“Dive Center Connect Networking: Beyond The Dive ▪ Shop” is a 90-minute, high-energy networking event on Thursday, 11/5 “From Dive Center to Adventure Center” is perfect for ▪ both older and newer stores on Thursday, 11/5 Cheryl concluded, “We also have some fabulous speakers presenting on various sustainability topics that can help grow their businesses while helping our planet, how to get started in adaptive scuba, how to make the hot concept of ‘Mermaiding’ into an entirely new revenue stream, and how to create a practical community through connections.” Alexandra (Alex) Patterson , Cheryl’s daughter and Deep Blue Adventure’s Marketing Executive, added, “ DEMA isn’t just what you can buy, sell, or promote. It’s about what you can learn, and that education can have a lasting impact long after the show ends. After all, what they learn can go back to their dive shop, to their employees, customers, and communities. That creates a ripple effect throughout the industry.” She continued, “Furthermore, if this is your initial DEMA experience, you should add the ‘First-Time Attendee Orientation’ DEMA SHOW continued
on Tuesday, November 3rd, from 8:30 – 9:15 am to your cal- endar. But for a deeper dive, our sponsored ‘Coffee Power Hour’ will help you kickstart your day with a free cup of Joe before the show even begins.” Tec Clark , Educator, Trainer, and Consultant, and founder of ScubaGuru Academy, said, “First, the organizing committee does a fantastic job of selecting speakers for DEMA-sponsored seminars. That lets both industry royalty and world-class speakers with significant expertise, team up to make presen- tations, all to help you develop the business side of what we do. Second, the educational package includes hundreds of free seminars. When combined with the cost of entry to the DEMA Show each year, that’s an incredible value compared to what other industries charge to learn from this caliber of speakers. Third, the various tracks are perfect for dive shops who bring along multiple personnel to the show. So that they can attend more seminars, they often decide to divide and conquer, then share their notes. For example, store managers can focus on presentations about group dive travel to the world’s most enticing sites, increasing revenue, leveraging AI for their website or social media, building their brand, or un- locking their staff’s talent, while instructors can sit in on seminars focused on new gear, advanced certifications, dive safety, photography, videography, and much more. Finally, DEMA also asks speakers to share their notes digitally with attendees who can access them via the DEMA Show 2026 App (Apple here, Android here), which is an in- credibly smart program offering.” Tec will be presenting three DEMA-sponsored seminars: “Show Up and Sell: How to Profit at Booth and Tabling Events” on Thursday, 11/5; “Diving Fitness as a Business Model” on Friday, 11/6; and “Lessons From The Deep End: A Dive Industry Entrepreneurship Panel” on Friday, 11/6. Finally, Jeff Cinciripino, author, scuba diver, and DEMA Board Member, chimed in with this advice: “Each session allows you an opportunity to reflect on your business and how you relate to the material being discussed. Sometimes, it reinforces what you are doing, and many times you'll walk away with something new to try.” For more information, visit www.demashow.com/full-schedule.
Author’s note: I will be making two DEMA-spon- sored presentations: “25 Ways to ‘Blue’ Your Business – And Make More Green,” and “Harnessing The Gray Tsunami for Your Dive Operation,” plus an Author’s Corner, all on 11/3/26.
email Gil
22 | SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker