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

[RJP]

I know I have a tendency to get very pedantic about the science of marketing, high-brow academic theory, and belabored case studies. I will try to avoid doing that in summarizing my 6-day trip to Las Vegas and back for the 2014 DEMA annual meeting:

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
2. 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.
3. 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"

We've got a few minutes left [checks wristwatch] if there are any questions.

 

[lidja]

Hahaha!

Actually this is quite an insightful, revealing synopsis. Thanks for posting.

 

[Wookie]

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.

 

[mdb]

Good Report RJP: heard the same from here. Liked your comments about Go-Pro. Youthful energy is infectious.

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

Since I was running the JJ CCR Booth so I was actually busy. I thought the Show was stretched out and isles were long & wide to make it look bigger than it was. Not that I don't mind the exercise but it really did suck when you had to walk from one end to the other. So, I have been going to DEMA's since 1998 and I think it was the worst one ever (slow, low traffic, no after parties). The writing has been on the walls for years now, but DEMA refuses to change and do something different regardless of the complaining from manufacturers and industry professionals. I won't hold my breathe that they will admit the poor attendance #'s and use this past DEMA to finally change!

 

[Scared Silly]

FWIW I have attended DEMA a few times but more often I have attended the OR Show. The only people who pay at the OR show are those selling their wares. Those who are buying or potential buyers do not pay. I have always thought that DEMA strategy for attracting buying was odd.

 

[tridacna]

At least you never had the Gutter Guys, the Banks and the Jewelry vendors that we always have at BTS.

 

[Wookie]

At least you never had the Gutter Guys, the Banks and the Jewelry vendors that we always have at BTS.

Yes we did.

 

[RJP]

I won't hold my breathe that they will admit the poor attendance #'s and use this past DEMA to finally change!

You wouldn't hold your breath waiting for the dive industry to change?

 

[Akimbo]

I'm not sure that the entire dealer-only trade-show model is still sound, beyond the social aspects. Sales reps service the LDS, very few new products are introduced at shows anymore, and DEMA is months before most shops build up inventory for the next diving season. It seems like DEMA’s timing eats into a shop's winter survival capital.

Sure it is good fun for divers who can score free tickets, but what percentage of the attendees are actually store buyers? Exhibitors could count up sales receipts and new customers booked at shows before the Internet… that calculus isn’t quite so clear anymore.