The following was submitted by former DEMA Board Member and industry professional Carl Vincenti:
For over two decades, I have looked upon DEMA as the only entity that our industry has to represent us to the rest of the world from a non bias, industry-wide perspective.
DEMA is and should continue to be the industry’s voice to the rest of the world. One unified voice that represents all DEMA members, and the Industry at large.
DEMA looks out for the Dive Industry's welfare. Think about it; very few industry leaders actually have the time it takes to serve the industry as a member of the DEMA Board of Directors! Instead of sniping about Directors wanting to serve, and being duly elected by the membership, each and every one of us should take the time to personally thank those that donate their time and resources to serve the Dive Industry.
Yes, more members should be involved. Unfortunately the many challenges we face simply running our own businesses day-to-day prevent many of us from serving or from having any real involvement. Added to that is the fact that being a Director for DEMA is a thankless job; no matter what is discussed, analyzed, debated and finally agreed to, Directors can count on someone from within the Industry providing their personal opinion; it’s always after the fact, with the benefit of hindsight, like the Monday night quarterbacks after all the games are played on Sunday! For the Directors, it makes one wonder why they would ever VOLUNTEER for such nonsense. They devote time, energy and other resources to make the Industry better for all, and get kicked in the pants for their trouble! Now that’s something every member (and every non-member) should consider before making these few industry professionals feel terrible about serving.
DEMA protects our industry from legislative matters by tracking anything that might otherwise negatively impact our industry. It has a simple purpose; promote diving by supporting the acquisition of new divers, and finding solid ways to help us all retain our current diving customers! This simple mission supports every company involved in our industry!
Every company/organization must have a process with which to communicate. To communicate effectively with DEMA is simple: Submit the topic, background and suggestion in writing to the DEMA office/ Executive Director. I guarantee the Board will review the topic and supporting data. Every stake holder group also has elected representatives that can be contacted (by email or phone – contact information is published on the dema.org website). The Board representatives are pleased to receive information on concerns or issues, and these Directors are also pleased to communicate those concerns to other Directors on the Board. There is a specific process in place that allows the DEMA organization to function for the benefit of Members.
I will be the first to say DEMA is not perfect. That said none of us are perfect.
Our industry needs to come together in these tough times; our industry leaders need to communicate across every stakeholder group and seek the best possible ways to improve our industry. DEMA communicates regularly with the Membership. It’s a Two Way Street – DEMA can communicate in DEMAILs, by website and by post. We also have to be willing to take the time to read, digest and communicate in return.
Time and time again, I have been subjected to members and non members that have provided after-the-fact input in a harsh and negative manner. It is not productive, it is self serving, and I challenge any member of the Diving Industry to take the leap and make the time and resource commitment to serve. If you are unwilling to participate on a professional level – whether as a volunteer Board member, or a productive and positive member of the Industry, step aside.
We have a caring, professional small staff at our DEMA office that serves our industry well. We should also let them know we appreciate the hard work they do when we see them at DEMA, or take the time to send them an e-mail to tell them so.
The processes that DEMA has in place are there to protect and serve the members – ALL the members - and without those processes, we would have no controls to ensure DEMA represents all of us professionally.
I have supported DEMA through thick and thin, and when I had concerns, I used the processes the DEMA Board put in place to communicate those concerns. It is not hard to communicate with our Industry’s leaders, but doing so without being constructive is childish and clearly unprofessional. If I want to get my point across to all of the Industry Leaders, across all stakeholders, DEMA makes it easy for me to make my point.
I urge you to do the same. Take a professional and positive approach, just as you would like from those who do business with you. DEMA provides a unified approach to dealing with all of the issues, and DEMA involves all of the stakeholders in a manner that makes the most sense. We cannot operate separately. Just as Benjamin Franklin expressed; We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. And if DEMA is not perfect, only we can make it better.
Let's look forward toward the future of the diving business and have a good time next week as we come together for the first time in twelve months to share ideas and the successes that have allowed us all to continue in this business. We should all enjoy the many things we have in common and be grateful for all we have. We can make it whatever we want. But not if we dismantle the best DEMA we’ve ever had.
May you all enjoy each other at this coming DEMA.