July is the Half-Way Point to Everything
by Gene Muchanski, Editor
The Dive Industry Professional
July has always been the most important month of the year for me in the diving industry. When you think about it, July is the halfway point to everything. Half the year is behind us and half the year is ahead of us. The middle of the Summer falls in the middle of July and if you haven’t made it by then chances are you are not going to make it by the end of the year. If your seasonal diving business is not in full swing by mid-July, you left something out in your pre-season planning. This is the time of year when successful businesses are executing their plans, not making them for the year. If your customers are not lined up and ready to take your classes, charters, and trips, they are not thinking SCUBA Diving now. Chances are they are thinking about things like “Back to School.”
The majority of the diving industry spent a lot of time in the pre-season exhibiting at Dive Shows across the country. They were filling their calendars with activities that keep them in business. They were meeting current customers, former customers and future customers and selling them on their business. They were booking classes, dive charters and dive vacation trips. They were creating the need for divers to buy diving equipment and cameras and videos and apparel. And why wouldn’t every dive business exhibit at their Regional Dive Show in the pre-season? Too expensive? Couldn’t or wouldn’t be away from their store for 1 weekend? Maybe they think their market is too small for the venue? Or maybe they were afraid their customers would see other Retailers at the show? There are no logical excuses for not participating in your local dive shows. It’s a proven fact – Trade Shows Work! I hope to see you exhibiting at your local show next year.
Let’s have a better next year than this year. Come see us at Dema Show in Booth 4225.
Dive Industry Association, Inc. 
Hi Gene. I have to disagree with you about the benefit of exhibiting at local shows. As you know, I had been the longest running exhibitor at BTS (over 33 years!) before I pulled the plug. I found that other retailers were creating a discount environment to the likes that very little margins were realized. In the past, I used to have residual business after the show, but the last three years exhibiting, I gained no significant new customers or travelers. Consumers seemed to be attracted to the exhibit floor because of possible great deals as show special prices. This is from a retailer’s viewpoint. Obviously, it’s important for travel companies and gear manufactures to be present, but when you include competing retailers, it can end up as a flea market sale environment.