Insider Tips to Help You Make the Most of Your DEMA Show 2018 Experience

Featuring over 650 Exhibitors and hundreds of educational and networking opportunities, you’re likely to have a jam-packed schedule during DEMA Show 2018.  From internet access to Show specials, here we offer some helpful tips and resources to help you make the most of your DEMA Show experience, both on and off the Show floor. 
 
PLAN YOUR TRIP
Looking for helpful planning information to help you prepare for your trip to DEMA Show in Las Vegas? Click here to get useful information on things like travel discounts & deals, airport parking, transportation around Las Vegas, and more. 
 
FIRST-TIMER ORIENTATION
Is this your first time attending DEMA Show? Join us for a quick half hour session which will provide you with the information you need to make the most of your time at the Show, including answers to the most frequently asked questions, tips for navigating the Show floor, and information about special events and Show features. Sign up for an orientation session today. 
 
DEMA SHOW 2018 MOBILE APP
Navigate DEMA Show like a pro with the DEMA Show 2019 Mobile App, powered by core-apps.com.

With the DEMA Show mobile app, you can:

• Stay organized with up-to-the-minute Exhibitor, Speaker, and Event information
• Sync the app across all of your devices with Multi-Device Sync
• Receive important real-time communications from DEMA
• Build a personalized schedule and bookmark exhibitors 
• Take notes and download event handouts and presentations
• Rate the sessions you attend and comment on them, too
• Interactively Locate sessions and exhibitors on the venue maps and use the Quick List for Best Path Routing
• Find attendees and connect with your colleagues
• Stay in-the-know and join the conversation using the Social Media icon
• Share your event photos and experiences on the Photo Gallery/Activity Feed
• Find Local Places in Las Vegas, NV
• And much, much more!

Click here for information on how to download the DEMA Show 2018 Mobile App. 
PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to minimize waste, DEMA will not produce a PRINTED directory for DEMA Show 2018. Attendees can download a PDF version of the full directory and utilize the DEMA Show 2018 Mobile app to prepare for their DEMA Show experience. A limited quantity of session summaries including a floor plan will be available upon request from registration.
 
INTERNET ACCESS
Please note the following options for Internet access during DEMA Show 2018:

• Complimentary Wi-Fi is available in all common areas, lobbies and meeting rooms of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
• DEMA provides complimentary Internet access to DEMA Show attendees in the i-Café (located in DEMA Central, booth #1858).
• Gold and Platinum DEMA Members can also gain access in the VIP Member Lounge located in booth #1670.
• Internet service can be purchased in the exhibit hall for one, three or five days directly from the device that needs to be connected. Pricing is as follows:
  • 1 day: $79.99
  • 3 days: $149.99
  • 5 days: $239.99

DEMA MEMBER LOUNGES2018 DEMA Members and their staff have access to private Member-exclusive lounges based upon their membership level, accessible directly from the Show floor.  With meeting tables, electrical outlets, and a computer and printer, these lounges provide a space for Members and their staff to meet, charge their electronics, and take a moment to relax during the Show. 

 
SHOW SPECIALS
DEMA Show 2018 is committed to providing Attendees with exclusive deals, discounts, and promotions. Find exclusive Exhibitor Show Specials here before you head to the Show to help you plan a valuable experience.

Be sure to take advantage of DEMA’s very own Show Special at DEMA Central (Booth #1858). Become a 2019 DEMA Member onsite at DEMA Show 2018 to save $50 on 2019 dues and receive an exclusive Member gift.
 
SHUTTLE SERVICELimited shuttle service will be provided between the Westgate Resort and Casino and the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center Wednesday, November 14 to Saturday, November 17 for those attendees staying in the Official DEMA housing block.

All DEMA block participants will be required to present their shuttle pass (available at check-in) to board the shuttle during Show hours. Shuttle service is limited to two shuttles during peak hours and one shuttle during off-peak hours. Click here for the shuttle bus schedule. ADA accessible shuttle bus service will also be offered during all Show days upon request by calling (504)650-1257. 
 
NEED TO RENT A CAR?
Receive the DEMA Show rate when you BOOK ONLINE or call 1-800-331-1600. The Avis World Discount (AWD) Number is T690399. 
 
WHEELCHAIRS AND SCOOTERS
Wheelchairs and scooters are available via Scootaround, Inc., located in the North/Central Hall in front of the FedEx Business Center. Reservations required.

Voting Now Open for the 2018 Wave Makers Award!

** Deadline to Vote is 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time on November 8, 2018 **

DEMA will once again recognize new professionals in the diving industry who are employed by (or own) a DEMA-Member business by honoring a recipient with the Wave Makers Award at the annual DEMA Awards Party! The Wave Makers Award was first introduced in 2017 and aims to recognize professionals who have been working in the industry for five years or less and have made a significant contribution to the industry during that time.

The Membership of DEMA chooses the 2018 Award recipient by viewing and voting for the finalist of their choice, based on the finalist’s brief biography and a short video that the finalists submitted. Voting for the 2018 Wave Makers Award is now open to DEMA Members! Log in and cast your vote today! The deadline to vote is 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, November 8, 2018.

The 2018 finalist are:

• Mike Johnson, Michael Johnson Entertainment
• Jessica Keller, National Park Service
• Allie Paschen, Leaird's Underwater Services
• Italino Pietrantonio, Air Hog Scuba

 To vote for the 2018 Wave Makers Award Recipient complete the two steps below:

1. Log in to the Members Only area of DEMA.org, then
2. Click here to review the 2018 Wave Maker nomination submissions, nominee videos and CAST YOUR VOTE!

VOTING IS OPEN NOW UNTIL 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time on NOVEMBER 8, 2018!LOG IN AND VOTE TODAY!

Four finalists and the new professional chosen as the first of the Wave Makers will be honored at the DEMA Awards Party being held on Friday, November 16, 2018 in Las Vegas, NV at the Las Vegas Westgate Resort Ballroom. Complete DEMA Awards Party details and tickets are available on the DEMA Show website.

Disaster Assistance Program Activated to Aid Show Exhibitors & Buyers Impacted by Hurricane Michael

**Funds Available to Assist DEMA Member Exhibitors and Buyers of DEMA Show 2018 **

The Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) announced on October 16, 2018 that the DEMA Executive Committee has approved the activation of the Disaster Assistance Program to assist DEMA-Member Show Exhibitors and Buyers impacted by Hurricane Michael.

DEMA’s Disaster Assistance Program was first created in 2004 and has been used when DEMA-Member companies are impacted by natural disasters which may interfere with their ability to promote their businesses, products, services and destinations. As funds are limited, in this instance, DEMA has earmarked them specifically for DEMA-Member companies who planned to exhibit or buy at DEMA Show 2018 and were negatively impacted by this large storm. Funds are provided to Exhibitors in the affected areas based on their exhibit size and to Buyers in the impacted areas who attend DEMA Show and stay in a DEMA block hotel.

 

Exhibitors from the areas indicated below are eligible to apply for the funds to help them exhibit at this year’s Show. Buyers who planned to attend DEMA Show can also apply for funds to assist in staying onsite at DEMA Show.  "DEMA’s Disaster Assistance Program funds are available to Member manufacturers, destinations and other industry-related entities to aid them in getting to and exhibiting at DEMA Show 2018,” said Tom Ingram, President and CEO of DEMA.  “Registered Buyers from DEMA Member businesses who are staying in the DEMA hotel block are also eligible for funds to assist in attending DEMA Show so they can buy the products and services they need to keep their businesses in operation.”

 

Exhibitor Assistance Program: DEMA’s Disaster Assistance Program funds are available to 2018 DEMA-Member Exhibitors who are fully paid by 5:00 PM Pacific time, September 21, 2018, and physically located in the areas listed at the bottom of this notice.

 

For affected Exhibitors, for each 100 net square feet of exhibit space purchased and paid for by September 21, 2018, DEMA will provide regular Exhibitors with $US 400.00 in assistance.  Funds will be awarded onsite at DEMA Show 2018 to the exhibiting companies who apply and fall within the guidelines deeming them eligible for assistance. Funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis up to the maximum available from the DEMA disaster assistance fund. All interested parties must apply for the assistance funds on site at DEMA Show at DEMA Central in Las Vegas, NV prior to close of DEMA Show at 5:00 pm on Saturday, November 17, 2018.

 

For more information and to receive a DEMA 2018 Disaster Assistance Fund Processing form visit DEMA Central in Booth #1858 at DEMA Show 2018 in Las Vegas, NV. Complete rules for disbursements will be available onsite at DEMA Show.

 

Attendee Assistance Program:  DEMA Member Buyers who are registered for the Show and staying in the official DEMA Show hotel block at The Westgate Las Vegas Resort are eligible for reimbursement as follows; One registered Buyer from an attending DEMA Member business physically located in the affected areas can receive reimbursement for a one-night hotel stay (single occupancy) in the DEMA hotel block prior to midnight Pacific time, November 16, 2018. The complete rules for disbursement will be available at DEMA Central onsite at DEMA Show 2018. Designated disaster areas eligible for Buyer funds are listed at the bottom of this notice.

 

The designated Buyer from an affected DEMA Member must apply for the disaster funds and present the receipt for the hotel stay through the DEMA Office prior to close of business on December 6, 2018.   Funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis up to the maximum of the DEMA disaster assistance fund.  Exhibitors are not eligible for hotel reimbursement assistance under this program but can receive Exhibitor Assistance as described above. 

Exhibitors and buyers physically located in the following areas may be eligible to apply for assistance:

 

Florida Counties impacted (emergency declared):

Alachua,Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington

Georgia Counties impacted (emergency declared): 

Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Baldwin, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bibb, Bleckley, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Calhoun, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Chattahoochee, Clay, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Crawford, Crisp, Decatur, Dodge, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Glynn, Grady, Hancock, Houston, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Jones, Lanier, Laurens, Lee, Liberty, Long, Lowndes, Macon, Marion, McIntosh, Miller, Mitchell, Montgomery, Muscogee, Peach, Pierce, Pulaski, Quitman, Randolph, Richmond, Schley, Screven, Seminole, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Tattnall, Taylor, Telfair, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Turner, Twiggs, Upson, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wheeler, Wilcox, Wilkinson, and Worth

South Carolina (emergency declared):

The Governor has extended the emergency declaration for the entire state of South Carolina.

2018 DEMA Member Update & Annual Meeting is Happening Thursday, November 15th, at DEMA Show

Join us for this informative session led by DEMA's Executive Director, Tom Ingram, on Thursday morning at DEMA Show. Network with fellow industry leaders and DEMA Members, get an update on how DEMA has been working to help our Members, and get insight on the Association's programs and plans for 2019. ALL Attendees and Exhibitors are invited to join us for this information-filled morning - you won't want to miss it! Thursday, November 15, 2018 8:30 AM - 9:45 AM Room: N257

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