December Is Time to Recharge
by Gene Muchanski, Editor
The Dive Industry Professional

December is the last month of the year and when I think of the last of anything, I think about tying up loose ends and putting a bow on something I’ve been working on all year.  To me, it’s a time to finish all unfinished business, spend time with the Family and close Friends and Associates and be thankful for the year that is just about over. It’s also a time to relax, recharge and redirect.  After 45 years in the business of diving, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  So Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.

Business activity in December is different for each of the industry sectors that do business in the diving marketplace.  Successful Dive Retailers are enjoying a robust Christmas shopping period.  Manufacturers, on the other hand should be ready to fill any last minute orders from their Dealers while they are following up on their DEMA Show leads and completing end-of-year inventory.  Dive manufacturer who have met their yearly goals can afford to close their business from December 24th – January 4th.  The travel businesses I spoke with were either booked solid or partially shut down for annual maintenance.  Many of the travel employees were home or on vacation from December 24 – January 4.

From a Marketing and Trade Association perspective, I can tell you that we worked through the Holidays by tying up loose ends for the year, finishing unfinished business and assessing the results from our year of work.  We planned out the New Year, updated our Business and Marketing Plans and finished our 2016 Membership Renewal Campaign, which began its implementation during the last week of December and will continue through the New Year.  December was a planning time for us and we didn’t need to bother our Members or working Industry Professionals during their busy season.  I could tell who was working during the Holiday by the replies we received after our Weekly Press Releases.   As a true Industry Marketing Professional I was able to be in touch with the industry via a laptop computer and mobile devices, and still accomplish my goals of relaxing, recharging and redirecting.

Next year I would like to try something I haven’t done in awhile.  I’d like to spend the Holidays visiting our Members and Clients at their Resorts in the Caribbean while mixing a little business with pleasure.  I’d like to capture the Tropical Experience of spending the Holiday at a Diving Resort Destination and selling that idea to the General Public.  Let’s talk about your Resort Destination at the Dive Shows this year.

So, the New Year is going to be filled with many exciting activities and events.  We’ll keep the general diving public informed via our Daily Blog, Weekly Press Releases, Monthly Newsletters, our Web Sites, Travel Blogs and Social Media.  We’ll see you at the Dive Shows, the Travel & Adventure Shows , the Regional Summit Conferences and of course, the DEMA Show.  Have a GREAT Year End and Happy New Year.