Dive Industry Has Faith in DEMA Show

By Heidi Genoist -- Tradeshow Week, 10/17/2005

Las Vegas—While nobody in the scuba diving business is prepared to breathe a sigh of relief just yet, most seem to agree that they need an annual meeting place, and DEMA Show is it.

Following a bad showing in Houston last year, the Diving Equipment & Marketing Assn.'s exhibition for retailers and instructors made a comeback at the Las Vegas Convention Center Oct. 4–7. The 653 exhibiting companies filling 133,000 net square feet this year were an improvement over last year's 605 exhibitors and 127,100 net sq. ft. Although attendance numbers were not available at press time, double-digit percentage increases over last year are expected, said Michele Samuel, director of sales for Natl. Trade Productions, which manages the show for DEMA.

Still, the numbers haven't caught up with the 2003 show in Miami Beach, Fla., which featured 716 exhibitors filling 167,600 net sq. ft., and marked the last time DEMA was ranked in the Tradeshow Week 200. And the show is still a long way from its 2000 peak of 728 exhibitors and 227,100 net sq. ft.

Despite industry infighting over the best time and place for the show — resulting in the withdrawal last year of major exhibitors and talk of former organizers launching a competing show — the message at this year's show was one of solidarity in the face of business challenges.

In his welcome address to attendees, Al Hornsby, DEMA president and head of the Professional Assn. of Diving Instructors, said, "As an industry, we have been through a period of self-reflection about the show, its role in stimulating the trade business we all depend on and its relevance for the years to come."

Hornsby blamed faltering consumer interest in the sport, as well as "the show venue and calendar schedule that had been booked some years ago," for the show's problems. But he said work done by DEMA's board of directors, Executive Director Tom Ingram and show management would lead to a turnaround.

One notable improvement, according to Hornsby and his industry colleagues: a shift to a Las Vegas-Orlando rotation for the show, confirmed by Samuel. Orlando will host DEMA in 2006 and 2007, then the show will switch to a yearly rotation, starting with Las Vegas, through at least 2010.

Exhibitors agreed the change was a good one. "Orlando is OK, and Las Vegas is the perfect location for this show, because there's a lot of nighttime activities that are easy and cheap to get to," said Oceanic CEO Robert R. Hollis. "When I was president (of DEMA) for two years, I kept saying we should be here every year."

Lyndon Travers, creative director of Sherwood Scuba, said he also likes the new rotation, but he's "partial to Orlando, because I'm from West Palm Beach, and it's a short drive to see family and friends."

The rotation wasn't the only new thing at the 2005 DEMA Show. NTP added some features to improve participants' ROI. An anchor exhibitor program gave additional recognition in promotional materials and on the showfloor to companies like Oceanic and Sherwood for no extra cost.

"We're proud to be an anchor exhibitor, because we've remained supportive of the show through the years," said Kristin Valette, spokeswoman for PADI, which occupied the largest space at the show with a flashy new exhibit.

Meanwhile, amenities helped breathe excitement into the showfloor. NTP hired electric trams to transport weary show-goers through the LVCC's long South Hall. First-time exhibitor Life Is Good sponsored Center Stage, where attendees could watch models dance around in scuba gear and bathing suits. Michelob Ultra provided a beer garden. And marine artist Wyland returned to the show's art innovation center, after a one-year hiatus, to create a piece — later auctioned for charity — live at the exhibition.

Samuel said 90 percent of this year's exhibitors re-signed for 2006 during the on-site space draw, and exhibitors themselves were upbeat about the show's potential.