DEMA Launches Online Forum to Engage with Members and Stimulate Collaboration Amongst All Industry Stakeholders

As an outcome of April’s Strategy Session, DEMA’s Board of Directs made immediate changes to the Association during the June Board Meeting. Among these changes was the creation of a new online forum on dema.org for Industry stakeholders to discuss, engage, and collaborate with DEMA and other Industry professionals.

During the Strategy Session the need for DEMA to participate in better dialogue and two-way, collaborative conversations with its Members was determined as a high priority. Particularly, Stakeholders voiced their desire for a DEMA-based forum where Industry stakeholders can provide feedback and engage with DEMA in dialogue about the association and Industry-related issues. During June’s Board meeting, the DEMA Board of Directors agreed to immediately activate such a platform on the DEMA website.

DEMA’s new forum hosts a number of discussion categories where users can click through to find specific topics and posts in which they wish to engage. Currently, forum categories include: Association News; DEMA Show News;Retailer Resources, Support & Education; Industry Research; and Legislative News. Additional categories will be added as needed and as topic trends emerge and become relevant to the Industry and forum participants. 

DEMA Members should note that in order to comment on an existing post or start their own thread, they mustFIRST be logged into dema.org.  DEMA Members can retrieve their username and password directly from the login screen.  Once DEMA Members have logged in, they will see options to comment and post a “New Topic” within the forum interface.

To comment on an existing post:

1. First, log in with your DEMA.org credentials.
2. Visit the DEMA Member Forum page here.
3. Select a forum category and then select a specific forum post on which you would like to contribute or comment.
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to find the box labeled “Quick Reply” in which logged-in DEMA Members can contribute their input. Please note: You MUST be signed in for this comment box to be enabled. There is also an option to “Reply in Full Editor” if such features such as links, images, etc are desired within the comment.
5. Click “submit” once contribution is complete.

In addition to commenting on existing posts, Member stakeholders are strongly encouraged to initiate their own topics, posts, and pose questions for feedback from other Industry Members.

To start a forum topic thread:

1. First, log in with your DEMA.org credentials.
2. Visit the DEMA Member Forum page here.
3. Click on the forum category that is most appropriate for the discussion topic. (If you are unsure of which category to select for your topic, or if you would like to request a new category for consideration, please email Rachelle Reimers, Membership Marketing & Communications Coordinator at rreimers@dema.org)
4. Click on the icon labeled “New Topic.”
5. Complete the new topic form and click “submit” when complete.

DEMA and the Board are excited about this new tool that will allow DEMA Members to engage with the Association and each other. “As one means of communication, this DEMA-based forum will help us reach out to obtain productive feedback for the Association. We are looking forward to the opportunity to engage and meet the needs of the Industry more than ever,” said Tom Ingram, Executive Director. DEMA asks for Members of the Industry to use this tool to connect with other Industry professionals and the Association as we work together for Industry growth and success.