It may come as a surprise to some in the pool and spa industry that embracing the issue of safety is a potentially powerful way to expand the demand for aquatic-related products and services. My job as the newest addition to the AQUA Magazine blogger family will be to make just that case. I believe that by taking a positive, empowerment-based approach to safety, you will be able to increase demand.
Let me clearly state up front — if I do my job well, you will have so much demand for pools and aquatics-related products, well, let’s just say I hope you have a solid expansion plan in place. I’m sure all of you have run into drowning prevention evangelists who believe banning water in general — and pools in particular — is the way to end drowning. I believe the opposite. I believe we need to create a culture of joy, of enjoyment of water that is supported by an understanding of how to be safe around it, which in turn results in increased demand for all things aquatic.
The aquatics industry has faced both internal and external challenges over the years. External in terms of a relatively low demand for aquatics-related products compared to other leisure and sports-related products. Internal challenges include what I call the “silo effect,” or the practice of water safety/drowning prevention advocates working independently and often pitting themselves against pool and aquatic sports/product organizations.
I believe we can knock down the silos and shift the mindset within the water safety and aquatics industries by discussing safety in a positive way that transforms the issue from an obstacle to a supportive and empowering drive for more aquatics participation that we can then use to engage the public and increase demand for aquatics-based products and activities. We can transform water safety into a powerful selling tool.
My passion is ending child drowning globally but I’m no airy-fairy “let’s all sing Kumbaya” activist. My background is all business. With more than a decade working with top consulting firms, to two master’s degrees in business and organizational/psychology, to working as an entrepreneur and now as a global activist, I apply strong, pragmatic business disciplines to the issue of global change with a focus on strategy development, analysis, social marketing and resource identification and connection.
I am looking forward to blogging about a range of issues related to water safety and drowning prevention and exploring how these disciplines can be incorporated into your business model to make your business more successful — and all while we work together to end drowning globally.
And please, this is a two-way street. I value your input. You can click here to see more about my work in ending child drowning. If you have any particular issues you’d like to see discussed, just drop me a line at [email protected].
Thanks for including me in the AQUA Magazine community and I look forward to working with all of you!
