DEMA Launches Subscription Service for Quarterly Certification Census

 ** Subscription Provides Streamlined Access to Industry Insights **

For over two decades, the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) has been at the forefront of providing vital industry data. In an effort to streamline access to invaluable insights, DEMA is thrilled to announce the launch of its subscription service for the Quarterly Certification Census.

Since its inception in 2003, the Certification Census has served as a cornerstone report, meticulously tracking Open Water level certifications issued to those in the U.S. and U.S. territories. For purposes of this study, only certifications at the “Open Water” level are counted for the quarter in question. The definition of “Open Water” level certifications is based on the original standard for entry-level training as specified by ANSI Z86.3 which states that “entry level training” is defined as:

"The initial course of scuba instruction leading to diver certification, issued by a nationally recognized training organization. Successful completion of a course that meets or exceeds the requirements of this standard qualifies an individual to procure air, equipment, and other diving services and to engage in recreational open water diving without the direct or indirect supervision of a certified instructor of scuba diving."

This definition effectively excludes any entry-level certification or diving experience that requires supervision of divemasters/dive cons, assistant instructors, or instructors. It includes only those certifications which are considered both “entry-level” and which also allow the individual to dive independently of direct or indirect supervision.

Three subscriptions will be made available, each providing unique access and benefits to subscribers.

Members-Only Subscription - No Cost 

Current DEMA Members can subscribe at no cost to the Certification Census data being reported by NAUI, PADI, SEI and TDI/SDI. The Quarterly Certification Census data will be emailed directly to the subscriber as soon as it becomes available.

Included in the quarterly data:

• Graphical representation of the number of open water certifications and estimates from all reporting training organizations, as aggregated by DEMA’s third party administrator (TPA).
• Quarterly state by state count for the time period.
• In addition to the quarterly data, renewed DEMA Members who subscribe prior to the end of the second quarter of 2024* will gain access to certification totals from the past five years—an exclusive Member benefit. *Subsequent years will require subscribers to renew their subscription prior to the beginning of the second quarter of the year.

📧 CURRENT DEMA MEMBERS CAN SUBSCRIBE HERE.

 

Non-Members Quarterly State-By-State Subscription - $89.00

As in the past, non-members can continue to pay a non-member rate to receive the quarterly state-by-state data being reported by NAUI, PADI, SEI and TDI/SDI. The Quarterly Certification Census data will be emailed directly to the subscriber as soon as it becomes available.

Included in the quarterly data:

• Graphical representation of the number of open water certifications and estimates from all reporting training organizations, as aggregated by DEMA’s TPA.
• Quarterly state by state count for the time period.

📧 NON-MEMBERS CAN SUBSCRIBE HERE.

 

Non-Members Summary-By-Quarter Subscription - No Cost

As has been the case since 2003, non-members can receive a summary-by-quarter report each quarter at no cost.

Included in the quarterly data:

• Graphical representation of the number of open water certifications and estimates for the time period, from all reporting training organizations, as aggregated by DEMA’s TPA.

📧 NON-MEMBERS CAN SUBSCRIBE HERE.

 

For all subscribers, it is advantageous to subscribe early to the Census—only subscribers will have access to the current quarterly data.

DEMA MEMBERS: To subscribe to DEMA’s Certification Census, click here to log into your DEMA Member account (or renew/join) and complete the subscription form.

Beware of Fraudulent DEMA Show Hotel Solicitations

Fraudulent companies are actively calling and emailing DEMA Show exhibitors and attendees offering hotel rooms at significant discounts. Lured by highly attractive rates, exhibitors and attendees fall prey to these imposters, losing significant deposits, discovering hidden costs and upfront charges, or being bait and switched to hotel rooms they never booked.  Of course, these companies are in no way affiliated with DEMA Show, or our official hotel block. They troll the internet and association websites looking for annual events and then gain access to email addresses for direct contact or to draw attendees to their websites posing as a sanctioned housing provider. Do not give them your credit card information!  If you are contacted by anyone asking if you need a service or room reservation for DEMA Show 2024, or if they represent themselves as "DEMA's official housing providers or contractors," please get as much information as you can, then contact DEMA Show at info@demashow.com.

LEARN MORE

Get Ready for the Dive Season—Download & Share Important Safety Posters

 

As the official dive season quickly approaches in the northern hemisphere, now is the time to remind your local diving community about important safety measures with DEMA's popular PSAs and posters: The Dive Flag Awareness Poster helps to reinforce dive flag awareness for both divers and boaters. The Snorkeling Safety & Preparation Poster boosts preparedness for a snorkeling adventure and provides tips for your customers to make the most of their experience. These safety posters are part of DEMA’s ongoing efforts to increase awareness of safety measures when participating in these activities and sharing the water.  Download the complimentary posters to print or share with YOUR local diving and boating communities.

DOWNLOAD THE POSTERS

DEMA & Scuba Training Organizations Write to Legislators Asking for Their Support of the DIVE BOAT Act

On April 15, DEMA joined with leading scuba training organizations NAUI, PADI, SDI, and SEI, and sent a letter urging Congress to support the DIVE BOAT Act.

The letter urgently appeals to congressional leaders to address the adverse impacts of the Small Passenger Vessel Act (SPVA) on the U.S. dive industry, which has led to significant and unjustified insurance cost increases for dive businesses. It requests support for modifying Section 11503 of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act with proposed changes outlined in the DIVE BOAT Act. Those proposed changes aim to ensure fair liability standards and prevent the unfair punishment of an entire industry and its consumers.

DEMA offered all current DEMA member training organizations the opportunity to cosign the letter and wishes to thank NAUI, PADI, SDI, and SEI, for cosigning and supporting this effort.

Learn more about the latest developments with the DIVE BOAT Act here and view DEMA’s letter here.

DEMA's 2024 Retailer Advertising Survey Reveals Insights and Benchmarks

Throughout the year, DEMA conducts valuable industry research on recreational diver behaviors, consumer buying habits, manufacturing practices, business operations, and more. In February 2024, DEMA launched the Retailer Advertising Research Survey. More than 280 retail dive centers responded to this worldwide survey, with 81% coming from the U.S., and the remainder from countries across the globe.

The 2024 Retailer Advertising Survey asked retail stores insightful advertising and marketing questions covering a gamut of retail dive store advertising, with the goal of obtaining invaluable benchmarking information.

“The objective of conducting this research is to be able to provide retail dive centers with data that will help them guide and evaluate their own advertising activities,” commented Tom Ingram, President & CEO of DEMA. “This is a benchmarking study on a topic not explored by DEMA for many years. DEMA last surveyed the industry on this subject in 2015 and much has changed in the advertising and marketing landscape since then. With new technological advancements, social media platforms, and opportunities to engage with customers, it is critical to understanding how professional retailers are reaching out to new consumers and current customers. The resulting data will make it possible to increase advertising effectiveness for every retailer and help other stakeholders understand how to serve the retailer more efficiently.”

The results of the survey include information about almost every aspect of dive retail advertising and marketing, from budget planning to time spent on organic marketing. This extensive report is available in the online DEMA store. Current DEMA Members can download the report for free, and it is available to non-Members for a fee. This survey is a follow-up to DEMA’s 2023 Blueprint for Growth Retail Operations Survey.

DEMA Show 2024 Registration is Open!

 ** DEMA Members, Register by October 21st to Save with Early Bird Rates **

The entire global diving community is coming together this November for A World of Opportunity, Depths of Possibility at DEMA Show, the Dive Industry’s only trade-exclusive event. Taking place November 19-22 in the South Halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, qualified dive industry professionals will discover newly released products, grow with countless professional development opportunities, establish and nurture professional relationships, collaborate with industry colleagues and business experts, and celebrate our industry. Registration for DEMA Show 2024 is now open—REGISTER NOW TO SAVE!

 

To register, visit the official DEMA Show website. While there, visitors can review exhibitor listings and booth locations using the interactive floorplan, book a room in the Official DEMA Show Hotel Block, and find information about Show features like Show Specials*, Exhibitor-Sponsored Seminars* and DEMA-Sponsored Education.*

*Coming soon

 

Attendees can choose from three different packages when registering: 

1. Education Package
2. Exhibits-Only Package
3. Friday-Only Immersion Pass

Each package varies in price and opportunities. You can view complete details on each by visiting DEMAShow.com. Current DEMA Members can save up to US$140 on their DEMA Show Education Package over the non-member rate when registering on or before the early registration deadline of October 21, 2024.

To sweeten the deal, our Attendee Sweepstakes give you opportunities to win BIG just for registering for the Show! Register now to be automatically entered into weekly prize drawings. Note: Friday-only registrants are not eligible (see sweepstakes rules).

ACT NOW AND REGISTER TODAY! Visit DEMAShow.com as the Show approaches for the latest details on DEMA Show education opportunities, Show-related activities, and other information.

To have DEMA Show news delivered directly to your email, subscribe to the email list for important Show news, announcements, opportunities, and updates.

Quarter 4 2023 Diving Equipment Manufacturing Purchase Index (MPI) Data Now Available

DEMA has released quarter 4, 2023 data for the Diving Equipment Manufacturing Purchase Index (MPI). The data includes New Orders and Inventories in key diving equipment categories.

Data from the newly released MPI data covers quarter 4 (Q4) of 2023 and compares it to Q4 2022 and Q3 2023. The data is available in two different reports, Category and Equipment Type, both of which are available in the DEMA Store.

DEMA’s MPI is unique in that it captures aggregate trend data for New Orders and for Inventory in stock on a quarterly basis.  Participating manufacturers report to an independent third-party administrator (TPA) to ensure their data remains confidential and secure. Reporting consists of companies comparing their data points in the current reporting period to those in the previous quarter, as well as to the same quarter during the previous year. 

• New Orders: Reflects the levels of new orders received from customers.
• Inventories: Reflects the changes in inventory levels in stock at the time of the report.

Data is aggregated for all participating companies by the TPA and made available for review. No individual company data is reported. The reported data combines domestic (US) with international information.

For both New Orders and Inventory, the trend data in the available MPI report is read as a percentage from 0 to 100:

• An MPI reading equaling 50 percent indicates no change.
• An MPI reading of less than 50 percent indicates a contraction.
• An MPI greater than 50 percent indicates an expansion of new orders or inventories, as compared with the previous quarter or previous year.

The further from 50 percent (in either direction) the greater the level of change (trend) has occurred during the reporting period. Aggregated data is available on both Equipment Type and Category. The Category definitions can be found within the report and include Soft Goods, Exposure Protection, Hard Goods and Accessories and Bags.  Each Category is further defined within the reports as Equipment Types, and include regulators, BCs, dive computers, fins, masks, snorkels, wetsuits, drysuits, and more.

Reporting companies receive the aggregated data from the TPA that includes all the detailed Equipment Types in the Categories in which they report. These companies also earn seniority space selection points connected to DEMA Show, enabling them to select exhibit space at the Show before other, non-participating companies.  All DEMA Member Manufacturers selling equipment included in the study are eligible to participate.

DEMA Members can download the broad Category reports at no cost, and non-members can pay a non-member rate for this data.  DEMA Members also have access to more detailed Equipment Type data at member rates, while others can purchase this data at non-member rates. Both the Category and Equipment Type are available in the DEMA Store. 

DEMA is excited to again make valid manufacturing data available for the Industry! For more information, see the MPI reports for Q4 2023.

Interested in participating? If your company manufactures or distributes equipment types being reported, apply to be part of the MPI here.