DEMA Board of Directors to Meet in San Diego, CA for Face-to-Face Board Meeting on March 21st & 22nd

DEMA’s Board of Directors will meet on March 21st and 22nd to welcome the newly elected members of the DEMA Board of Directors and strategize ways to help grow our Industry and maximize DEMA’s benefits for Members. Topics for discussion will include DEMA’s consumer marketing campaign, Go Dive Now; research and public policy initiatives; the upcoming DEMA Show; 2017 budget review and Committee planning; and more.

Day one of the Board meeting will begin with the election of Board Officers from among the current Board Members. With officers in place for the year, the Board will approve reports from past and completed activities as part of the “consent agenda.”  For March, the consent agenda will include:

• November 2016 Board Meeting Minutes
• DEMA Show 2017 Update
• Membership Update
• Public Policy Update
• 2016 Year End Financial Summary and Manufacturer’s Fund Report

Following approval of the consent agenda, the Board will review proposed tasks and goals for 2017 including: Go Dive Now, DEMA’s new consumer marketing campaign; consumer research initiatives for 2017; proposed public policy initiatives; a recognition program for new/young Industry professionals; goals for DEMA Show 2017; and more. Once all other agenda items from day one are addressed, the Board is scheduled to review the 2017 budget.

Day two of the Board of Directors Meeting will commence with the discussion of Committees for 2017. These Committees will begin to outline their objectives and goals for the year. Each Board Member can volunteer to work in various Committees based upon their areas of expertise and interests. Committees are tactical and the goals of Committees include creating new ideas, improving current programs and benefits, clarifying or resolving pending issues, and soliciting feedback from Industry stakeholders.  Within their areas of focus, Committees’ ideas and suggestions are well-researched, strategically-developed, and when ready for further action, proposed to the entire Board for input, further development, and implementation. Additional Committee information is available online.

After final discussion and approval of the budget and programs, the Board of Directors will address any new business and conclude the afternoon of Wednesday, March 22nd. More information on DEMA’s Board of Directors and Bylaws is available on the DEMA website. Complete minutes from past Board of Directors Meetings are available to current DEMA Members from the Member Dashboard of www.dema.org. Future 2017 meeting dates will be confirmed during March’s meeting.

YOU'RE INVITED: Join the Go Dive Now Consumer Marketing Campaign to Reach More Customers

** The First Ten Retailers to REGISTER AND ATTEND the Update at Beneath the Sea Will Have the Opportunity to Receive $100 from DEMA for Facebook Advertising! ** Join DEMA at Beneath the Sea for this Industry Retailer Update! Date: March 26, 2017 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time Beneath the Sea, Meadowlands Exposition Center, Secaucus, NJ DEMA is already advertising on social media in target neighborhoods surrounding every DEMA-Member Store! Find out how using the Go Dive Now campaign can help attract customers to YOUR specific store through search engine, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube ads running in nearby zip codes!  Bring your laptop so you can log in to the Facebook ads account connected to your Facebook page to place a sample ad onsite! Join us to learn more. The first 10 DEMA Member retailers present will have the opportunity to receive $100 for Facebook advertising with the Go Dive Now campaign. REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT

Go Dive Now Pool Tour Provides Member Dive Centers with Multiple Opportunities to Acquire New Custom

“Big Wave” Dave Reidenbach and the traveling Go Dive Now Pool Tour have traveled from Ohio to California in the first quarter of 2017 to bring the try diving experience to hundreds of event participants. Each pool tour stop has helped increase business for the participating local DEMA Member dive centers who volunteer to work the event. They benefit from the invaluable opportunity to acquire new customers and generate media coverage for their store and for recreational diving, both locally and nationally. “Bringing the diving experience to these large-scale events gives us a great opportunity to introduce scuba diving to our target market and provide local dive retailers with a way to directly connect with potential new customers,” commented Dave Reidenbach, Pool Tour Coordinator for DEMA. “The experience that the Go Dive Now Pool provides to attendees often piques their interest in the sport leading them to inquire with their local dive center about certification and gear.”

By being part of a potential new diver’s first experience, participating retailers are already building trust and loyalty with potential customers that could develop into a long-term buying and diving relationship. According to Kris Tapp, Co-Owner of Pennyroyal Scuba Center, “I have found working with Dave and the [Go Dive Now] tour is an awesome experience that every scuba professional should be involved with. Being a DEMA Member for the past 10 years, this is truly a great diver acquisition asset. People that would probably not even think about scuba are exposed with the pool at these events across the country which as a facility owner/operator exposes us to many more people than we could do on our own without a huge marketing budget.”

DEMA Member Retailers also benefit because DEMA advertises the pool event using Facebook ads targeted to the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the DEMA Member Retail location.   Retailers who are interested in participating in a scheduled Pool stop or who may be aware of an event with potential for attracting new divers are encouraged to contact Dave Reidenbach at (920) 205-3657 or bigwavedave@dema.org.

Sponsored by the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and Scuba Schools International (SSI) and supported by the DEMA Manufacturers Fund and participating DEMA Member Retailers, the Pool will continue its tour as a top consumer event feature throughout 2017 at various consumer-oriented travel, outdoor activity and adventure shows providing anyone 10 years old and up the opportunity to discover the fun and exciting sport of scuba diving for FREE.  

DEMA Requests Nominees for 2017 Reaching Out Awards

DEMA is now requesting nominations for the prestigious Reaching Out Award. Since 1989, the Reaching Out Award has been presented to individuals who have advanced the Industry in unique ways, often developing products, programs, services and events that changed diving for the better.  Deadline to submit nominations is 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, May 31, 2017.

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The Official Hotel Block for DEMA Show 2017 in Orlando is NOW OPEN!

The DEMA Show Hotel Block is officially open! To help Dive Industry professionals keep their planning efforts on track for this year's annual trade-only event for the Diving Industry, DEMA has contracted with several hotels convenient to the Orange County Convention Center. Start your planning for the Show, taking place November 1-4 in Orlando, FL, by booking your room reservation in the DEMA Show Hotel Block, featuring exclusive exhibitor and attendee rates and benefits. Reserve your rooms today before the DEMA Show block sells out!

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The DEMA Show 2017 Website is now LIVE!

The official DEMA Show 2017 website is now LIVE! The 2017 website provides visitors with the latest details on DEMA Show hotels, DEMA Show features, booth locations using the interactive floorplan, Exhibitor listings, DEMA Awards Party, and other information as the Show approaches.  To have DEMA Show news delivered directly to your email, exhibitors should subscribe to the Show's Exhibitor Companion. Attendees are encouraged to subscribe to DEMA's DEMAIL for important Show information, announcements, and Industry news.

VISIT DEMASHOW.COM NOW