Our World-Underwater – February 24-26, 2017

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Gene Muchanski

wow-200

Our World Underwater – Rosemont, IL
by Gene Muchanski, Executive Director
Dive Industry Association, Inc.

The 47th Annual Our World-Underwater Dive and Travel Exposition will be held on February 24-26, 2017 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL.  Just 5 minutes from the Chicago O’Hare International Airport this event is easy to get to and enjoyable to stay at.  The Host Hotel, the Hyatt Regency O’Hare is connected to the Convention Center by a “Gerbil Tube” so you never have to walk outdoors.  Parking is convenient.  OWU is the largest diving event in the North Central United States.  It is one of the top 4 Dive Shows in the Country and has been for many years.

This year’s show will feature over 50 Seminars and workshops, a Friday Party With a Purpose, a Meet & Greet with the Presenters and Exhibitors, a Saturday evening Film Festival and an Exhibit Hall on Saturday and Sunday with a total of 105 Exhibitors in 150 Booths filled with the latest and greatest Diving Equipment, Apparel, Jewelry, Travel Destination, Training Information and Products and Non-Profit and Environmental information.

The Dive Industry Association is offering a $5.00 OFF Daily Rate Coupon that you can download and bring to the show.

For more information:  www.OurWorldUnderwater.com

 

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Editorial – February 2017: Communication Increases Activity

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Gene Muchanski

Gene-Video-200Communication Increases Activity
by Gene Muchanski, Editor
The Dive Industry Professional

Some people in the diving industry thought the Lone Star State Dive & Travel Show in Dallas was not going to be a big show, so they didn’t go.  Some waited until they saw other exhibitors and seminar speakers commit to the show before they decided to participate.  The attendees, on the other hand, came to the event when they heard about it.  The show was a surprising success and Texas now has a large annual event that brings divers together to see what’s new in diving equipment, travel, and training.

What made the difference? It started off with the commitment of a few dive clubs.  Clubs have members and club members do things, like attend dive shows.  A few months before the show, a number of local dive retailers decided to exhibit and that lead to a number of equipment manufacturers exhibiting also.  That filled up the exhibit hall and gave the show a good overall balance to it.  Although the Training Agencies were conspicuously absent, the Manufacturers, Dive Stores, Dive Clubs, Non-Profits and Travel Resorts & Dive Operators did exhibit.  What happened next was the key that can unlock the potential of every diving event in the country.

Roatan Charter created a press release that told about the Dive Show, Roatan Charter’s  involvement in it and offered a $5 OFF coupon.  The press release was sent to all of their customers in the Greater Texas area, inviting them to attend the show and visit Roatan Charter at their booth.  The Dive Industry Association copied Roatan Charter’s press release and emailed it to 4,000 diving industry professionals, using their email system, Constant Contact.  DIA then copied the press release and emailed it directly to 1,800 Divers in the Great Texas area, sending it out via regular email.

Needless to say, Saturday’s attendance was through the roof and Sunday was a typical Sunday in Dallas.  Jim Gentile, the Show Owner & Director could not have been happier with the efforts and results of our marketing campaign.  To give you an idea as to the attendance numbers; Our non-profit foundation brought twenty mask bags to sell as a fund raiser and we SOLD OUT in the first two hours on Saturday morning.

Texas deserves to have an annual event like the Lone Star State Dive & Travel Show.  There is plenty of room and reason for a show that features the latest and greatest diving equipment and travel destinations.  It’s also an excellent opportunity for Professional Development in the training and instruction of the equipment specialties like Underwater Photography and Equipment Repair and Maintenance.  There is nothing like a Dive Show venue to showcase our industry’s Speakers and Presenters at workshops, seminars, and film shows.  And above all, there is nothing like the social aspect of our recreation and our need for networking with fellow divers.   Does the show have to stay in Dallas or could it alternate with the others large cities in Texas, i.e. Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi?  I guess that depends on the folks from Texas?

Putting on an annual dive show is not an easy task.  Someone has to plan it and take the financial gamble for its success.  The Local Dive Community has to create activities and social functions within the venue to give attendees something to do during the entire weekend.  Paid Staff and volunteers have to make the magic happen, smoothly.  Dive Clubs, Dive Stores and Local Dive Businesses have to support it.  The Industry, both locally and nationally, has to promote it.

In the next four months, the industry will have its opportunity to showcase the Best of Diving at their Annual Regional Shows.  February in Chicago (North Central) at Our World Underwater.  March in Secaucus (North East) at Beneath the Sea, April in Tacoma (North West) at Scuba & H2O Adventure Show, and May in Long Beach (South West) at the Scuba Show.

We are looking forward to seeing all the Local Dive Communities succeed in their Annual Regional Shows.  We’ll see you there.

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DIA Members to Exhibit at Our World Underwater 2017

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Gene Muchanski

DIALogo-tag-200The following Dive Industry Association Members are exhibiting at Our World-Underwater (Chicago) on February 24-26, 2017 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL.  Make it a point to visit our DIA Members.

Local Retail Dive Centers

Local Dive Boat Operators

Manufacturers

Travel Businesses, Destinations, Resorts, & Dive Operators

Non-Profits

Associations, Media and Shows & Events

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NAUI Duck & Dive Photo/Video Contest

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Gene Muchanski

2015 NAUI DOD Logo

NAUI Duck & Dive Photo/Video Contest

naui-duckTampa, Fla., (January 24, 2017) – In honor of National Rubber Ducky Day on January 13, NAUI Worldwide launched its 2017 NAUI Duck & Dive Photo/Video Contest to engage its social media followers in sharing the adventures of the #NAUIDuck with a worldwide audience. NAUI is accepting entries now through October 1, 2017.

Individuals from countries around the world are asked to submit photos and/or 10-second videos showcasing the adventures and journies of NAUI’s iconic figure, the NAUI Duck.

“The idea behind the Duck & Dive contest is simple – we want to provide a fun way to engage and unite the diving community across the globe. Social media provides the perfect platform to do so,” said NAUI’s Director of Marketing Derik Crotts.

To participate, contributors must “Like,” “Follow,” and “Subscribe” to NAUI Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and/or Pinterest pages.

Nominations and submissions are being accepted through social media with hashtag #NAUIDuck and by email at marketing@naui.org. The contest is open to participants in the United States and internationally.

Contest winners and honorable mentions will be announced during the 2017 Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA Show) in Orlando, Florida. In addition, winners’ stories and the NAUI Duck’s adventures will be featured in NAUI’s first quarter digital Sources Magazine (subscribe here) and on the NAUI website later this year.

The NAUI Duck is available for FREE after completing a brief survey at the NAUI booth during any of the following 2017 tradeshows:

February 24-26: Outdoor Adventure Show, Ontario
February 24-26: Our World Underwater, Illinois
March 11-12: Boston Sea Rovers, Massachusetts
March 24-26: Beneath The Sea, New Jersey
April 1-2: Scuba & H2O Adventure Show, Washington
April 22-23: The Blue Wild, Florida
May 6-7: Scuba Show, California
November 1-4: DEMA Show, Florida

Individuals may also purchase the NAUI Duck on NAUI’s online store for only $4.95. Purchasing information can be found at http://shop.naui.org/naui-duck/. NAUI Members may visit the online eBusiness Center and purchase at a reduced price.

For a little inspiration, participants can watch the following:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R4gwgJztwE&t=28s.

For the complete list of prizes and requirements, individuals should visit https://www.naui.org/news/naui-duck-dive-photovideo-contest/.

For more information:
Contact:               Derik Crotts
Telephone:          +1 813-628-6284
Fax:                      +1 813-628-8253
Email:                  dcrotts@naui.org
Website:              www.naui.org/events/

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Founded in 1960, NAUI Worldwide is the scuba industry’s largest not-for-profit agency whose purpose is to enable people to enjoy underwater activities as safely as possible by providing the highest quality practical education, and to actively promote the preservation and protection of the world’s underwater environments.  As a pioneer in diving education, NAUI has developed many of the programs and concepts accepted throughout the diving industry. NAUI: The Definition of Diving!

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New IDC Dates For 2017 at Buddy Dive Bonaire

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Gene Muchanski

BuddyDiveAcademy-200BUDDY DIVE ACADEMY RELEASES NEW IDC DATES FOR 2017
Go Pro with Buddy Dive; Often copied, never equaled!

Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean (January 13, 2017) – Everyone has a dream, right? For those with a passion in scuba diving and dreaming of a career in the dive industry, Buddy Dive Academy is the place to be. In 2017 Buddy Dive Academy offers the opportunity to follow the Instructor Development Course (IDC) on both Bonaire and Dominica. The two present perfect spots in the Caribbean to become a PADI instructor.

Only PADI CDC in the Southern Caribbean
Whether the student chooses to become a PADI professional on Bonaire, shore diving capital of the world, or on the nature island of Dominica, they are sure to join one of the best PADI professional dive training facilities worldwide. Buddy Dive Academy is proud to be the only PADI Career Development Center (CDC) in the southern Caribbean. “Our students dream of teaching new divers becomes reality with us”, says Pepe Mastropaolo, PADI Course Director at Buddy Dive Academy. “We train our candidates to the highest level of standards and guarantee a 100% passing rate in the PADI Instructor Examination (IE).”

High level of professionalism

Mastropaolo will fly into Dominica to guide the candidates during their course, to guarantee the high level of professionalism everyone is used to have in Bonaire. “We would like to give the residents of Dominica and surrounding islands the opportunity to become a PADI instructor”, he explains. “As CDC we also give them a hand in the search of a job placement in Bonaire, Dominica or other surrounding islands in the Caribbean.” The on-site accommodation on both Bonaire and Dominica is very convenient for the candidates; easy access to the dive operation, pool and ocean and at the same time they can experience the atmosphere of a dive operation, their possible future work environment!

Dates Instructor Development Course 2017

Bonaire

February 7 – 19, 201
April 29 – May 10, 2017
August 12 – August 23, 2017
November 24 – December 6, 2017

Dominica (minimum of 6 participants)
June 16 – 27, 2017

About Buddy Dive Academy
Go Pro with Buddy Dive; Often copied, never equaled!
Buddy Dive Academy is built on the foundations of Buddy Dive Resort, which has been teaching and taking care of divers for over 30 years.  Buddy Dive Academy is proud to be the only PADI Career Development Center (CDC) in the southern Caribbean and winner of numerous awards as the premier PADI diving facility in the Caribbean.
Our solid experience, high standards and 100% passing rate results in PADI Instructors who are  ready to teach and interact in the diving industry with a high level of professionalism, directly after the Instructor Development Course. All these facts combined will exponentially increase  the candidates’  employability in the diving industry.

More information about the Buddy Dive Academy IDC programs: www.buddydive.com/gopro

About Buddy Dive Resort
Buddy Dive Resort, Bonaire’s leading dive hotel is known for its personable staff, spacious accommodations and a dive operation that has something for every diver. Today, the resort is complete with eleven modern buildings housing spacious one, two and three bedroom apartments, a full service dive center, activity desk, two swimming pools, two restaurants, pool bar, vehicle rentals and the famous drive thru air and Nitrox fill station. Built with active people in mind, Buddy Dive Resort knows exactly what is needed to make guests comfortable both during their busy day of diving and exploring. Buddy Dive Resort was recognized as one of the World’s Best Dive Resorts & Operations in Scuba Diving magazine’s 2015 Reader’s Choice Awards: Top 100 Gold List.

For more information visit www.buddydive.com

For PR enquiries or other pr related questions, please contact marketing@sapiasbv.com

 

 

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DIA Members to Exhibit at Lone Star State Dive Show

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Gene Muchanski

DIALogo-tag-200The following Dive Industry Association Members are exhibiting at the Lone Star Dive Show (Our World-Underwater Dallas) on January 28-29, 2017 at the Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco Hotel, Frisco, TX.  Visit our DIA Members FIRST.

Manufacturers

Travel Businesses, Destinations, Resorts, & Dive Operators

Non-Profits

Associations, Media and Shows & Events

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Editorial – December 2016

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Gene Muchanski

Gene-Video-200December is a Time to Celebrate
by Gene Muchanski, Editor
The Dive Industry Professional

December is a time to be thankful for the many good things in our lives.  It’s a time for Family and Friends, and yes, even for co-workers who have become friends.  It’s a time to count our blessings and celebrate our good fortune.  Did you have a good year?  Did you enjoy it?

December is not a time for reflection.  It’s a time to enjoy the on-going process of life.  It’s a time to tie up loose ends from the year and make plans for next year. It’s a time to squeeze out every last morsel of opportunity we were fortunate enough to be blessed with this year. It is a time to sprint to the finish line !  Reflection can start on January 1st when we all  sit down and honestly say that we got everything out of life that was available to us.

Was it a good year?  Absolutely.  Will it be a good year next year?  Absolutely, for some.  The diving industry changed a lot last year.  There was a lot of consolidation going on.  Companies buying other companies.  People retiring.  Reps changing companies like second year banking account managers.  And if you think this year was amazing, wait until next year.  New company bosses, new leadership and even new people, all looking for that ‘Magic Bullet” to give them a competitive edge and some of their competitors’ market share.

But enough of that for now.  You had a good year.  You followed-up on your Dema Show leads. You made your plans for 2017 and submitted your budgets for next year’s integrated sales and marketing strategy.  What could there be left to do?  Hug your family and friends and tell them how much they mean to you.  AND Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

See you in the arena next year.

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Marketing Tools 101 – The Simple Business Card

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Gene Muchanski

DIF-200Marketing Tools 101 – The Simple Business Card
by Gene Muchanski, Executive Director
Dive Industry Foundation
December 22, 2016

 

No marketing tool in in the world is as easy to implement and yet so overlooked and misunderstood as the simple Business Card.  If there was such a thing as a “Magic Bullet” to guarantee business success it would be this simple, inexpensive and effective marketing tool.

In the past twenty plus years, I have been asked all kinds of questions about sales and marketing strategy. Most of the clients I have dealt with want to jump to a quick-fire solution to a complicated problem, without understanding the process.  In medical terms you could say they are looking for a cure to a disease they have not properly diagnosed.

Let’s skip a lot of the “marketing hype” and strip it down to the bare essentials.  Business is all about selling a sufficient number of profitable products to a sufficient number of profitable customers. That’s the job of the Sales People in your organization.  Marketing is creating the products that potential customers need, want and can afford and then communicating with those potential customers to help them make the correct buying decision.  The correct buying decision, of course, is “Buy from us, now.”  That’s the job of your Marketing Professionals.

So your business has been boiled down to three variables; Products – Customers – Communications.  Product Management, Customer Management and Marketing Communications all tie in nicely because the main function of any business is to communicate information (and persuasion) about their products to their customers.  We use marketing vehicles to carry our messages to our customers.  Each message must have a destination that is current and accurate.

Our businesses have three types of customers; current customers, former customers and future customers.  The art and science of customer communication starts with collecting contact information from our customers and making sure they have ours.  The second stage of the process is finding a proper way to store that information.  The third part of a successful customer management strategy is accessing your data quickly and efficiently.  The final part of this process is retrieving data from the database in the form of lists, labels and digital formats.

gene-bcA Simple Business Card:  A business card is a statement to the world about you, your company and how you wish to be communicated with.  There are many styles of cards, some that have simple clean-cut graphics and some have more of an art flair to them.  It’s a personal choice depending on the image you want to portray.  I personally prefer a clean-cut business card that is easily recognizable and easy to read.  An effective business card should have your company logo and a by-line on it.  The logo is for branding and the by-line identifies your USP (unique selling point).  I include my company address, office phone number, mobile number and email address.  That is how I want people to contact me.  I also include my Association’s website address, where people can go to learn all about our organization.  Most importantly, my Business Card has my name and title on it.  That’s because it is my business card and what I am doing by handing them out is starting a business relationship with someone.  A relationship is a two way street.  We don’t deal with companies.  We deal with people.

I buy my business cards from Overnight Prints and pay about a penny a piece for them.  My business cards are the least expensive marketing tool in my tool box and I take plenty of them with me where ever I go.  Especially dive shows and trade shows.  It is beyond me how many “Industry Professionals” don’t bring cards to the DEMA Show or run out on the first day.  How many times have you heard someone say they ran out of business cards, forgot to bring them, or only have 2 left?  In my book, that’s Strike One in creating a good first impression.

You should hand out a business card to everyone you meet in the diving business that could have a use for your product or knows someone who has a use for your product.  Heck, give them two cards.  One for them and one for their friend.  That will get your name out and the name of your company, which is half of the communication process.  Since communication is a two way street, you also need to get a business card from the people you deal with or would like to deal with.  Now you have a way of contacting them in case they don’t contact you.  That’s called follow-up.

Business Card Scanners:  Getting someone’s business card will do you no good at all if you don’t have a way of organizing the cards you obtain and using them actively.  I use the CardScan Executive V9 business card scanner from Dymo.  The device scans contact information from business cards directly into your email contacts.   It syncs the information with other software to create files that allows you to easily read and retrieve information when you need it.  I like having a visual image of our customer contact information.  After a major dive show it’s easy to verify established contacts or input new ones.  Having the ability to easily access and retrieve information from your own comprehensive digital contact database definitely gives you and your business a competitive edge that helps you stay in touch with other industry professionals, worldwide better than others.

Contact Management Software:  The best part of using a business card scanner with contact management software is that you start your business relationship with the exchange of business cards and you continually update any contact information changes with your colleagues. Having multiple contact points for each customer, not just email addresses, will better guarantee that you successfully stay in touch with your current and former customers and effectively reach new prospects on an on-going basis.

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Eden Beach Resort Bonaire – DEMA Show Special Extended

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Gene Muchanski

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Posted in Press Release, Travel Destinations, Travel Special | Leave a comment

New Underwater Scooters at Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Gene Muchanski

german-arango-demonstrates-the-easy-handling-of-the-subgravity-dpvsBuddy Dive Resort introduces new underwater scooters in Bonaire

BONAIRE, Dutch Caribbean (December 1, 2016) – Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire is proud to announce their latest acquisition. As the first and only dive operation in Bonaire, Buddy Dive Resort recently started to rent Dive Propulsion Vehicles (DPV’s), also known as underwater scooters. DPV’s offer a thrilling way for scuba divers to see a lot of underwater territory in a short amount of time.

SubGravity DPV’s
The resort rents the most advanced DPV’s on the market: SubGravity DPV’s, engineered by Bonex. “They are all about high performance and reliability in a compact package”, states German Arango, Buddy Dive TeK coordinator. Simple operation as well as easy handling, makes diving safer and more enjoyable. The scooter allows divers to glide over reefs or buzz around in a large wreck. Whether making a shore or boat dive, a DPV is a great way to see more and have fun doing it.

In order for divers to be able to use the underwater scooters, Buddy Dive also offers DPV classes. If you’re at least 12 years old and a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver or higher, you can enroll the PADI Diver Propulsion Vehicle course. This class is for both recreational and technical divers and will take one full day. The diver will learn about maintaining a DPV, handling skills and how to plan dives with an underwater scooter.

TeK event
During this year’s Buddy Dive TeK event (October 8 – October 14, 2016) the guests were already offered the opportunity to learn more about SubGravity DPV’s. “We welcomed divers from around the world. It was great to see CCR and OC divers from the USA, Brasil, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Belgium, Holland, France and England diving together and sharing experiences”, says Arango.

Next to demo’s from SubGravity DPV’s and CCR’s, Buddy Dive welcomed equipment manufacturers and instructor trainers from NAUI, GUE, TDI and PADI, HOLLIS, Halcyon and apDiving. Recreational divers had the opportunity to learn more about tech diving, plus they had the chance to try the latest of equipment while getting instructions from some of the best instructor trainers. Arango: “We can’t wait until next year to do it again and invite everyone from the technical diving community to Bonaire and Buddy Dive.” Bonaire TeK 2017 will take place from October 7 till October 14.

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