DEMA Show
Type: Trade show Frequency: Annual Location: Las Vegas, Orlando, or New Orleans (rotating)
History
The Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) Show was first held in 1976 and is the largest trade-only event for the scuba diving, ocean water sports, and adventure/dive travel industries. With 500+ exhibitors, 7,000–9,000+ professionals from 60+ countries, it is the primary venue for underwater photography gear launches and industry networking.
DEMA is where many of the most significant underwater photography products have been announced, including Nauticam’s debut (DEMA 2009), Inon D-2000 (DEMA 2004), and the Sea & Sea YS-D3 Lightning (DEMA 2019). Major underwater imaging exhibitors include Nauticam, Sea & Sea, Ikelite, Backscatter, Aquatica, Isotta, Keldan, Kraken Sports, Bigblue, and Seacam.
Since at least 2007, Wetpixel and DivePhotoGuide have co-hosted the annual DPG/Wetpixel Underwater Imaging Party at DEMA — a must-attend social gathering for the underwater photography industry.
Wetpixel covered DEMA extensively from its earliest years, including gallery coverage of DEMA 2001 in New Orleans — one of the site’s first articles.
Key DEMA moments in Wetpixel’s coverage
- 2000 (January): DEMA 2000 in Las Vegas, NV — Early digital UW housing prototypes from Aquatica (Nikon D1), Ikelite (Coolpix 800/950, Kodak DC-290, Sony Mavica), EWA-Marine, Video-Sea (Olympus C2020), and Nexus. The nascent digital underwater photography market takes shape. ([1])
- 2001 (January): DEMA 2001 in New Orleans, LA — Light & Motion Tetra housings (award-winning booth), Ikelite DS-125 prototype and housings for Canon G1/CP880/CP990/S100 Elph, Seacam Nikon D1 prototype, Sea & Sea YS-90DX digital strobe, Epoque and 10bar housings. ([2])
- 2002 (October): DEMA 2002 in Las Vegas, NV — “Digital Photography Dominates DEMA 2002.” Nine DSLR housings shown; 60+ digital products. Massive shift from film to digital visible across the show floor. ([3], [4])
- 2003 (October): DEMA 2003 in Miami, FL — Canon Digital Rebel housing debuts; Canon 1Ds housings; digital SLR dominance. Extensive coverage by Eric Cheng and James Wiseman. ([5], [6])
- 2004 (October): DEMA 2004 in Houston, TX (George R. Brown Convention Center) — Virtually no film products shown. 25+ exhibitor reports by Wetpixel. Inon D-2000 strobe with S-TTL; Ikelite eTTL converter; extensive coverage by Eric Cheng, Craig Jones, James Wiseman. ([7], [8])
- 2005 (October): DEMA 2005 in Las Vegas, NV — HD video dominant theme. Wetpixel received Scuba Diving Magazine Editor’s Choice for “Best Dive-Related Website.” Sony HDV camera housings from multiple manufacturers. ([9], [10], [11])
- 2006 (November 8–11, Orlando): Eric Cheng and Drew Wong produced exhaustive booth-by-booth coverage — 44 articles covering Seacam, Light & Motion, Backscatter, Ikelite, Sea & Sea, Subal, Inon, Nexus, Gates, Aquatica, Patima, Keldan, NiteRider, SeaLife, Fantasea, Bonica, and more. The first Wetpixel/DivePhotoGuide cocktail party was held. ([12])
- 2007 (October 31 – November 3, Orlando): 32 articles of coverage by Cheng, Wong, and Matt Segal. Products from Aquatica, Gates (Stan Waterman event), Ikelite, INON America, Subal, Light & Motion, Olympus America, Backscatter, and more. Wetpixel Happy Hour held. ([13])
- 2008 (October, Las Vegas): 37 articles. Nauticam debuted as “a total newcomer” with Nikon D90 and D700 housings. Ikelite, Sea & Sea, Gates, Seacam, Subal, Aquatica, INON, and Backscatter all exhibited. Wetpixel/DivePhotoGuide cocktail party held. ([14])
- 2009 (November, Orlando): Multi-day coverage by Eric Cheng, Matt Segal, Shawn Heinrichs, Norbert Wu, and Richard Remski. Michaela Brockstedt and Adam Lau staffed the Wetpixel booth (#1068) representing Wetpixel Quarterly. Wetpixel/DivePhotoGuide cocktail night held. ([15])
- 2010 (November 17–20): Sterling Zumbrunn, Norbert Wu, and Adam Hanlon reported for Wetpixel. Wetpixel/DivePhotoGuide cocktail party held Thursday November 18. Wetpixel booth #1344. ([16])
- 2011 (November 2–5): Adam Hanlon provided comprehensive booth coverage. Shawn Heinrichs received the Sea Hero of the Year Award at the show. Wetpixel/DivePhotoGuide pool party held. Hanlon noted DEMA is “as much about people, conversations and ideas as it is about equipment.” ([17])
- 2012 (Las Vegas): Dave Burroughs covered the show for Wetpixel. Nauticam showcased housings for Sony RX100, Panasonic LX7, and Canon S110 compacts. Ikelite debuted the Vega LED video/still focus light (2000 lumens) and Manta optic fiber strobe. Light & Motion’s Sola Nightsea UV fluorescence system shown by Louis Prezelin. Wetpixel/DivePhotoGuide party held. ([18])
- 2013 (November): Wetpixel DEMA coverage continued under Hanlon. ([19])
- 2014 (November 19–22, Las Vegas): 4K video dominance as the show’s defining technology trend. Mirrorless cameras surge as a category. Fluorescence photography emerges as a significant new technique. ([20])
- 2015 (November 4–7, Orlando): Adam Hanlon and Abi Smigel Mullens covered the show. ULCS showed Terry Schuller and Dave Reid (their ~23rd DEMA show). Backscatter and other manufacturers exhibited. Wetpixel/DivePhotoGuide imaging party held. ([21])
- 2016 (November 17, Las Vegas): Notable incident: Canon 5D Mark IV housing flood at show. Wetpixel/DivePhotoGuide party held. Eric Cheng made a guest appearance at the show. IRC talks included Cristian Dimitrius. ([22])
- 2017 (November 1–4, Orlando): Drew Wohl, Lureen Ferretti, and Adam Hanlon covered. Major product launches included Nauticam WACP, Gates Pro Explore cinema housing, and Keldan lighting updates. Wetpixel/DPG party held. ULCS showed new handle designs. ([23])
- 2018 (November, Las Vegas): Abi Smigel Mullens covered. Women Divers Hall of Fame held their Flippers and Flappers party. Industry figures present included Douglas Seifert, Burt Jones, Maurine Shimlock, Vladimir Mladenovic (Subal), and SAGA’s Jordi Benitez. Coverage was “more relaxed” than previous years. ([24])
- 2019 (November, Orlando): Adam Hanlon reported extensively. Seacam unveiled the Seaflash 160 Digital strobe (wired + fiber optic triggering, integrated TTL, OLED screen, stroboscopic mode, high-speed sync). Nauticam showed WACP II (140deg FOV with Nikon Z 14-30mm), WWL-C compact conversion lens, endoscopic lens prototype, and housings for Sony a6600, Panasonic S1/S1H, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, and Z Cam. Ikelite showed a major DS-161 strobe update with circular flash tube, ICS-5 TTL convertors for all major brands, and aluminum sync cord fittings. Sea & Sea YS-D3 Lightning unveiled. ([25])
- 2022 (November): Coverage by Tom St George. ([26])
References
- [27] — editorial
- [28] — editorial
- [29] — editorial
- [30] — editorial
- [31] — editorial
- [32] — editorial
- [33] — editorial
- [34] — editorial
- [35] — editorial
- [36] — editorial
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- [38] — editorial
- [39] — editorial
- [40] — editorial
- [41] — editorial
- [42] — editorial
- [43] — editorial
- [44] — editorial
- DEMA Show
Sources
- Wetpixel article, Dec 31, 1999: Dema 2000 Gallery ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 14, 2001: Dema 2001 Gallery ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 22, 2002: Dema 2002 Report ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 27, 2002: Dema 2002 Show Report ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 7, 2003: Dema 2003 Show Coverage1 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 8, 2003: Dema 2003 Show Coverage ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 15, 2004: Dema Show 2004 Report ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 16, 2004: Dema 2004 Show Report ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 20, 2005: Dema 2005 Show Report ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 20, 2005: Dema 2005 Sony Hdv Camera Report ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 29, 2005: Wetpixel Receives Scuba Diving Magazine Editors Choice ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 15, 2006: Dema 2006 Show Coverage ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 4, 2007: Dema 2007 Show Coverage ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 2, 2008: Dema 2008 Show Coverage ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 5, 2009: Dema 2009 Day 1 Coverage ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 8, 2010: Wetpixel Dema 2010 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 10, 2011: Dema 2011 Conclusion And Overview ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 21, 2012: Dema 2012 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 5, 2013: Wetpixel Dema Coverage 2013 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 25, 2014: Wetpixel Coverage Dema 2014 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 8, 2015: Wetpixel Reports Live From Dema 2015 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 17, 2016: Show Coverage Dema 2016 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 2, 2017: Show Report Dema 2017 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 15, 2018: Dema 2018 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 15, 2019: Report Dema 2019 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 8, 2022: Dema 2022 Coverage From Tom St George ↩
- DEMA 2000 Gallery (article) ↩
- DEMA 2001 Gallery (article) ↩
- DEMA 2002 report (article) ↩
- DEMA 2002 show report (article) ↩
- DEMA 2003 show coverage (article) ↩
- DEMA 2004 show report (article) ↩
- DEMA 2005 show report (article) ↩
- DEMA 2005 Sony HDV report (article) ↩
- DEMA 2006 show coverage (article) ↩
- DEMA 2009 Day 1 (article) ↩
- DEMA 2010 (article) ↩
- DEMA 2011 overview (article) ↩
- DEMA 2012 (article) ↩
- DEMA 2015 (article) ↩
- DEMA 2016 (article) ↩
- DEMA 2017 (article) ↩
- DEMA 2018 (article) ↩
- DEMA 2019 (article) ↩