Venue For DEMA Shows 2017 and 2019 Announced

DEMA Board Confirms Venue Based Upon Required Criteria; Availability, Size, Member Cost Containment and Hotel Pricing 

The DEMA Board of Directors and staff have conducted a thorough review of available and qualified venues and confirmed the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL as the venue for DEMA Shows 2017 and 2019.

 

“As an international organization, DEMA works to benefit all Members that attend DEMA Show,” commented Tom Ingram, Executive Director of DEMA. “The Show rotates from a western location to a central/eastern location to allow industry professionals from all over the world to easily access show exhibitors and resources. The Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL is an ideal location for the Show as it is located in a major city and gateway, is the second most popular US city for all conventions, and meets DEMA’s requirements for hosting the Show.”

 

The factors used for determining the location of DEMA Show include considerations for cost as expressed by DEMA Members and the Industry, and the necessary criteria for size and accessibility.  In order to be considered as a host to DEMA Show the following location requirements must be met:

• The host city should have a substantial number of direct flights coming into the city and be a hub for at least one major airline for North American and International travelers.
• The convention center must have a continuous space of 500,000 gross square feet available; have at least 30 meeting rooms capable of holding at least 50-100 people while using classroom style seating; be located near major hotels and the international airport; and have a variety of cultural attractions, restaurants, events and other entertainment appealing to the diving industry nearby.
• Nearby hotel accommodations must be conveniently located within a 5 mile radius of the convention and exhibit facility for up to 12,000 attendees; accommodate a minimum of 1,800 room peak night pick up and 10,000 total room nights within DEMA’s block alone.  The host hotel rates within the block cannot exceed $180.00.

During 2012 the DEMA Show location Request for Proposal (RFP) for the 2017 and 2019 DEMA Show was sent to the limited number of cities actually capable of accommodating all of these requirements, including:

• Atlanta, GA
• Denver, CO
• Houston, TX
• Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV
• Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV
• Los Angeles, CA
• Miami, FL
• New Orleans, LA
• San Diego, CA 

The following venues replied with availability for 2017 and/or 2019 as follows:

1. Denver:
   1. 2017: No dates available between last week of October through week before Thanksgiving
   2. 2019:  Available during the first week of November.  However an Animal Science and Testing Convention is taking place in the same facility at the same time
2. New Orleans:
   1. 2017:  No dates available between last week of October through week before Thanksgiving
   2. 2019:  Available first week of November.  However three other large conventions are staging at the same time.  This would impact accessibility, transportation and hotel availability for DEMA Show attendees and exhibitors.  All hotels rates started at $200 or more per night
3. Orlando: 
   1. 2017: Available 10/27-11/6/17 in the South Hall, favorable pricing for convention center and additional concessions available, including free wi-fi in all public concourses
   2. 2019: Available 10/25-11/4/19 in the South Hall, favorable pricing for convention center and additional concessions available, including free wi-fi in all public concourses

 

After reviewing all of the DEMA Show logistics and venue requirements and the responses received to the DEMA Show RFP the Board made the best possible choice to confirm a home for DEMA Shows 2017 and 2019 and finalize future dates and locations as follows:

 

2013:  November 6-9 | Orange County Convention Center, South Halls, Orlando, FL

2014:  November 19-22 | Las Vegas Convention Center, North Halls, Las Vegas, NV

2015:  November 4-7 | Orange County Convention Center, South Halls, Orlando, FL

2016:  November 16-19 | Las Vegas Convention Center, South Halls, Las Vegas, NV

2017:  November 1-4 | Orange County Convention Center, South Halls, Orlando, FL

2018:  To Be Determined

2019:  October 30-November 2 | Orange County Convention Center, South Halls, Orlando, FL

 

Going forward the Board will continue to request your input and work with viable convention centers and cities to provide a venue for DEMA Show suitable to the Industry.

 

We want your feedback!  Please let us know your opinions by responding to our Future DEMA Show Venue:  Feedback Request!

 

For more information on DEMA Show visit www.demashow.com.