DIA Members to Exhibit at Lone Star State Dive Show

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

Posted in Events & Activities, Shows & Events, Trade & Consumer Shows | Leave a comment

Editorial – December 2016

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.

Posted in Editorials | Leave a comment

Marketing Tools 101 – The Simple Business Card

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.

Posted in Business Improvement | Leave a comment

Eden Beach Resort Bonaire – DEMA Show Special Extended

11899_eden_bonaire_flyer

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

New Underwater Scooters at Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire

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.

Posted in Dive Equipment, Press Release, Travel Destinations | Leave a comment

Quino El Guardian – Buy 3 Get 1 FREE

quino-with-logoOffer good for all trips to Socorro and the Sea of Cortez in 2017 aboard the Quino el Guardian.

Welcome to the Rocio Del Mar & Quino El Guardian Liveaboards!

Our destinations are world class and our reputation is second to none. Because of this many our guests come back year after year. Whether you enjoy the luxury of the Rocio Del Mar or the incredible value offered by the Quino El Guardian, you will appreciate the splendor of our destinations and the personal attention of our crew.

Below please find details regarding our boats, destinations and more:

VESSELS

ROCIO DEL MAR
 110’ with a 25’ beam  Custom built specifically for divers  In operation since 2009  10 Staterooms o Private bath complete with lavatories, hot shower stall, toilets o 6 Staterooms – twin bunks o 4 Staterooms – double bed for couples  Large salon with oversized furniture, television, computer stations  All areas of fully air-conditioned including cabins, salons and bathrooms  Patio with comfortable outdoor furniture for relaxing  Shaded sun deck  Bathroom on dive deck  Two showers on back deck  Maximum 20 divers

QUINO EL GUARDIAN
 90’ with a 23’ beam  Fully refurbished commercial fishing vessel  In operation since 2015  5 Cabins o 4 cabins with 4 bunks with privacy curtains  4 large drawers – one for each guest  Under bunk storage  Rooms are typically reserved by gender o 1 cabin with 2 bunks (typically reserved for a couple)

 4 Bathrooms on the dive deck with full size shower – one assigned to each cabin so guests can leave their personal items in the bathroom  Salon with seating for 16 with television, computer stations, projector and drop down screen for presentations  All areas are fully air-conditioned including cabins, salons and bathrooms  Shaded sun deck  Fresh water shower on back deck  Maximum 16 divers

DIVING

Both boats have been designed specifically with divers in mind:  Spacious camera table with multiple outlets and dry storage  Each diver has their own dive station with storage for their gear  Two inflatable skiffs each with their own driver  Experienced divemasters lead all dives  Nitrox available at additional charge

MEALS

This is one of the things that our liveaboards are best known for … the food! Each day starts early with a continental breakfast with fresh fruit, cereals, bagels, yogurt, breads, and freshly brewed coffee. After your first dive guests enjoy a full, plated breakfast. After your second dive, you will be served a full, plated lunch each with a hot homemade soup to start. In the afternoon, we serve a large snack often of sandwiches, fruit, cheeses and more. For dinner guests enjoy a three course, plated meal with a salad, entrée and dessert. Hot and cold beverages are always available including canned soft drinks. Divers also enjoy complimentary beer and wine after their last dive of the day. We are happy to accommodate any special dietary needs.

CREW

The only thing better than the food aboard the Rocio Del Mar and Quino El Guardian is THE CREW! Our Captains, stewards, zodiac drivers, divemasters and engineers work together as a team to ensure your comfort and safety. No request is too big or too small and we are here to make your dive trip memorable.

OTHER AMMENITIES

Our guests on both boats enjoy Tempur-Pedic® mattresses and quality bed linens. Our stewards clean all rooms, bunks and bathrooms during the first dives of the day. We provide bath towels and dive deck towels. On the Quino, each cabin is assigned a bathroom. This way guests can leave their personal items and towels in the bathroom. UPGRADES Both the Rocio Del Mar and Quino El Guardian receive upgrades throughout the year. Whether it is new deck furniture or changing the layout of the dive deck, we strive to make every improvement conceivable for the comfort of our travelers.

DESTINATIONS

We know Mexico like no one else! Our destinations include:

REVILLAGIGEDO ISLANDS – SOCORRO ISLAND
November – May Also known as Revillagigedo Archipelago, these are a group of four volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean, known for their unique ecosystem. The islands are home to many endemic plant and animal species, and are sometimes called “Mexico’s Galapagos”. Socorro island is the most diverse in flora, fauna, and topography. These islands are a spectacular magnet for the largest ocean pelagic animals in the world. Animals include schooling Hammerhead Sharks, Tiger Sharks, Dolphins, Silky Sharks, Galapagos Sharks, clouds of Jacks and Barracuda, Tuna, Wahoo, Oceanic White Tip Sharks, and Whale Sharks. Yet it is the Manta Rays that are the claim to fame. Humpback whales can be seen January through April.

SEA OF CORTEZ – MIDRIFF ISLANDS
July – Mid-September Easy to get to yet impossible to forget! With clear, deep waters, abundant sea life, golden sandy beaches and inspiring vistas, the Sea of Cortez – known as the Gulf of California – is a breathtaking destination for scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, boating, and exploring diverse marine creatures. Legendary diver Jacques Cousteau described the Sea of Cortez as the “world’s aquarium”. Dive on untouched walls and reefs abounding in marine life. Encounter large and small whale species, whale sharks, jumping mobula rays, and sea lion colonies. Hike and explore remote uninhabited islets. Dine under the stars in a calm anchorage, socialize with your shipmates and make new friends. All in a day aboard Quino el Guardian, combined with personalized service to enhance your live aboard safety and fun. Dive into your dreams and see what Sea of Cortez diving is all about.

EXPLORE BAJA
Mid-September – November Three times a year, we offer a very special, 13-day trip that covers all of Baja California. Your trip begins at one location and ends at the another … Puerto Penasco to San Jose del Cabo or San Jose del Cabo to Puerto Penasco. The Quino El Guardian is also available for custom charters and destinations.

CITIZEN SCIENCE

The Quino El Guardian offers a truly unique experience – our Citizen Science Program. These trips include a marine biologist specializing in subjects such as Mantas, Sharks, Marine Ecology, Geology, Astronomy and more. Included in their research is animal tagging, identification, fish/animal counts and more. Divers can be involved in as much or as little as they like including hands-on research and presentations.

PRICING & DEPOSITS / INDIVIDUALS

All pricing is listed on our website and is subject to change without notice prior to receipt of a deposit  A 25% deposit is due to hold the reservation  25% is due six months prior to travel  Remaining balance is due three months prior to the trip  CANCELLATIONS: There is no penalty for cancellations made 9 months or more prior to the scheduled trip date. 50% of the full rate will be forfeited for cancellations made 60 to 90 days prior to the scheduled trip date. No refunds for cancellations made 60 days or less prior to the scheduled trip date. o There is no penalty for cancellations made 9 months or more prior to the scheduled trip date o 25% of the full rate will be forfeited for cancellations made 3-9 months prior to the scheduled trip date o 50% of the full rate will be forfeited for cancellations made 60 to 90 days prior to the scheduled trip date. o No refunds for cancellations made 60-90 days prior to the scheduled trip date

GROUP RATES, PRICING & DEPOSITS

All pricing is listed on our website and is subject to change without notice prior to receipt of a deposit  Free of Charge Spots – If you’re interested in forming a group to take a trip on either of our vessels, we offer a 10% commission to clients who bring a group of 5 or more people. The commission is deducted from your last group payment. We also provide free of charge spots depending on the vessel: o Rocio Del Mar – 1 free with 9 paid o Quino El Guardian – 1 free with 7 paid  A $5,000 non-refundable deposit is due to hold the reservation  25% of the trip price is due one year prior to travel  25% is due six months prior to travel  The balance less your commissions are due three months prior to travel 5 | P a g e  CANCELLATIONS: o 25% of the full rate will be forfeited for cancellations made 3-9 months prior to the scheduled trip date o 50% of the full rate will be forfeited for cancellations made 60 to 90 days prior to the scheduled trip date. No refunds for cancellations made 60-90 days prior to the scheduled trip date

WEBSITES AND FACEBOOK

Rocio Del Mar  Website http://www.RocioDelMarLiveaboard.com  Facebook http://www.Facebook.com/RocioDelMarLiveaboard Quino El Guardian  Website http://www.QuinoElGuardian.com  Facebook http://www.Facebook.com/QuinoElGuardian Please get in touch with me if you have any questions or want more information about any aspect of our vessels. We hope to welcome you or your guests on one of our exciting adventures soon.

With best regards, Susan Susan Long Sales & Marketing SLong@RocioDelMarLiveaboard.com

Posted in Press Release, Travel Special | Leave a comment

Increase Your Holiday Sales with Dive Flag Jewelry

p1060467bluefinger3In addition to the reduced wholesale order requirements, Dive Flag Jewelry has recently announced a new approach for dive shops and gift shops to display their merchandise and earn a percentage of the sales related to purchases made by their customers.

Here’s how their NO INVENTORY sales option works:

  1. You buy a set of Dive Flag Jewelry samples at wholesale prices.  Included in your order, you get a display tray, pricing display card, 50 coupon cards for interested customers and finger/ring sizing tools.
  2. Dive Flag Jewelry assigns you a Coupon code.  You fill in that code on all your cards.
  3. You display the samples.  Customers admire and try on samples.  You provide code card to customers.  Customers purchase at www.diveflagjewelry.com and receive 5% discount when using code.
  4. Your customer gets 5% off and you receive 5% of every sale associated with your code!

Visit http://diveflagjewelry.com/p/wholesale to learn more.

Here’s a quick look at what Dive Flag Jewelry has to offer:

p1070240            pendant-on-cobra            dfj-pendant-with-leather-cord

Each piece of Dive Flag Jewelry features the classic, red-and-white flag made of simulated red coral and mother-of-pearl chips, inlaid into rhodium-plated bronze.  Rhodium will never tarnish and makes jewelry more durable.  The chip inlay is also extremely durable, since the dive flag is not just painted or baked on.  Use of simulated inlay in Dive Flag Jewelry protects our reefs!  Retail prices range from $25 to $45.

About Dive Flag Jewelry:
Dive Flag Jewelry is owned and operated by Evonne Dunn.  In 1976, Evonne founded Handmaid Enterprises, which specialized in the design, manufacturer and sale of unique seashore and dive-related jewelry.  Re-establishing Dive Flag Jewelry in 2012, Evonne has brought her attractive, affordable, dive-related jewelry back to life.

Evonne has been a certified diver since 1997.

Dive Flag Jewelry aims to provide the best products and service to their customers at the lowest prices possible.  They take great pride in their company, their commitment to customer service and in the products they sell.  Their online store is designed to provide a safe and secure environment to browse and purchase their products.

Posted in Dive Equipment | Leave a comment

Dive Industry Foundation to Exhibit at DEMA Show 2016

DIF-200Dive Industry Foundation at DEMA Show
by Gene Muchanski, Executive Director
Dive Industry Foundation

 

The Dive Industry Foundation will exhibit at DEMA Show next week in Las Vegas, NV, at Booth 4225.  The Foundation is a non-profit, tax-exempt, charitable organization dedicated to promoting economic growth in the world watersports community.  The Foundation offers free business and marketing consulting to industry business professionals engaged in the manufacturing, retail, service, training and travel sectors of our industry.  The Foundation is in the process of creating its Small Business Academy and has already linked with potential Vendors, Sponsors and Dive Show Organizations. Business Seminars will feature Industry Leaders in the Business Community, showcasing modern marketing tools and technologies that help small businesses start, grow and succeed in today economy.

The Dive Industry Foundation was formed in 2004 and quickly became the most active non-profit organization to exhibit at dive, surf and adventure travel consumer and trade shows. We believe the Foundation has exhibited at more shows to promote scuba diving than any other non-profit in our community.  The Foundation is seeking Sponsors to help fund an aggressive 2017-2020 dive promotional campaign.

The Dive Industry Foundation has come to the aid of dive families in distress caused by accident, illness or death.  They have raised funds on behalf of our fallen industry brothers & sisters.  Donation payouts are always 100% of the funds collected, with the Foundation paying all of the processing fees out of its General Fund.

The Foundation conducts primary research in the Retail Dive Center and the Manufacturing Sales Rep sectors of our industry.   Survey summary reports are made available to Sponsors at no cost. Survey results focus on industry trends and analysis and help to improve the working conditions of the sectors surveyed.

For more information on our DEMA Show 2016 click here

For more information, contact Gene Muchanski, Executive Director at gene@diveindustry.org

Posted in Business Improvement, Non-Profits | Leave a comment

Editorial – November 2016

Gene-Video-200November is DEMA Month
by Gene Muchanski, Editor
The Dive Industry Professional

Every November the diving industry is myopically focused on DEMA Show.  After all, it is the largest face-to-face marketing opportunity we have in diving.  At no other time in the year are so many diving industry professionals gathered in one place at one time.

If you do business in this market, DEMA Show is a good investment.  Politics aside, the DEMA Show has 500-600 exhibitors in the exhibit hall, making it the largest diving Trade Show in the country.  With 300+ seminars and workshops run by manufacturing, training and travel companies, it also is the largest professional development conference in the country. DEMA is also the meeting grounds for many organizations, like the Women Divers Hall of Fame, The Our World Underwater Scholarship Society. the SSI Platinum Pro Foundation and too many other groups to mention.  All that makes DEMA Show the conference of the year for us.

Being a big conference is a very positive thing but it has its some potential weaknesses because of that.  At last count we noted that 570 exhibitors, with 1,348 booths were scheduled to exhibit at DEMA 2016.  That means approximately 5,392 exhibitors will be in attendance.  Of course, these numbers change as we get closer to the actual show date, so check with the latest info on the DEMA Show Exhibitor list on their web site for a more accurate count.

The show normally attracts approximately 3,500 attendees.  Their time is split between the exhibit floor, seminars and meetings.  In a 4 day period the exhibit floor is open for 32 hours. The good news is there is a lot to do at DEMA Show.  The bad news is you can never do everything you want or need to do.  That’s where the industry needs to get involved and work together to figure out how to make the trade show experience work for all of us.

There is no easy answer but we do have plenty of statistics to work with.  We have an event that draws at least 8,900 industry professionals, over a 4 day period, with 32 man-hours of exhibit hall time.  The questions are: 1) How can we make the exhibit hall time more productive for buying and selling?  2) How can we increase the effectiveness and efficiency  of the seminar time?  3) How can we better coordinate before-hours and after-hours show time?

The things that are important to all of us are: 1)  A positive and productive trade show experience.  2) Maximum buying and selling opportunities.  3) Meaningful educational seminars and workshops.  4) Productive meetings.  5) Many social activities and opportunities for social interaction.  Where, when and how this can happen is up to the industry to decide.

I’m looking forward to DEMA Show next week.  Please stop by Booth 4225 to say hello and drop off your business card and brochure.  Safe Travels.

Posted in Editorials | Leave a comment

Roland St. John Christmas Tree Ornament #3

dsc_0003

Ocean Angel Christmas Ornament

Artist Roland St. John’s 3rd Christmas Tree Ornament creation “Ocean Angel.”  This Pewter tree ornament depicts a Sea Lion being freed from a six pack holder. Designed to bring attention to the hazardous plastics and debris ravaging our oceans worldwide.

Cast in Lead-Free Pewter Approximately 3″ x 3″.  Perfect Holiday Gift.

Contact: Roland St. John, Big Blue Gifts.
eMail: bigbluedive@me.com

Posted in Dive Equipment, Press Release | Leave a comment