Diving fairs as the world is long and wide - interview with Tomek Stachura part II

Today, we give you another part of the interview with Tomek Stachura. During the interview Tomek told us how the diving equipment trade fairs are organised around the world. Where is it worth to be? Where will you lose your time? Who is the leader in the organization of such events? For answers to these questions and many others, we invite you to the second part of the interview.

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Read the first part of the interview “Diving fairs as the world is long and wide – interview with Tomek Stachura part I”

Adam: Where can we go after passing Düsseldorf?

Tomek: Next on the calendar is the Dive Copenhagen trade fair. Unfortunately, they often overlap with the last weekend of the Dusseldorf fair, so we may not be able to be everywhere. However, these are typical local fairs, a lot of tourism and camping equipment representatives show up.

A: How long do they last?

T: They start on Friday evening and last until Saturday afternoon.

A: And what would you say about the Danish diving market and the organisation of fairs?

T: The Danes dive a lot, it’s a very good market, nevertheless you won’t see anything at the fair that isn’t in Dusseldorf. The organisation is simple and the prices are standard, like in the rest of Europe, only the stay is slightly more expensive. The advantage for sure is the proximity of the airport and hotels.

A: If I remember correctly next exhibitors gather in the Netherlands?

T: Yes, another fair is organised in Utrecht and this is another event focused on the local market. Like Dive Copenhagen the whole thing takes place over one weekend. The important point is that you cannot make purchases there. Dutch divers therefore take advantage of the opportunity and the fact that the Netherlands and Germany are only a short distance apart and turn up in large numbers in Düsseldorf. They like to bargain and they do, because some German dealers are not allowed to exhibit in Utrecht and therefore offer attractive prices to visiting divers from the tulip country. We do the same.

A: I have heard that the Netherlands is quite an unusual country in terms of diving

T: Yes, Holland is a great country, it has very well organised diving centres and diving is very popular. Fans of deep diving may feel unsatisfied as there are no deep reservoirs. The lakes are max. 50-60 m deep, and when you go out to sea, you have to swim quite a long way, because it is shallow for a very long time. Nevertheless, a lot of people dive to 50m and it is really a great market.

More photos from the EdiShow and Dutch Dive Expo can be found in our gallery -Santiat the DiveExpo.

A: And what is the diving infrastructure like? Centres, facilities etc.?

T: The Dutch are very well prepared, diving centres can serve up to 200 divers during the weekend, and diving weekends are combined with bonfires and similar attractions. Nowhere else have I encountered dive centres that are so customer-friendly. I recommend to everyone the diving centre in Amsterdam, which is situated on a gigantic floating platform, to which boats, artificial palm trees etc. are tied up. There is a great atmosphere there, really worth going to

A: Coming back to the fair itself, how would you sum it up in one sentence?

T: This is a typical regional event. There are no problems with the organisation, but we won’t see and learn anything that we wouldn’t experience in Dusseldorf. However, it is worth noting that the Dutch are a very active nation and this can be seen at every step.

A: What about Italy, it is after all the country from which many recognised diving brands originate?

T: Italians are famous for the huge amount of equipment that Mares, Cressi, Divesystem, Coltri etc. produce and this is evident at the EUDI Show. It is a big event. In volume it is very similar to Dusseldorf. There are always a lot of wetsuit manufacturers there, but underwater hunting is also a huge market. Half of the fair is about diving, and half is about hunting, in this respect a definite leader on a global scale. You will see everything there, wetsuits, crossbows, a full range of equipment for underwater hunting.

A: Please tell us a little more about the nature of the fair itself

T: The EUDI Show is a regional market-oriented fair. Dive system, for example, is a company that cannot break through anywhere else, and there they have a huge stand and supply their products to special forces, for example. Zuexo is another regional company that produces very good underwater scooters. Coltri, on the other hand, is a real tycoon, they have the whole diving business around them.

A: What sets this fair apart from others?

T: In contrast to other diving events, which are very similar to those organised in Düsseldorf, in Italy there is a mass of federations, a very pleasant atmosphere, it’s just fun. Italians, as you know, are talkative, so the conversation can last very long. The disadvantage is that it is a typical Italian fair, you will not learn much if you do not know the language. What you will remember are the very nice evenings spent in the local restaurants, which are simply besieged. The fair is travelling, this year it was in Bologna, next year it will be in Milan. Registration is easy, organisation is at a high level, and it is definitely worth coming to get to know the specificity of the Italian market.

More photos from the EdiShow and Dutch Dive Expo can be found in our gallery -Santiat the DiveExpo.

A: And if you had to say a few words about the diving environment there?

T: Well, at first glance, you can see that they dive in warm waters. What you don’t see is so much technical equipment. In Italy 99% are recreational dives, which might be a bit surprising as Italians have fantastic caves and deep wrecks.

A: As far as I know in Finland there is a fair combined with a conference?

T: Yes, just like in Italy, it is a travelling fair, every year it takes place in a different place and its character is a bit like Baltictech, that is a small part is made up of exhibitors, while the main point of the programme is the conference.

A: At the conference there, can we also meet such interesting guests as in Gdynia?

T: Yes, of course, the Finns have a much bigger budget than Baltictech and therefore can afford to invite very interesting speakers.

A: As for the fair itself, what can we expect?

T: As I mentioned, the fair is small and it is dominated by Finnish companies, such as wetsuit manufacturer Ursuite and Suunto, a brand known for its great measuring devices. Also the nature of the exposition is typically regional, the conference is another matter and this one is fully international.

A: Tell us a bit about what diving is like in Finland

T: It is a very interesting country. They have the largest percentage of lakes per capita, but visibility in them is zero, so they dive in mines with the famous Ojamo at the top, or in their neighbours from Sweden. The situation is similar in the Gulf of Finland, where you can find sensational wrecks, unfortunately the visibility does not exceed 3m. Fortunately for them, the journey to the Aland Islands takes 4-5 hours, so it is always an alternative.

A: And the environment itself? Is diving popular in Finland?

T: Yes, they have a lot of active divers, used to cold water. They are a little bit closed-minded as Scandinavians, but they gain with closer acquaintance. More and more often we can meet them on dives in Poland. There are many very active technical divers there, and in contrast to e.g. Italy, in Finland diving is mostly technical. In fact, they are in a way forced to dive in a dry suit since OWD. What is interesting, the Finns already in the 80s used techniques that we use now e.g.: argon, twinsets, lamps with filament etc.

Part three of the interview is coming soon!

More photos from the EdiShow and Dutch Dive Expo can be found in our gallery -Santiat the DiveExpo.