Key takeaways
- DEMA Show 2026 runs November 3 to 6, 2026 in New Orleans.
- The organiser projects 500+ exhibiting companies.
- Tuesday through Thursday floor hours are 10 AM to 6 PM.
- A member 100 SF booth is priced at $23.95/SF.
- A nonmember 100 SF booth is priced at $28.95/SF.
- The DEMA Show Mobile App can schedule meetings with attendees and exhibitors.
What is DEMA Show 2026 and how large is its New Orleans edition?
DEMA Show 2026 runs November 3 to 6, 2026 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The Diving Equipment & Marketing Association produces this trade-only event. The organiser projects 500+ exhibitors, 7,000+ professionals and participants from 60+ countries, all promotional estimates for this edition rather than audited attendance.
The next edition is already scheduled for November 2 to 5, 2027 at the Orange County Convention Center, West Hall.
Which dive businesses can enter DEMA Show 2026?
DEMA Show 2026 is restricted to qualified dive industry professionals, with no consumer admission. Its registration categories distinguish Dive Retail Buyer, Dive Travel Buyer and International Distributor, which separates purchasing roles before a booth meeting. The organiser projects visitors from 60+ countries, so the trade audience spans domestic and international distribution.
The exhibit categories include Regulators & Breathing Apparatus, Photography Equipment and Dive Boats (Liveaboards), giving equipment and destination teams distinct reasons to attend.
What are the DEMA Show 2026 floor and check-in hours?
DEMA Show 2026 opens Tuesday, November 3 and runs through Friday, November 6. The floor is open 10 AM to 6 PM on the first three days and 10 AM to 5 PM on Friday. Attendee registration begins Monday, November 2; exhibitors have a Sunday, November 1 move-in window.
| Day | Exhibit floor | | --- | --- | | Tuesday through Thursday | 10 AM to 6 PM | | Friday, November 6 | 10 AM to 5 PM |
The listed final move-out period ends Saturday, November 7 at noon.
How many show-floor hours are available across four DEMA days?
The DEMA Show 2026 floor opens Tuesday, November 3 and runs 10 AM to 6 PM through Thursday; Friday, November 6 runs 10 AM to 5 PM. That gives three eight-hour days and one seven-hour day, or 31 scheduled open hours. Those hours are distinct from Monday badge pickup and Sunday exhibitor move-in. The schedule places Product Showcase POD 02 on the floor and a Friday award announcement at 1:00 PM.
| Show day | Floor hours | Open hours | | --- | --- | --- | | Tuesday to Thursday | 10 AM to 6 PM | 8 each | | Friday | 10 AM to 5 PM | 7 |
Where are DEMA Show Halls G through J and the floor features?
DEMA Show 2026 uses Halls G-J at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd in New Orleans. On-floor program markers include the Resource Center at Booth #2055 and DEMA Central at Booth #100. The Product Showcase includes POD 02 and POD 07, making those labels useful in a floor route.
The official site links a 2026 floor plan, but this page does not assign booth locations beyond those published program points.
How do visitors reach the New Orleans DEMA venue?
The New Orleans airport is about 15 miles from the DEMA Show 2026 convention center. The organiser lists daily parking at $23.00 for standard vehicles and $42.00 for oversized vehicles, with no in-and-out privilege and a warning that rates may change. Taxi and rideshare arrivals use the crossing toward Lobby G.
Only the New Orleans Marriott host hotel carries the official convention-center shuttle; other listed hotel blocks do not.
Which DEMA Show badges are priced for October 2026?
DEMA Show 2026 lists an Education Package at $90 for members after September 15 and $210 for nonmembers. Exhibits-only costs $75 for members after that date and $190 for nonmembers. Friday-only admission is $55 for members and $85 for nonmembers at the displayed rates.
| Badge | Member | Nonmember | | --- | --- | --- | | Education | $90 | $210 | | Exhibits-only | $75 | $190 | | Friday-only | $55 | $85 |
Which credentials and age rules control DEMA admission?
DEMA Show 2026 requires professional credentials during registration and a valid photo ID at badge pickup. The minimum admission age is 16+, including for education and the exhibit floor. The organiser says cancelled registrations receive no refunds. Standard exhibitor booths include 3+ staff badges, with the exact allotment tied to space and membership.
Media access also depends on approved credentials. The event admits qualified industry professionals, not the public.
What are the DEMA hotel rates and October booking cutoffs?
The New Orleans Marriott is the DEMA Show 2026 host hotel, listed at $274/night plus taxes and fees. The Renaissance New Orleans Arts Warehouse District is $273/night, while Marriott Warehouse Arts District is $286/night. Their current booking deadline is 10/16/2026, the date of this page review; room availability may change.
The host Marriott deadline was 10/12/2026, so that published cutoff has passed. The host Marriott alone provides the event shuttle to the convention center.
When should a DEMA exhibitor arrive and depart New Orleans?
Exhibitors arriving for DEMA Show 2026 can use the Sunday, November 1 move-in period from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The first floor day is Tuesday, November 3 from 10 AM to 6 PM, leaving Monday for badge and booth preparation. MSY is about 15 miles from the venue; the last public floor close is Friday, November 6 at 5 PM.
The dated arrival and departure windows are planning arithmetic, not a travel-time guarantee. Review the arrival-window worksheet.
Which businesses are on the DEMA 2026 floor?
The organiser projects 500+ exhibiting companies at DEMA Show 2026. It says 81% of its 2025 exhibitors secured 2026 space, a promotional rebooking figure rather than a final floor count. PADI, TUSA and DAN (Divers Alert Network) appear on the current sponsor list.
Products span Regulators & Breathing Apparatus and Dive Boats (Liveaboards), alongside destination and imaging offers. Those categories are more useful for account selection than a single undifferentiated exhibitor total.
What can the DEMA app reveal for exhibitor research?
The DEMA Show Mobile App lets attendees create a Quick List from exhibitors and schedule meetings with attendees and exhibitors. The organiser projects 500+ exhibiting companies, so a saved list is a manageable subset of a larger floor. The public app page does not publish a live directory count or a count of categories as of October 16.
The app also supports session notes and Product Showcase voting. Its planning functions are documented separately from any badge-capture service.
Which 2026 DEMA sessions and stages are already listed?
DEMA Show 2026 advertises 250+ education sessions. On the floor, Resource Center Snapshot Sessions run at Booth #2055; a scheduled Backscatter presentation covers GoPro settings for wide angle, macro and color. The Product Showcase Attendees' Choice winner is due Friday, November 6 at 1:00 PM at DEMA Central, Booth #100.
Named Resource Center speakers include Francesca deWeerdt and Nate Porter. The program mixes business education with short equipment and imaging talks.
Which floor windows sit beside DEMA programs and the anniversary party?
DEMA Show 2026 opens its floor from 10 AM to 6 PM Tuesday through Thursday, then 10 AM to 5 PM Friday. Resource Center sessions at Booth #2055 sit inside those hours. The 50th Anniversary Party begins Thursday, November 5 at 6 PM, just after that day's floor closes.
That gathering is at Mardi Gras World and costs $20 per person. The Friday Product Showcase award is at 1:00 PM, leaving afternoon floor time afterward.
Does DEMA attract retail, travel and distributor buyers?
DEMA Show 2026 publishes separate Dive Retail Buyer, Dive Travel Buyer and International Distributor registration categories. The organiser says 95% of attendees influence purchasing decisions and 70% purchased onsite; those are its marketing claims, not a published 2026 audited buyer split. The trade-only credential rule narrows admission to industry professionals.
This audience fits dive equipment, training and destination sales. It does not function as a consumer dive fair.
How can a DEMA target list separate buyers from the crowd?
The organiser projects 7,000+ professionals and 500+ exhibitors at DEMA Show 2026. Its badge categories distinguish Dive Retail Buyer, Dive Travel Buyer and International Distributor. A target list can therefore group accounts by store purchasing, destination contracting and distribution instead of treating the entire projected crowd as one buyer type.
Both scale figures are lower-bound promotional estimates. Dividing them would not yield a reliable attendee-per-exhibitor ratio.
What does the DEMA Show 2026 mobile app do?
The DEMA Show Mobile App is the official 2026 planning tool, with a current download path ending in demashow2026. It can schedule meetings, build exhibitor Quick Lists and support voting for Product Showcase entries. Those functions address navigation and introductions across a projected 500+ exhibitors.
The organiser lists iOS, Android and browser access. The public app description does not state that it scans attendee badges or exports booth records.
Is the DEMA planner the same as its badge-capture service?
The DEMA Show Mobile App describes exhibitor bookmarks, Quick Lists and the ability to schedule meetings for 2026. A separate organiser contractor notice identifies a registration and lead-services provider, but the reviewed public pages do not name a current capture product or publish its feature sheet. As of October 16, the planner and capture workflows cannot be equated from public evidence.
What is a 10 by 10 DEMA booth priced at in 2026?
DEMA Show 2026 sells booth space in 100 SF increments. For a 10 by 10 space, the published rate is $23.95/SF for members, $28.95/SF for nonmembers and $7.95/SF for qualifying nonprofit members. The standard package includes 3+ badges and booth carpet; current service costs are separate.
Inline booth height is 8ft, while island and peninsula booths reach 20ft. The Expo Group is the named general contractor for 2026.
How many booth hours must DEMA exhibitors cover?
DEMA Show 2026 opens Tuesday, November 3 for the first of three 10 AM to 6 PM floor days and closes Friday, November 6 after a 10 AM to 5 PM day; 8 + 8 + 8 + 7 = 31 open hours. With two representatives present across four show days, staffing covers eight rep-days. At B2Brain's 31 scans per productive rep-day benchmark, that is capacity for 248 scans, not a promised result.
Use the floor-hour staffing worksheet.
Which badge capture product is offered to DEMA exhibitors?
DEMA Show 2026 has a public organiser list of official contractors, including a registration and lead-services company. The reviewed exhibitor resources and FAQ do not show a current capture-product order form, device price, order cutoff or export specification. The organiser also states that DEMA does not sell or provide contact lists of attendees. As of October 16, a named product comparison remains unsupported.
What fields can the DEMA badge tool capture?
The reviewed DEMA Show 2026 pages establish that professional credentials are required for admission. They do not publish which fields a booth device would receive from the badge, whether notes and qualifiers are stored, or how an export works. The current public exhibitor resources direct paid exhibitors to a dashboard for the service manual. As of October 16, its tool limits cannot be described from open sources.
How does B2Brain compare with DEMA badge capture?
A 100 SF DEMA Show 2026 booth has a published $23.95/SF member rate, so the base booth cost is known. The public 2026 documents reviewed do not give a current lead-capture price, device limit or field list. As of October 16, that missing side of the comparison prevents a supported product-to-product claim. B2Brain's structured fields and meeting workflow can still be evaluated independently.
Can DEMA exhibitors use two capture workflows together?
The DEMA Show Mobile App documents planning, a Quick List and the ability to schedule meetings. Public 2026 materials do not say whether exhibitors may scan badges with their own device, receive an API feed or run two capture workflows against the same registration data. As of October 16, the coexistence rule remains unpublished in the sources reviewed.
Which facts belong on a DEMA buyer conversation record?
DEMA Show 2026 separates Dive Retail Buyer, Dive Travel Buyer and International Distributor badges. The organiser says 95% of attendees influence purchasing and 70% purchased onsite. Those two claims make buyer role, product category, purchase horizon and next meeting more useful fields than an undifferentiated contact count; they are not guarantees about an individual visitor.
See the buyer-field worksheet.
What does DEMA publish about buyer quality?
DEMA Show 2026 requires credentials and limits admission to qualified dive industry professionals. The organiser reports 95% purchasing influence and 70% onsite purchasing in its exhibitor promotion. Those aggregate claims do not say which badge holder is ready for which product, so a booth conversation still needs a specific role, interest and next action.
The published audience categories include retail buyers and international distributors.
When does the DEMA follow-up clock start?
DEMA Show 2026 runs its final exhibit day, Friday, November 6, from 10 AM to 5 PM. A same-day two-hour follow-up window therefore ends around 7 PM Friday; one week after close is Friday, November 13. B2Brain's approved lead-decay benchmark says conversation-to-conversion probability is about 85% within two hours and about 9% after a week, figures that explain the timing rather than predict any DEMA cohort.
Use the dated follow-up worksheet.
What is the meeting-cost calculation for a DEMA 10 by 10 booth?
A DEMA Show 2026 100 SF member booth costs $23.95/SF, or $2,395 before travel and services. For an illustrative plan of 80 conversations, 50% qualification yields 40 qualified leads. B2Brain reports 52% Leads-to-Meeting on the floor against an 8% industry average for post-event follow-up; LTM means meetings booked divided by qualified booth leads. At that modeled rate, 40 leads yield 20.8 meetings, about $115 in base booth cost per booked meeting.
The nonmember booth rate is $28.95/SF, which changes the numerator without implying a guaranteed return. See the meeting-cost worksheet.