Welcome to Wetpixel’s reporting from the DEMA show 2012. Our aim over the next five days is to bring you the news from the show, as if you were here. Wetpixel Editor Adam Hanlon is already in Vegas, and will be joined on Wednesday by Abi Smigel Mullens, followed on Thursday by Dave Burroughs. On Friday, Wetpixel Publisher Eric Cheng will also be arriving. For those of you that are at the show, please come and find us and say hi. DEMA is as much about making and renewing acquaintances and contacts as it is about the trade side of things, and it is always great to meet the Wetpixel community. Lastly, if you are in Vegas, please don’t forget to leave a space in your diary for the Wetpixel/DivePhotoGuide party on Thursday night. Again, please feel free to ask Adam, Abi or Dave for details.

DEMA is the world’s largest diving specific trade show, and is traditionally the venue for new product releases, including those from underwater imaging companies. It is currently held alternately between Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2011 show attracted a total of 553 companies, with 3,597 attendees.

The show features the Image Resource Center, an area devoted to underwater imaging which features a schedule of talks and lectures.

It also serves as a hub for those companies that specialise in imaging equipment.

I wandered down to the show hall today in order to get my press pass, and also to scope out where the imaging companies are located within the show. The show has changed venue for 2012, with it being held in the Sands Expo Center.

Once inside the hall, it resembles the organised chaos of a construction site, with fork lifts and machinery manoeuvring around and the noise of power tools. The creation of the show represents a major undertaking, with a great deal of sweat and toil being needed to create the stands.

I wandered over to the imaging resource centre, stopping and chatting to people as I went. Most seemed glad to have the opportunity to take a break!

Ultralite and Subal.

Aquatica.

John Ellerbrock of Gates Underwater Products explaining his stand design!

Mike Elliot of XIT404 trying to figure out how to work his GoPro.

Watershot has some impressive kelp.

Kelvin Lee of i-Divesite.

Light and Motion’s stand is in motion.

GoPro drove their Porsche off-roader onto their stand. It took 4 people to get it manoeuvred into place.

Acquapazza’s stand was completed early, just needing some housings and people to finish it off.

Over the next four days, we will be visiting the show and trying to gather information about new products and what is going on in the industry. We will the post this every night, hopefully keeping those of you who can’t be here, right up to date. Please keep checking back for updates throughout the week.

Page 1: Pre-show set up.
Page 2: Booth visits: Aquatica, Nauticam, GoPro, Polar Pro, Solmar V/DivEncounters Alliance, Dive and See, Reefnet, Fisheye.
Page 3: Booth visits: Subal, Blue Vision, Acquapazza, Sea & Sea, Nauticam, Quikpod, XIT404 and Gates Underwater Products.
Page 4: The Wetpixel/DivePhotoGuide Party.
Page 5: [Booth Visits: Ikelite, Watershot, i-Divesite, Ultralite Control Systems, Dive and See, BS Kinetics, Light and Motion, Keldan, Nocturnal Lights, Snake River Prototyping] (http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/wetpixel-coverage-from-dema-2012/P5/).
Page 6: Booth visits: Equinox, Inon, Backscatter, Mangrove, Seacam and around the show.