WILL'S BLOG: Sport Diver's LIDS lowdown

Industry events are a number of things - an opportunity to talk to consumers and get them interested in Sport Diver, a chance to push brand awareness and, of course, a place to meet a number of industry folk to discuss ideas.

And let’s not forget that the London International Dive Show (LIDS) has the added bonus of the Sport Diver party, so it’s not all work, work, work.

As far as Sport Diver is concerned, the show went very well. While general show footfall seemed lower than usual, this freed up time to thrash out ideas for the magazine and website. I’m pleased to say that such discussions went well and that over the next few months there will be a number of new and exciting features on the website, including a selection of new columnists. While their names will remain a secret for now, most divers will know who they are - indeed, one of them has been an industry heavyweight for over 30 years!

The areas set to be covered include everything from caving to videography, with the aim of turning Sport Diver’s website into a one-stop-shop for all your diving needs, whether it be for news and tips or advice on trips. Exciting times.

I’ll keep you posted with regards to when these columnists hit our online pages, but in the mean time you can continue to stay abreast of all things underwater right here on the Sport Diver website and through our Facebook page. As ever, there’ll be something for you every day.

We had fantastic feedback from all and sundry regarding the April issue of the magazine, which is a whopping 220 pages! Both consumers and industry folk alike gasped at its weightiness before leafing through and delighting at the fact that editorial quality hadn’t been sacrificed. If you haven’t got the latest issue, you can either pick it up from WH Smith or buy it straight from us right here. It’s a cracker and we promise it won’t disappoint - ever dived with a saltwater croc? I’ll say no more!

Several competitions have also been secured - one of which is worth £6,000 - giving you an added incentive to keep reading the mag and checking the website.

All in all it was a productive couple of days that will serve to further increase the quality of Sport Diver for you, our readers. While I’m sure you didn’t think that was possible, we’ve only gone and done it!

And as for the party… I’m sure my weariness on Sunday was exclusively down to the clocks going forward. Ahem.