exit strategy. It's almost always easier to get into the water than back out. But, getting back out is essential if you want to survive and dive some more. Again, the nice lady from the convention center outlined that for us. She told the group that DEMA could call this dive (show) with impunity. That means, "No Charge!". No, we can't wait until a month before the event to do this, I am certain. But we can and should do it now. Thumb the Dive Fest DEMA: it's the responsible thing to do.
Please Note: This is my personal take on the situation after several conversations with industry participants. This is not an official ScubaBoard position statement. In fact, we support ALL dive shows.
You should only dive within your training and abilities! DEMA was designed and has the mandate to market our industry but not to compete with us. IOW they should be out supporting existing dive shows, encouraging new ones but not start competing with it's members. Heck, we have all the competition we need, let alone from the people who are supposed to be dedicated to support us. Let any of the Dive Shows mention that they want to incorporate a trade show into their consumer show and watch DEMA scream! I know of at least two individuals who were told if they did such a thing that they would be banned from the DEMA Show which is trade only. Here, DEMA should stick with their mandate and not try to increase their budget with this ill conceived show. What's next? Will they start manufacturing dive gear under the guise of cross promoting diving? Perhaps a DEMA LDS is in order? Once you start competing with your members, DEMA, it's a slippery, slippery slope. You're losing our trust and are messing with our livelihoods. You should thumb the dive (show) if only on this principle alone.
Stick with your buddy! If you lose your buddy, ascend a bit and look for no more than one minute and then thumb the dive (surface)! It could be argued that DEMA is nothing but an SOB (Same Ocean Buddy) in this regard. From what I understand, the shops in the area totally oppose the concept as it will drain their resources with little to no return. Kevin Senecal, Skip Commagere, Pavan and others were quite vocal in their opposition to this at the DEMA meeting. The manufacturers I have talked with are equally as opposed to it since DEMA wants them to sell direct to the consumer. As it sits right now, it appears that DEMA might be hosting a show with mostly non-scuba retailers at this point! Without the needed support, you need to thumb the dive (show).
Dive within your limits! When it comes to being underwater, every diver knows that they have to be aware of time, depth and gas! When it comes to a dive show, the biggest limit is MONEY. DEMA want's to charge $1,400.00 for each 10x10 booth if you are a DEMA member and $2,000.00 if you are not. According to one person, he will have to sell $50,000 worth of merchandise in order to break even. They want to do this during Ft Lauderdale's busy season where the participants will already be there. The best time for any consumer show is off season, so you can add more butts to the boats when they are almost empty not when they can't accommodate any more! Now here's the real rub... the people at the convention center inadvertently let the dive community know that DEMA is getting the convention hall FOR FREE for the first year. FOR FREE! Whoopsie... that was one helluva cat to let out of the bag. There seems little to wonder why DEMA is pushing this so hard. It's no secret that the DEMA Show has shrunk over the years even to the point that we are too small for the Las Vegas Convention Center this year. Surprise! The DEMA Show is being held in the Sand's Hotel Convention Center, which is a lot smaller than our most recent venue. Recently DEMA added a proviso making it's members responsible for any losses (up to $5,000) that it may incur. Why am I getting the feeling that this Dive Fest is nothing more than a way for DEMA to stay afloat? I certainly hope I am wrong, but I doubt they will be responsible enough to address our concerns publicly. If you can't stay within your limits (means), then it's time to thumb the dive (show).
Review your communication skills! Hello DEMA, we have a serious disconnect here. Not only are you not listening to your members, you are extrapolating their ideas into something that no one can support and then blaming us for it. You love your little 20/20 infomercials you have at a few of the dive shows where you can effectively control the outcome. It's time to put on your big boy pants, and have a frank and open discussion RIGHT HERE on the internet. By the internet, I mean ScubaBoard. The rest of the dive industry is here, why aren't you? Come on in, the water's fine. Don't let your fear of internet sharks keep you from enjoying the benefits of open discussions in the light of day. The only thing you have to lose is your reputation for hating the internet and ScubaBoard in particular. If communications have broken down the only safe thing to do is to thumb the dive (show)
Finally, it's important to know your exit strategy. It's almost always easier to get into the water than back out. But, getting back out is essential if you want to survive and dive some more. Again, the nice lady from the convention center outlined that for us. She told the group that DEMA could call this dive (show) with impunity. That means, "No Charge!". No, we can't wait until a month before the event to do this, I am certain. But we can and should do it now. Thumb the Dive Fest DEMA: it's the responsible thing to do.
Please Note: This is my personal take on the situation after several conversations with industry participants. This is not an official ScubaBoard position statement. In fact, we support ALL dive shows.
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