Introduce Yourself With a SWAG Bag Item – 
by Gene Muchanski,
Editor, The Dive Industry Professional. 

Wholesale selling is all about relationships.  Relationships develop and grow from Introductions, Common Ground and Relationship Development.  I’m in the Business Relationship Business.  As a Trade Association Executive Director my Mission is to bring Buyers and Sellers together.  My job is to introduce buyers and sellers who have the potential to do business together.  We do that at trade shows, consumer shows and visits to their physical locations.

Our Association participates in Travel FAM Trips.  We work with Tourism Bureaus, Travel Wholesalers, Resort Destinations, Dive Operators, Resort Retailers, and Qualified Dive Travel Specialists.  When we put a FAM Trip together, it’s usually at the request of one or more Dive Destinations.  I personally know many of them because I’ve seen them at the DEMA Show but not all of them go to DEMA.  I also know many of the Retail Travel Buyers because I’ve seen them at DEMA or at their Regional Dive Show.  Again, I know many of them, but not all, because not all Retailers go to DEMA or their Regional Dive Show.

I do know of most of the Resort Destinations, Travel Wholesalers and Retail Dive Center Owners in the Industry, Worldwide.  Probably because I’ve acquired their contact information somewhere along the way from their business card or email correspondence.  Thousands of Dive Industry Professionals have visited our websites or subscribed to our Weekly News Press Releases, Blogs, and our Monthly Newsletter, The Dive Industry Professional.  My Number One Goal in Life is to put a face together with a name of the 8,000 Dive Industry Professionals in my database.

When we invite qualified Retail Travel Buyers to attend a FAM Trip with us, we are working with the best of the best in Dive Retailing.  Most, if not all of them are very successful at what they do. They sell gear, teach diving and plan group trips.  Let me ask you.  When was the last time your Regional Rep visited your Key Accounts?

When we fly off to a Dive Destination with a group of Key Travel Buyers, we want to take them to the best locations we represent.  Again, these are the most successful Resort Operators in the industry.  They have great resorts, fine food, and usually the best diving in their area.  I have another question for you.  When was the last time your Regional Rep visited your best Dive Destinations and Dive Operators?  Does your Caribbean Rep see his major accounts often?  If not, then I could be your Company Ambassador for the Day.

Here is one thing we do to bring Buyers & Sellers together.  On all of our FAM Trips from now on, we plan to put a SWAG Bag together for each FAM Trip Participant and for each Dive Destination and Dive Operator we visit.  A gift for each participant for joining us and a thank you gift for each of our hosts.   We will share your gift and contact information with our participants and we will share their contact information with you.  To be fair to all of our Members, there are a few restrictions.

SWAG Bag Items – Disclaimer – Items subject to approval

• SWAG Bag Item source must to a current Member in Dive Industry Association.
• Item must be a true sample or actual line item.  We are not delivering only brochures and price lists !
• Samples cannot compete against the Sponsors of the FAM Trip.  (Our other six Travel Wholesalers can’t participate if the trip is run by one Travel Wholesaler but all Travel Wholesales can participate if the FAM Trip is run by a Tourism Board).
• Competing Resorts of the Participating Resorts are forbidden.
• Must be able to provide one sample per person.  Some FAM Trips have 4 people and 1 Resort Destination.  Some have 20 people and 6 Dive Destinations.  They all differ.
• Offer is valid depending on size and weight limitations of airline baggage.

What makes a good SWAG Bag Item?  Something small, something useful, something that you normally sell that a client can reorder.  Something for diving or diving related.  Diving equipment or personal item.  Trade Show Bags with your Logo on it.  Amazon Gift Cards for $1,000 – Just kidding!  So far we have companies who have committed Reef Safe Suntan Lotion, Natural Insect Repellent, Sunglasses, and a Custom Mouthpiece product.  Whatever you choose, we will give you full details and quantities during the sign in process.

Our next FAM Trip is to Belize on July 19-23, 2019.  The FAM Trip is Sponsored by Roatan Charter.  The Resort Destination is Belize Dive Haven, Turneffe Atoll, Belize.

For more information contact:
Gene Muchanski, Dive Travel Specialist
Dive Industry Association, Inc.
Email: gene@diveindustry.net
Web: www.diveindustry.net