DEMA- Understand the deficit of ETHICS of what we are dealing with
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Surface Interval
Contributor
Not drop. Augment it with local diving. One of the most asked questions I get is "Where is there to dive around here?"( western PA). The answer is lots of places. Or don't you have to spend a lot of money for flights, hotels, etc. NO you don't! In fact diving locally is cheaper around here than a round of golf with a cart. Even renting gear is not a deal breaker. There are shops that try to screw people and charge em 50-75 a day for gear. The one I work with charges my students after certification 20 for the weekend and 10 bucks a tank. I went to Portage for the DAN BBQ. Entire cost for the whole weekend for me was 20 for campsite, 20 in fills, 60 for gas, and another 50 for food. 150 for the whole weekend and I had fun. Got in 9 dives making my cost per dive total about 17 bucks each for everything. By contrast my weekend in Puerto Rico in Jan was 476 for air, 250 for 2 boat trips, 60 in food. Student paid for the room at the Hilton and for the rental car. almost 800 making cost per dive 200. Yes they were nice and after losing my wife I did need to get away but I;d never do it again. Bonaire was great. But that was 1600 when I went plus 150 at least for food. 16 dives because I wanted to spend surface time with my wife. Over 100 a dive.
That is why I push local diving. Resorts they see rental gear hanging. Don;t need to bring your own. Locally divers own their gear. Shops sell it. Manufacturers sell it to the shops. And local divers are fun people.
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
Let me clarify that: an ADVERTISING campaign on Facebook. Not one target divers either. In fact that would be stupid. They need to target fishmerman, boaters, skiers, skate boarders and so on. Maybe switch the focus month to month. Their Alexa ranking is 1,972,425. A simple page does not constitute a "campaign" on Facebook.
The whole point is to promote to NON divers. Now Google "learn to dive". They are right there about half way down the page. Why? Why compete with people trying to SELL Scuba Instruction? The Scuba e-tailers are fighting tooth and nail for the divers on the net. Let's market Scuba Diving to everyone else for a change.
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
Now you're asking them to do ScubaBoard's job!
There are more dives, dive vacations and classes promoted and conducted through ScubaBoard than ANY OTHER VENUE. It's amazing how this impacts local and semi-local diving from PA to every other state in the union with perhaps the exception of Idaho!
OP
As you have pointed out in the past, DEMA ranks HIGHER than beadiver.com in visits.(903,679 dema.org - Information from Alexa Internet)
So the actual Dive Industry MARKETING Association gets more traffic than their MARKETING efforts for Be A Diver gets. People should think about that for a minute.... REALLY THINK about it. FAIL
I disagree however with you regarding beadiver.com as competing with people trying to sell scuba, beadiver.com is an attempt to steer wanna be divers to dive stores, members first and all stores second.
OP
And with that...I am now officially done.
I have been saying over and over the last few years that DEMA has "lost the plot", I have pointed out the waste and ineffectiveness over and over and to be honest. I'm busy with other things and tired of it.
I REALLY wanted to see an effective Industry Association, it is obvious that won't happen at this time.
I have never felt these people were evil, just "institutionalized" so as to be rendered ineffective at meeting the associations mandate.
If I can help DEMA the multiple offers I have made remain, if I can help others form a alternative I will certainly make the time.
I have been saying over and over the last few years that DEMA has "lost the plot", I have pointed out the waste and ineffectiveness over and over and to be honest. I'm busy with other things and tired of it.
I REALLY wanted to see an effective Industry Association, it is obvious that won't happen at this time.
I have never felt these people were evil, just "institutionalized" so as to be rendered ineffective at meeting the associations mandate.
If I can help DEMA the multiple offers I have made remain, if I can help others form a alternative I will certainly make the time.
theduckguru
Contributor
Jim, I understand your opinion.
"The Diving Equipment & Marketing Association is an international organization dedicated to the promotion and growth of the recreational scuba diving and snorkeling industry."
In North America and the Carribean, what percentage of diving is done in quarries? I wont even ask about snorkling.
In a broad marketing strategy, they are promoting the dream for most people. You want to promote the reality for some.
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At a glance it appears that Dema collects more revenue from Dues and the show every year. In that aspect it seems to be going in the correct direction.
However, because they keep increasing operating expenses and raising salaries, they seem to be driving themselves in the ground.
Is DEMA claiming to be in trouble because the industry no longer supports them? Because membership is down? Because Show Revenue is down?
or-
Are they poorly managed? Raising Expenses, Raising Salaries?
The numbers speak for themselves, just look it up on Guidestar.org
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