A guide to making the most of your DEMA show experience.
YOU HAVE JUST FINISHED a very busy four days of DEMA Show action and are now back at your dive center ready to cash in on all those contacts you made and information you collected. So, now what?
Many dive center owners and managers probably come back to a pile of work on their desk that needs instant attention like inquiries, scheduling or service issues, new inventory deliveries that need processing, and maybe even covering a class or two due to a sick staff member.
After a few days of putting out those store fires, you now get a chance to go through those bags of brochures and business cards you collected from the show. But you start asking things like “Why did I pick this up?” or “Who is this person?” A week after the show these “hot topic” items have probably been moved to your “back burner” list of things to do.
To avoid this scenario, Rich Thomas, owner of two International Scuba locations in the Dallas area of Texas (and DEMA board member), suggests making time at the end of each evening of the show to go through all of the material and business cards (both paper and digital) you collected that day while it’s still fresh on your mind and make notes for follow-up actions that need to take place within the week following the end of the show. That evening is also a good time to discard any material you decide is not really that important to your business so that you don’t go back with a lot of “clutter.”
Thomas said it was important to reach out to the people who are on your “follow-up notes” list, and a good way to do that is either texting or pinging them on social media (and sometimes email) while you are in the hotel or at the airport on your way home. This starts a line of communication with the person that you can then follow up on when you get back to your home or dive center. “Hey, it was great meeting you and I want to follow up on . . .,” he gave as an example of an opening message.
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Another resource that Thomas said he uses is the DEMA Show App, which provides detailed exhibitor contact information, as well as the show’s attendee list (with contact information), for communicating with companies and individuals who he didn’t get a chance to see at the show but wanted to meet. He gave an example of being referred to a person who specialized in dry suit repair by several people he knew at the show, but who was an attendee and not an exhibitor. Using the DEMA attendee list, he was able to contact the person and set up a service agreement based on the recommendations of the people he knew and trusted.
If your dive center offers instructor development classes and you meet another dive center owner/manager at the DEMA Show who wants a quote for the IDC training for their staff, then Thomas said it was important to quickly respond with pricing and schedules so that you are the first to give them a quote which can give you an advantage for winning the business ahead of other quotes that come in later after the show.
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Placing new product orders and confirming existing orders.
The DEMA Show is a place where new scuba products are displayed in the New Product Showcase or mentioned at the exhibitor booth as a new product that is coming down the pipeline. “We are all suckers for something shiny and new,” Thomas said, “so I may place a test order at the show to see if it is a hit in the store.” He said he posts the new item on his social media and asks customers to come check it out.
For existing store product lines, Thomas said he rarely places any new orders at the show unless it is a pre-order of a product that is just about to come out. He said there are rarely any true specials at the show, as everyone is offering “DEMA Specials” way ahead of the show dates to try and tie up your purchasing budget ahead of competitors’ “show specials.” “I’m all about relationships and ordering products from people I know and trust versus salespeople who are just trying to get my order,” Thomas said. These relationships are important to develop and help you find out when products are going to be shipped or if there will be any expected delays, he said. Relationships with other dive centers are important because they might have extra inventory of a product you need and can ship it to you.
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Staff meetings after the show
After getting back from the show, it is important to quickly schedule staff meetings with your training staff, retail staff, and repair service technicians so the information garnered from the show seminars and meetings can be relayed to the rest of the staff that did not attend the show. The instructors and divemasters need to know about any changes coming to their agency’s training process. The retail staff can learn about new proven sales techniques that were taught at the many marketing and sales seminars at the show. There are usually multiple manufacturer-sponsored equipment repair clinics held throughout the show, so the staff attendees can pass along information to other dive center technicians about new tools or servicing techniques.
Additions to your travel schedule
While many dive centers have their “signature” dive trips scheduled years in advance, the DEMA Show provides a good opportunity for dive centers to check out new locations for either future major dive trips or some smaller, more economical dive destinations to offer your clients in between the major trips to keep your clients active. Besides direct travel profit for the dive center, these trips often inspire participants to take advanced classes to prepare for the trip, buy new gear for the trip, and bring in their current gear for servicing.
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“We track potential dive trips to see if they fit in well with our clientele and their schedules,” Thomas said. Thomas said it was important to know and understand your travel clients, as some may be able to afford extended trips to far-off destinations, while others may only have vacation time and travel allowance for either a long weekend or a one-week adventure to a closer location that fits their budget.
In Summary: After the DEMA Show is over, there are many follow-up action items that need to take place in order to take advantage of attending the show. Instead of putting these items on the “back burner” when you get back, it is important to follow the old adage of “strike while the iron is hot” to ensure your mission to the show is a success for your dive center. Following up quickly with contacts, manufacturers, travel companies, and your entire staff after the show will keep the momentum going for a positive boost to your business.
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