Promoting Scuba and your Organization in OUC-coordinated facilities Raimund Krob, President Joe Sildiryan, Regional Coordinator, Ontario, Central-East Ontario Underwater Council

Introduction OUC maintains a presence at a number of major scuba-related shows every year. At these shows we typically have a display booth and often we also coordinate a scuba demo tank. The purpose of this presentation is to outline how you, our members, can take advantage of these promotional opportunities to benefit your home organizations and the greater scuba community. 2

3 OUC Members Promotional Opportunities: 1.No-cost displaying of your organization’s promotional literature at the OUC Booth for duration of Show 2.No-cost 2-hour time-slots at the OUC Booth for Member Org. Representatives. 3.No-cost 30-minute time-slots to put on shows in the OUC-Coordinated Scuba Demo Tank

4 1. Promoting with Literature Promotional literature: –must be received in OUC office 3 weeks before the start of show –will be displayed at OUC Booth alongside other OUC members’ literature –will not be returned, but will be distributed at future events where OUC maintains a presence until supply is used up –must be either: Brochures, no larger than 8.5” by 4” (e.g. 8.5” x 11” with two folds) Flyers Business cards

5 2. Promoting at the OUC Booth OUC makes 2-Hour Time-Slots at OUC’s Booth available to OUC-Member Organizations free of charge! Limit of 4 people at any one time, eg. 2 OUC Board & 2 Member Org. Bring: –Brochures (no larger than 8.5” x 4” please) –Promotional Material (Discover Scuba vouchers, course coupons, etc.) –Please include clear plastic display stand While you are a guest at the OUC Booth: –Your 1 st allegiance needs to be to OUC and the sport. –Your 2 nd allegiance needs to be to your fellow booth-mates –Your 3 rd allegiance needs to be to your home organization How do you book? By ing available days and maximum # of time- slots to: Note: Space IN the booth is practically non-existent due to displays, multimedia projection, and reference material, so OUC Booth participants are encouraged to engage show attendees in the aisle in front of the booth.

6 What to do at the OUC Booth Stand outside the booth! Give people something! Tell them about diving Ontario’s shipwrecks! Tell them about your Organization! Get to know your fellow booth- mates! Show them what OUC is doing for Scuba Diving in Ontario!

7 3. Promoting at the OUC-Coordinated Scuba Demo Tank

8 You are putting on a show, so your goals must be to: Engage! Entertain! Excite! Educate! The more of the above you can do with the audience, the better!

9

10 Recommended Staffing 1 Announcer 1 Buddy team (2 Divers) per session 1 Diver-Support person 2-3 people to hand out flyers, brochures, coupons, answer questions, etc.

11 Divers If demonstrating skills => must be proficient! Move slloooooooowwwwllllllyyyy... Make it look EASY! Make it look FUN! If you can’t do the above, then DON’T do it! Pay attention to what the announcer wants you to do. Try to connect with the audience Be safe and have fun!

Recommended Timing It’s really hard to keep an audience engaged for 15 minutes, so try to keep your shows to 10 minutes or shorter, with 5 minute breaks to allow old crowds to move on and new crowds to move in. 12

13 Demo Tank Schedule Show management reserves the right to assign some time-slots to other-than-OUC Members

14 How to Book the days and maximum number of time slots your organization would like to present to 3 weeks before the show Every effort will be made to accommodate everyone however not everybody may get their all their time slots. The final schedule will be communicated to all 2 weeks before the show.

15

16 Safety & Comfort Considerations The ladder is steep, please climb slowly Please enter and exit slowly The tank may have some rough / rusted edges, please be careful Show management is responsible for maintaining pool- like conditions (temperature, chlorination, & filtration) Space is constrained, fins optional 1 st Aid & O2 (courtesy OUC) will be on site On-site changing & washroom facilities, (key at OUC Booth).

17 Answer correctly & win a prize! 2.How must skills be performed in the Tank? 5.What are the names of the 2 shows that OUC co- ordinates a scuba demo tank at? 1.What are the 4 “E”s? 3.Name 3 “things to do at the booth” 4.Which of the “E”s is this test using?