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Dealer Week 2022 Registration Opens

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 16:13:00 GMT

Three-day event in Austin, Texas, promises to deliver dealers solutions and opportunities for the year ahead

MINNEAPOLIS, July 14, 2022 — As marine dealership teams navigate continual disruption in the market place, switching from an environment where boat pre-orders were stacking up to one where inflation, interest rates and fuel prices are causing boat sales to slow, it’s critical that dealership leaders re-establish a strong foundation for their business to find success in the uncertainty ahead. To help dealerships formulate these plans, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced today that dealer registration for the 2022 MRAA Dealer Week Conference & Expo, to be held Dec. 5-8 in Austin, Texas, is now open.

Under the theme of Discipline Amidst Disruption, Dealer Week 2022 will offer dealers access to the latest training and educational programs, an expansive expo hall featuring the industry’s leading manufacturers and suppliers, and connectivity and networking where they can learn directly from other dealers.

“There’s no doubt that the economy is shifting back to put the power in the hands of today’s consumers. With more objections and obstacles to overcome, closing business and generating profits is becoming more challenging in almost every department of the dealership,” explains Liz Walz, MRAA’s Vice President of Education. “With that in mind, it’s critically important that dealership leaders get ahead of the curve and evolve the operations of their businesses for a changing market place. Dealer Week 2022 and its educational programs have been designed to help them do just that.”

Dealer Week features more than 20 educational sessions that will showcase the latest trends, strategies and best practices that dealerships should be aware of to prepare themselves for 2023. Organized into three pathways — Leadership, Sales & Marketing and Service & Parts — the training sessions will provide dealers expert advice as well as critical tools to help them walk away with significant value they are prepared to implement when they return.

The 2022 Dealer Week educational line-up focuses its efforts on helping dealerships discover the discipline they’ll need to find success in a disruptive, uncertain market. It will help dealership teams reinforce and update the fundamentals of their sales processes, strengthen their service departments and reduce their Repair Event Cycle Times. They’ll leave knowing how to lead and manage their businesses to success no matter what the marine market throws at them.

View the 2022 Dealer Week Educational Line-Up here

Throughout the event’s programming, the Dealer Week Expo Hall will feature more than 100 exhibitors displaying boats, engines, software solutions, financing and insurance options in addition to many other types of products and services from industry-leading suppliers. Several networking events will provide for easy connections throughout the event, including cocktail receptions, luncheons, and the MRAA 50th Anniversary Industry Celebration.

View the list of 2022 Dealer Week Exhibitors here

“Dealer Week is the boating industry’s only event focused on dealer success,” Walz says. “It is the one-stop program to learn, connect and grow your dealership to new heights. Our proven approach to delivering this education has helped dealers through the downturn of the Great Recession, through the growth cycle of the 2010s, and through the severe ups and downs of the Covid pandemic. We are well-prepared to provide the guidance to help dealers through what’s next. Dealer Week 2022 is where it all comes to life.”

Dealer Week 2022 opens with a networking reception the evening of Monday, Dec. 5, followed by a keynote and a robust line-up of educational sessions Dec. 6-8.

Dealer Week registration is now open and the MRAA is excited to see you this December! With registration opening, you can save up to $900 if you are a member and register in the month of July! The earliest-bird gets the worm. See your options for registration.

About Dealer Week
For 50 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world-class educational programming to dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry and serve today’s boaters. Dealer Week exists to engage, energize and empower the dealer community. The MRAA envisions a brighter future for marine retail, and Dealer Week is the preeminent means for bringing that vision to life. Learn more at DealerWeek.com.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit MRAA.com or contact us at 763-315-8043.

Dealer Week 2022 Now Accepting Exhibit Applications

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 21:32:00 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas — After welcoming more than 1,000 attendees and 100 exhibitors back to an in-person Dealer Week Conference and Expo last year, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) is returning to Texas in 2022 to host its annual education event and celebrate MRAA’s 50th anniversary. MRAA announced today that the event is now accepting exhibitor registrations from all industry companies at dealerweek.com/exhibit.

“Last year we didn’t know what to expect with a return to an in-person event, but dealers and our industry partners were excited to reconnect and showed up in a big way,” said Allison Gruhn, MRAA’s Vice President of Business Development. “This year I’m not hearing any hesitation – the people I’ve spoken to are asking to commit to their space at the show now.”

Attendance at the 2021 event nearly matched pre-pandemic levels, despite the uncertainty that preceded it. This year there will be fewer barriers to attending, and MRAA expects an even bigger show.

“MRAA was founded in 1972, so we’re planning something special this year for our 50th Anniversary,” said Gruhn. “We’re looking forward to seeing everyone back in Texas, where MRAA was originally founded.”

Dealer Week will be hosted Dec. 5-8, at the Austin Convention Center.

Dealer Week offers an opportunity for manufacturers, suppliers and service providers to connect with the top dealerships in the marine industry, who attend for the event’s world-class education and abundant networking opportunities.

As in past years, Dealer Week exhibit booths will be assigned in the order they are reserved. To learn more about exhibiting, go to dealerweek.com/exhibit or contact Allison Gruhn at 763-333-2419.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit MRAA.com or contact us at 763-315-8043.

Dealer Week announces keynote: Build Resilience in Uncertain Times

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 14:47:10 GMT

Several key themes for this year’s Dealer Week, the annual MRAA conference and expo, will be explored during the opening keynote titled “Build Resilience in Uncertain Times: Strategies to Help Your Team Overcome Anxiety, Recover from Burnout and Get Stuff Done.”

The session, scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 7, in Austin, Texas, will be presented by leadership coaches Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, authors of the recent book “Anxiety at Work,” which explores the causes of workplace stress and the management practices that have proven successful in reducing tension and cultivating calm.

This special opening keynote is packed with practical strategies you can use to boost your team’s resilience, reduce their anxiety and increase their productivity.
In it, Gostick and Elton will answer questions like:

As a manager, how do you keep up with demands while creating a low-stress work atmosphere?
How can you spot rising anxiety levels in your people?
If your employees feel overwhelmed or worried about the future, what can you do to ease their concerns?
How do you engage in productive conversations in uncertain times?

The dynamic duo will apply their vast knowledge and experience working with the leadership teams of some of the world’s most successful organizations to offer you effective strategies that can make any workplace better, helping dealership leaders and their employees:

Weather uncertainty;
Balance overload;
Beat perfectionism;
Build confidence;
Foster resilience;
And strengthen performance.

At the end of this high energy, actionable presentation, you’ll walk away with a guide to putting these strategies to work in your business. View a video of Gostick and Elton previewing their keynote here.

Dealer Week takes place Dec. 6-9 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. Registration is now open at DealerWeek.com. Earliest bird pricing for the conference ends July 31.

Record-high 1,047 dealer participants at Dealer Week

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 21:31:02 GMT

New format reaches more dealerships than ever before, as 578 first-time attendees participate in educational sessions.

More than 1,040 dealership personnel participated in Dealer Week 2020, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and expo, setting an all-time record for dealer attendance.

The 1,047 total dealer attendance figure smashed the previous record of 650 participants at an MRAA Annual Conference, representing more than a 61-percent increase, and surpassed the total attendance at the inaugural in-person Dealer Week in 2019 by 77 percent.

“We set an ambitious three-year goal of attracting 1,000 dealership personnel to Dealer Week by 2022, and are thrilled that we actually hit that goal in the very first year,” explained Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “While many organizations described their business moves in 2020 as a ‘pivot,’ our team here at the MRAA didn’t pivot, but rather doubled-down on our mission of delivering dealers the tools, resources and educational programming they need to find success. We said all along that the move to virtual would accelerate our ability to reach more dealers, and it’s so rewarding to have made that a reality.”

Dealer Week 2020 saw a record 578 first-time participants, representing 55 percent of all dealer attendees. Nearly 350 dealership entities, representing 860 individual dealership locations, joined in the educational event. And 128, or 37 percent of those businesses, participated in the MRAA Annual Conference for the very first time. The virtual platform also expanded MRAA’s reach globally, as Dealer Week attracted dealership personnel from 9 different countries, including Australia, Japan, Russia, Poland and Kuwait.

“We delivered on our promise to provide Dealer Week attendees a powerful collection of educational courses that are timely and relevant to today’s market,” explained MRAA Brand Manager Mike Davin. “Our purpose is always to supply ideas, insights and inspiration to Dealer Week attendees and to aid them in their success. With the uncertainty we know will impact the 2021 market place, this content is more important to dealers than ever before, and the need for it has become clear in the number of dealers who decided to participate in this event.”

Dealer Week 2020 was held Tuesday, Dec. 8, through Friday, Dec. 11. The annual conference offers more than 30 educational opportunities to prepare marine businesses for the new year and beyond. The event, available to attendees and new registrants through March 31, 2021, offers 18 education sessions (including three dealer case studies) spread over three pathways, several thought leader presentations, pre- and post-event webinars for viewing, networking and much more. It includes more than 80 individual exhibit spaces featuring dealer-focused products presented by industry partners.

It’s not too late to register and join this record audience. Learn more at www.DealerWeek.com.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas 
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, contact us at 763-315-8043.

About Dealer Week 
For nearly 50 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world class educational programming to dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry and serve today’s boaters. Dealer Week evolves as MRAA’s rebranded and reimagined annual conference and expo, a profoundly new event experience designed to engage, energize and empower the dealer community. The MRAA envisions a brighter future for marine retail, and Dealer Week is the preeminent means for bringing that vision to life. Learn more at DealerWeek.com.

11 Takeaways from Dealer Week 2020

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 20:31:00 GMT

An Authentic Dreamland for Training, Education and Connection

What does it mean when you dream about work? We’ve all been there one time or another, you awake at 4 a.m., from a deep sleep with thoughts — in some cases even nightmares — about your place of employment.

For me, the scenario was different. I’ve been a part of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas team since July and have had nothing but positive experiences. It makes complete sense, then, that my dream follow suit and not involve much anxiety, but rather concepts for improvement heading into 2021.

This was one of those dreams when you wake up and wish you had a pen and scratch pad next to the bed. One where ideas feel as though they were “placed” in your head for a reason. Lacking a notebook or even a pencil, I decided it was time to wake up and jot down some of these burning topics.

As background, I was part of the MRAA team that monitored the Dealer Week chats and I participated in the roundtables and networking sessions during last week’s online conference. While the live portion of the event may have ended, it’s not over, technically, for anyone who’d like to still jump in and experience the content that’s inspiring me to write the following list of my own top 11 takeaways. Check it out:

1. Looking Forward: With 2020 mostly in the rearview mirror, it’s time to focus on the future while using the past as guidance for educational and emotional growth. The session “Thrive on the Other Side of 2020,” with John Spence helps dealers like you take better care of yourself and your entire team. The goal is to improve your culture by understanding emotions, handling anxiety and overcoming stress. In turn, this helps you boost results, retain the best employees and, ultimately, provide the best possible customer experience. Similarly, Marcus Sheridan discussed building a marketing plan for a year with or without boat shows, centered on understanding today’s savvy and informed customers and how to build a plan to engage them with seven actionable methods.

2. It’s time to see it differently: Speaker Kelly McDonald taught us that the phrase “I see it differently” is better to use than “Let’s agree to disagree.” This little gem is about how you can handle conflict with a refined approach. It comes from her “How to Recruit, Work With and Lead People Not Like You” Employee Pathway session. Frankly, this is a must-watch presentation for anyone in business.

3. The Empathetic Path: It’s easy to wear your own shoes and see it your way. It’s far more challenging, impressive, meaningful and worldly to think of others, their feelings and the outcome of your actions. Humans makes mistakes all the time. It’s true. But they can also apologize, forgive and show grace in an effort to communicate more openly and honestly (without hostility). Showing more empathy must be part of your approach to 2021, in work and your personal life.

4. A Kind Heart Beats Burnout: Speaker David Spader taught us to not only think and interact with our brains, but also with a full heart. Why? Because compassion and kind heartedness are indispensable for overcoming burnout. And not just for you, but others, too (customers, co-workers, employees and neighbors), because it changes corporate culture for the better.

5. Digital Deluge: Digital’s impact on our businesses is expanding like never before because traditional buying methods and customer thinking was forced to change even more because of the pandemic. Dealers have to use digital methods to reach more customers, through the use of targeted marketing efforts, data interpretation and implementation. Internally, increased digital functionality with checklists, procedures and the use of outside service companies can also improve efficiency, internal and external communications and, in the long run, help enhance the customer experience.

6. Video or Bust: At least three educational sessions at Dealer Week focused on video. It’s clear, especially with more consumers at home and participating virtually, becoming a video guru is as timely as it is necessary for growth. We’ve been told some dealerships have employees that have vowed to never be on camera, yet even these opponents (whether from fear or nervousness) have even given it a shot to be part of the video team and showcase their expertise with customers. Find a team that gives you the best opportunity to create informative videos for the boating public and answers your customers’ questions. A solid video game gives you credibility and a competitive advantage.

7. The New-To-Them Segment: This really is about the used boat market or the potential and growth within the pre-owned boat market due to the lack of new inventory and a likely increase in buyer demand. Two sessions at Dealer Week discussed this hot spot within the marine industry. One focused on photography and videography adaptation with pre-owned boats while the other shared key benchmarks all dealers should aim for when committing fully to winning with pre-owned boat sales and growing profits.

8. Virtual Anything Just Doesn’t Work. FALSE! Not only has virtual learning at thousands of schools and universities proven this to be false, but technically watching sports, listening to podcasts and viewing TED sessions all have to do with you NOT attending the content you’re consuming and partaking at home, in a Tesla or in an office setting. When you hear someone say, “I’m not a virtual learner. I prefer to meet with people in person,” you, like me, can relate. But this is simply not true for most people who give it a chance. Dealer Week 2020 was online for the first time and proved that even though something is online, that it could feel almost as real as being at the conference — sans the sore feet. With consumers seeking more things digital, from shopping to eating to communicating so it’s best to explore how you can accept virtual, not ignore it.

9. Chatrooms are Critical: To make Dealer Week 2020 a true experience, participating within the various chatrooms was essential. Whether you posted questions for our hosts or educators to answer, or to simply give someone a “thumbs up” for their post, human interaction felt tremendous and long overdue, at least in terms of the boat show scene. At Dealer Week, the chatrooms were used to promote peer sharing in F&I, Marketing, Advocacy, Sales, Service, Parts & Accessories and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Dealer Week also featured a general session chatroom where trend sharing, honesty and genuine stories about best practices were told. A reminder here, pay close attention to your pop-up chat features on your sites, capitalizing on fresh contacts when they reach out to your team for more information.

10. Cue the Music: They say music soothes the savage beast, but it also connects us with others and can take the edge off of a new experience. Dealer Week featured awesome mood-setting songs from Aaron Goodvin and some hot tracks from DJ Impulse during our awards presentation — all presented by KICKER. The key to remember with music is to actually listen to the song lyrics to help you break down the entire story to get the full effect and message. Much like a great keynote speech or learning experience, when you break down everything, you’re learning, connecting and, hopefully, enhancing your individual and community approach. The message here is to be more inviting than you think you’re already being.

11. It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over: First, Dealer Week 2020 runs through March 31, 2021. While you may have missed the LIVE interactions, you can still consume all the educational sessions, exhibits and training for another three months. If you’re like me, you’ll need this extra time to CONSUME EVERYTHING! But you can also still network with your fellow dealers and reach out to manufacturers and suppliers. Second, MRAA Silver Members also retain continuous access, so they can view all the pathway sessions (Dealership, Customer and Employee), keynote speaker address, exhibitors, products and more. Finally, it’s not altogether done because the content is so relevant and timely — even if you’re not a marine dealer. Yes, it’s that good! Why else would I be dreaming about my first-ever Dealer Week Experience?

MRAA Celebrates the 2020 Great Dealerships to Work For

Tue, 8 Dec 2020 21:36:39 GMT

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas named this year’s marine industry Great Dealerships to Work For, online at 2020 Dealer Week, the association’s annual conference and expo.

Eight dealerships qualified for recognition by earning an overall score of 90 percent or better on the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program’s annual Employee Satisfaction Survey. This survey, administered anonymously through the MRAA, asks Certified Dealership employees to answer 32 ranking questions about their satisfaction with their unique dealership’s leadership, management, reputation, customer relations and employee satisfaction.

“Becoming a Great Dealership to Work for is not an easy feat, especially in a year like 2020, when dealership employees were asked to work longer and harder than ever to keep up with the increased demand the marine industry faced,” says Liz Keener, MRAA Certification Manager. “These dealerships invest in the satisfaction of their employees, and they take pride in fostering an environment that their employees love to work in each and every day.”

Of those who participated, only 8 dealerships qualified to be named a Great Dealership to Work For. Those dealerships are: 

Breath’s Boats & Motors, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi 
Desmasdon’s Boatworks, Ponte au Baril, Ontario, Canada 
All Season Marine Works, Westport, Connecticut 
Off Shore Marine, Branchville, New Jersey 
Buckeye Sports Center, Peninsula, Ohio 
Regal & Nautique of Orlando, Orlando, Florida 
Lodder’s Marine, Fairfield, Ohio 
Union Marine Seattle, Seattle, Washington

“As time goes on, we continue to learn and witness just how strong the correlation between employee satisfaction and strong employee processes are,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “We are honored to recognize those who put great focus on supporting the success of their teams.”

Record 930 dealers registered for Dealer Week

Mon, 7 Dec 2020 16:54:38 GMT

More than 930 dealership personnel have registered for Dealer Week 2020, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and expo, which kicks off tomorrow online.

The 930 dealer registrations represent more than a 43-percent increase over the MRAA’s previous all-time high dealer attendance at its annual conference, which stood at 650, and more than 57 percent more than the total attendance at the inaugural Dealer Week in 2019.

“When we began creating a plan for a virtual conference back in March, we believed that an online platform could extend the reach of our educational content significantly,” explained Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “We set an aggressive goal of hosting 1,000 dealers at Dealer Week 2020, and we are thrilled to be on the cusp of reaching that goal.”

Dealer Week 2020 launches Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 9 a.m. Central Time. The Opening Ceremony includes a keynote presentation on the importance of the customer experience, titled “Three Things Your Customers Care About,” by Jay Baer. It will also provide attendees a sense of what to expect and how to navigate the week’s event experience.

“Dealers, you told us what you value in MRAA’s conference, and last year we re-imagined the event to focus it on helping you solve your biggest challenges,” said Mike Davin, MRAA Brand Director. “This year we had the opportunity to re-imagine it again, and it’s been exciting because the online format creates an environment where we can deliver more solutions to more dealers, which is MRAA’s ultimate goal. If you’ve ever been to Dealer Week or considered participating, this is a year you won’t want to miss.”

Dealer Week offers more than 30 educational opportunities to prepare marine businesses for the year ahead. In addition to the keynote, the event will offer 18 education sessions (including three dealer case studies) spread over three pathways, several thought leader presentations, an awards program, dealer roundtable discussion sessions, and question-and-answer sessions with each of the event’s speakers. There are also more than 80 individual exhibit spaces hosted by partners with dealer-focused products and services to offer.

Dealer Week’s Education Hosts are back to guide attendees through the online experience, and they will once again act as emcees for the three education pathways. The hosts are Sam Dantzler, Wheelhouse College; Jim Million, Million Learning; and Valerie Ziebron, VRZ Consulting.

Special features of this year’s event include a Lunch & Learn promo from Operate Beyond, a trio of celebrity appearances during networking sessions, two U.S. Senators to appear during MRAA’s Annual Meeting on Friday, and entertainment made possible by KICKER Marine Audio. The Lunch & Learn rewards dealers who register four or more people from their store with a $100 gift card to buy their team lunch while they participate in Dealer Week.

“At the foundation of this incredible event experience, the Dealer Week educational offerings are the most timely and relevant courses we’ve ever produced for a live event,” explained MRAA Vice President Liz Walz. “Our primary focus has always been the ideas, insights and inspiration we offer Dealer Week attendees, and with the uncertainty we know will impact the 2021 market place, we are looking forward to delivering the most powerful line-up of the most important topics and advice to the largest number of dealers ever participating in an MRAA annual conference.”

It’s not too late to register and join this record audience. Learn more at www.DealerWeek.com.

Dealer Week attendees receive access to on-demand catalog

Wed, 2 Dec 2020 18:04:18 GMT

Registrants of Dealer Week 2020, the annual conference of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, will receive more than three months of access to an on-demand catalog of all educational content available at this year’s event.

The access, which will last until March 31st — at no additional charge — will give dealers time to revisit the topics that can help them the most or catch up on courses they may have missed. The educational content will include not only the videos, but also the downloads, publications and other resources made available through the event.

“Moving Dealer Week to an online environment enables us to deliver extraordinary value to our attendees,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “Dealers will be able to access not just the live event and those recorded sessions, but many other sessions that may not be promoted as part of the main agenda but provide significant takeaways nonetheless.”

Dealer Week’s educational agenda offers dealers 12 standard, expert-led sessions; 3 full-length workshops where dealers can begin implementing what they learned; 3 dealership case studies to showcase how ideas apply in the real world; multiple shorter thought leader presentations; and a keynote presentation. Those nearly 30 courses will be delivered live Dec. 8-11 and then available via recording through March 31, 2021.

Further, two more packages of educational content will be made available to Dealer Week registrants for those 3.5 months. First, the MRAA Education Team has already produced eight one-hour webinars featuring the event’s presenters in a Dealer Week edition of MRAA’s “Ask the Expert” series. And second, all of Dealer Week’s exhibitors have been invited to create a 10-minute thought leader presentation on topics dealers need to be aware of as they head into 2021. All of these sessions, as well as the webinar series that will continue after Dealer Week concludes, will be available at no charge to registrants.

“The greatest thing about the move to an online Dealer Week is that our ability to deliver on our mission has never been greater,” explains Liz Walz, Vice President of the MRAA. “It’s never been as easy or affordable for dealers to access the tips, ideas, strategies and best practices that Dealer Week provides, and our team has never been able to assemble as much educational programming as we have been able to in this digital environment. There’s no doubt that, if there’s ever been a time for dealers to experience what Dealer Week is all about, this is the year to do it.”

MRAA to give out Annual Awards at Dealer Week sponsored by Kicker Marine Audio

Wed, 2 Dec 2020 17:39:22 GMT

Dealer Week, the annual conference and expo of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, will be hosted online Dec. 8-11. The Dealer Week Awards Celebration will be hosted during the event.

Dealer Week will play host to three days of awards next week, sponsored by Kicker Marine Audio.

The Dealer Week Awards Celebration will take place during the day on Dec. 8, 9, and 10. Conference attendees will be treated to three lively awards presentations that will reveal 2020’s Great Dealerships to Work For, the Darlene Briggs Woman of the Year, Sea Tow Foundation’s National Boating Industry Safety Awards, CNA’s No Claims Bonus Checks for Certified Dealers and an MRAA Snapshot of the Industry. Entertainment will be provided daily by DJ Impulse and Kicker Marine Audio.

The schedule for the Awards Ceremonies is:

Tuesday, Dec. 8, 12-12:30 Central, Great Dealerships to Work For
- Celebrate the Great Dealerships to Work For, a group of Certified Dealerships that are being honored for their exceptional employee satisfaction levels. Don’t miss some fantastic videos, submitted by the winning dealers. MRAA Certification Manager Liz Keener hosts.

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 12-12:30 Central, Scholarship Annoucements and the Darlene Briggs Woman of the Year Award
- MRAA Educational Foundation Executive Director Natalie Briggs Carlson shares details about the organization’s scholarships, which provide financial support for education, training and professional development in the recreational marine trades. The Foundation also names the Darlene Briggs Woman of the Year, a prestigious award for a female making a big impact on the boating industry. MRAA Certification Manager Liz Keener hosts.

Thursday, Dec. 10, Sea Tow Foundation’s National Boating Industry Safety Awards, CNA’s No Claims Bonus Checks for Certified Dealers and an MRAA Snapshot of the Industry
- Sea Tow Foundation Executive Director Gail Kulp announces the winners of the organization’s National Boating Industry Safety Awards. Then, Jeff Heydlauff awards the CNA No Claims Bonus Checks to eight Certified Dealers. And MRAA President Matt Gruhn offers a snapshot into the industry.

Dealer Week takes place online Dec. 8-11. Registration is still available — and has been reduced by half from the traditional cost to make it more affordable for teams to attend the event together. To register, go to DealerWeek.com.

MIACF creates Dealer Week member program

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 17:40:26 GMT

The Marine Industries Association of Central Florida sponsored registrations to the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ Dealer Week conference and expo with registrations for 15 of its members.

In an effort to support the MRAA and to create even more benefits for the MIACF membership, the MIACF board of directors and executive director David Ray agreed to offer to pay for up to two team members from any of its member businesses to attend the conference.

“Dealer Week provides our members with great access to high-quality educational courses and training opportunities,” said David Ray, executive director of the MIACF. “In support of those programs, as well as all of the work MRAA does in taking care of our industry’s dealers, both through the shutdowns caused by the pandemic and through the overwhelming growth we saw afterward, we wanted to offer our members this opportunity.”

Dealer Week, scheduled for Dec. 8-11, moved to an online format and instantly became more accessible and easier to attend for dealers across North America. It will offer more than 30 educational sessions, covering the topics most likely to impact dealership success from expert presenters and trainers from both inside and outside the marine industry.

In total, nine MIACF member dealerships took advantage of the opportunity, including two dealerships that have never attended an MRAA annual conference and another that hadn’t attended in a decade.

“Dealer Week online gives dealers greater opportunities to experience the important ideas and insights found in these educational programs,” said Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “We applaud David and the MIACF in their innovative approach to delivering greater value for their members and giving those businesses even better access to Dealer Week’s great content.

Dealer Week’s online format attracts new dealers

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 18:05:34 GMT

Nearly 40 percent of the dealer registrants for Dealer Week 2020 will be attending the annual conference of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas for the first time.

Through the first week of November, a total of 23 dealership entities that have never attended the event were registered to participate, representing about 15 percent of the total dealership entities. To date, more than 530 dealership personnel, representing 437 individual dealership locations are already represented by Dealer Week registrants and of the total registered to date, 39.7 percent will be first-time attendees.

“With Dealer Week moving to an online format, we expected to see a significant increase in first-time attendees this year,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “The virtual platform just makes it so much more accessible than it has ever been, and with such an enormous need for real world solutions as we look toward 2021, we expect the number of first-timers to continue to grow.”

The ease of access to the online educational programming has encouraged several dealerships to register more attendees than they normally would, as well as generated registrations from dealerships and dealership personnel who have never attended an MRAA annual conference. In fact, five of the first registrants to sign up after the announcement of going virtual were dealers who either had never been to the event or had not attended in nearly a decade.

“I’ve wanted to come to Dealer Week the last few years,” said Andy Yeaman, owner of Hughes Marine Service, Danville, Va., who has registered his dealership for Dealer Week for the first time. “We have good friends who attend every year, and they told us about a lot of the seminars and what they took from them. We’ve reached a point where we’ve grown tremendously and, of course, there are growing pains along with that. I have questions like, ‘at what point, with this type of volume, do I need to add more people?’ I think people who attend Dealer Week, who have been through that type of growth, could help me.”

“I haven’t been to the conference in a few years,” says Will Massey, owner of Custom Marine in Statesboro, Ga. “To be honest, as a business owner, it might seem a little unusual, but I’m not the networking, shake-hands kind of fella, but I really do appreciate training, new ideas and systems and processes. It’s been a few years since I’ve been, so it’s probably time to get back, and I now have some really good folks on my team that need to be involved. They’ve been going to 20 Group meetings with me and that sort of thing, and they need to be taking these training courses.”

Dealer Week offers more than 30 educational sessions that will share insights, ideas and inspiration for attacking the ever-changing market place in 2021. With a focus on helping dealers strengthen their systems and processes, the management of their teams, and the customer experiences they deliver, the event offers a live feed of the education Dec. 8-11, 2020, and then all educational courses will remain available to registrants through March 31, 2021.

Nearly 200 receive a sneak preview of Dealer Week

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 19:24:26 GMT

Close to 200 attendees participated in a special Dealer Week Preview Event this week, which offered a sneak peek at the platform where the Dealer Week Conference and Expo will take place online in December. More than 350 dealer attendees have already registered to attend the main conference in December.

“Since Dealer Week is online this year, we’ve understandably received a lot of questions about what it would be like,” said Mike Davin, Brand Director at MRAA. “So, we figured we’d show people and give them a chance to get familiar with the technology before the big event.”

The Preview Event included a walkthrough of the online Dealer Week platform, live Q&A with the Dealer Week Education Hosts, tips on how to get the most out of Dealer Week, roundtable discussions with other attendees, and a special message from Dealer Week’s keynote speaker, Jay Baer.

With Dealer Week online and accessible from laptops, tablets and phones, dealers have a lot of flexibility in how they choose to experience the event. Some teams plan to attend remotely from a variety of locations. Others report that they will set up their businesses like a “mini-conference” in December, with people watching together on big screens, and separate conference rooms available for breakout sessions. Rob Soucy, President of Port Harbor Marine in Maine, plans to re-create the Dealer Week experience with everyone attending together, and he used the Preview Event as a dry run for his team.

“I think that us all being in the same room, even though we had laptops or iPads in front of us, it was still very valuable,” said Soucy. “I think if I let them stay in their offices, they wouldn’t be as engaged. For us, come December, that’s how we’re going to do it. We’re going to have everyone registered and then we’ll sit all in the same conference room together. If it’s different presentations, we’ll find different rooms to set up in.”

The Preview Event featured a limited number of exhibitors, represented by MRAA’s Strategic Partners and Education Champions. Even during the relatively short span of the 2.5-hour Preview Event, they reported positive results.

“Wow, what an impressive Dealer Week preview,” said Ross Solwold, president of Vantage Resource Group. “I am so impressed with everything that you have going for this event. We even received a message in our Dealer Week booth this morning from a dealer who wants to sign up with us. You can’t beat that for immediate results.”

Analytics show that the exhibits received 587 individual visits, even though only 15 minutes was set aside for dedicated exhibit time during the content-packed Preview Event. However, attendees were also able to browse exhibits while still viewing education sessions, as will be the case in December.

“We hosted the Preview Event as a bonus for attendees and to help them prepare,” said Davin. “But candidly, we also hosted it as a dress rehearsal for our team. Dealer Week is the most important event of the year for us and our members, so we needed to ensure the experience will live up to the high expectations that both we and our attendees have. Thankfully, based on the reaction to the Preview Event, we are ready to go for December.”

Registration is currently open for Dealer Week at DealerWeek.com. If you missed the Preview Event, you will be able to watch a recording of it — as well as a growing list of Pre-Conference “Ask the Expert Webinars” — after you register. Once registered, you can also log in to the system to set up your profile, make connections and get familiar with the platform.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, contact us at 763-315-8043.

About Dealer Week
For more than 40 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world class educational programming to dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry and serve today’s boaters. Dealer Week evolves as MRAA’s rebranded and reimagined annual conference and expo, a profoundly new event experience designed to engage, energize and empower the dealer community. The MRAA envisions a brighter future for marine retail, and Dealer Week is the preeminent means for bringing that vision to life. Learn more at DealerWeek.com.

SmokerCraft Makes Large Contribution to MRAA and Dealer Week

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 22:22:15 GMT

Smoker Craft, Inc. has made a significant donation to the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas in support of Dealer Week and educational programming for its entire dealer network.

While the Smoker Craft executive team of Doug Smoker, Peter Barrett, and Phil Smoker noted their desire to support MRAA financially with a significant donation, they also wanted to use the opportunity to expose more of the company’s dealers to MRAA’s educational programming. With this in mind, Smoker Craft and MRAA are offering dealers of the Smoker Craft, Starcraft and Sylvan brands a registration matching program, giving them the opportunity to double their registrations for Dealer Week at no additional charge.

Smoker Craft dealers who register one team member, will receive a second team member registration as part of the program, courtesy of Smoker Craft, Inc. If they register two team members, Smoker Craft will provide them with two additional complementary registrations. And the matching offer will apply no matter how many team members a Smoker Craft dealer registers.

“Dealer Week is an ideal setting for dealers to exchange ideas and learn from its fantastic educational seminars,” said Doug Smoker, President of Smoker Craft, in a video the company released. “The stronger our dealers become, the more beneficial it is for everybody. Learning about new and better ideas makes this happen, and that is what Dealer Week is all about.”

Watch the video here.

Smoker Craft, Inc., already supports MRAA at the highest level as a Strategic Partner, a partnership that includes the company in the association’s strategic planning alongside MRAA’s staff, board of directors, Young Leaders Advisory Council and other Strategic Partners. In an effort to provide greater support for MRAA’s Dealer Week and the significant shortfall it has experienced with its move online, and in a follow-up to Barletta Boats President Bill Fenech’s challenge for the industry to increase its support of MRAA during what has otherwise been a strong year for the boat industry, Smoker Craft leadership worked closely with MRAA to create a program that would support both the association and the advancement of its dealer network.

“At Smoker Craft, we understand the importance of a strong dealer body and a strong dealer association,” said Peter Barrett, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Development at Smoker Craft. “We appreciate Bill and Barletta issuing this challenge, because as he suggests, we understand the critical nature of our dealers’ ability to service current and next generation of boaters. The MRAA and Dealer Week help us do this by providing the tools necessary to be better partners in their boating experience.”

Dealer Week, now online and easier for dealers to participate in than ever before, is scheduled for Dec. 8-11. For as little as $249, dealers can access nearly 30 educational sessions, a number of MRAA partner exhibits, and networking opportunities to help them prepare for the year ahead. The courses are designed to answer the most pressing questions for the 2021 market place, such as how to plan for boat shows, how to create more leads, how to strengthen your service department, how to maximize digital marketing efforts, how to enhance the customer experience and much more.

MRAA responded to Fenech’s challenge and conversations with its Strategic Partners by creating the web page MRAA.com/Support where dealers, manufacturers, suppliers and service providers alike can join or update their membership, register for Dealer Week or make a donation to the organization. As a non-profit trade association, 100 percent of all funds collected are always reinvested right back into the industry and specifically in support of dealers.

“We are so grateful to the Smoker Craft team for its generous contribution toward propping our team and the great work we do here at the MRAA,” said Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “We’re thrilled to have developed this innovative approach to using their investment to expose more dealers to the opportunities they have through the educational programming at Dealer Week. We believe this will be a powerful way to help Smoker Craft provide high-quality courses on timely topics and help set their dealers up for success in the year ahead.”

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, r contact us at 763-315-8043.

About Smoker Craft Inc.
Owned and operated by the Schrock and Smoker families since 1903, Smoker Craft Inc. manufactures an extensive lineup of award-winning aluminum fishing boats, high-performance sport boats and next-generation pontoons that are sold through a global dealer network. For more information please visit the corporate website at www.thebestboatbrands.com.

Grady-White Boats Subsidizes Registrations for Dealer Week

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 21:17:14 GMT

Grady-White Boats has expanded its partnership with the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and is subsidizing the cost of its dealers’ participation in MRAA’s annual Dealer Week conference and expo.

Already a Partner Member of the MRAA, Grady-White enhanced its partnership with the MRAA in 2019 when it announced its support of MRAA’s Dealership Certification Program. The North Carolina-based boat builder encouraged its dealers to become Certified so they could take advantage of the educational programs Certification offers.

“Now, it’s time to start looking ahead to 2021,” wrote Joey Weller, Grady-White Vice President of Sales, in a letter to his dealers. “With the right insights and strategies, we can build on our successes from this year.”

Grady-White will cover the cost of Dealer Week registration for two people from each of its dealerships. “We’ve seen the Dealer Week educational line-up, and we believe that the courses offered through this event will help you create a clear game plan for your business,” Weller said in his letter. “We truly believe those programs will add value to your business.”

Dealer Week 2020 has moved online, and has become more accessible to boat dealers and their partners than ever before. With no airfare, hotel rooms, meal expenses or other associated costs, and with registration rates at less than half of their normal price, Dealer Week will offer greater return on your investment than ever before.

Participants can access exclusive webinars immediately upon registration; they are invited to participate in a Dealer Week preview event on Oct. 29th; they’ll have full access to the live conference from Dec. 8-11, 2020; and they will retain access to the content and the exhibits from Dealer Week through March 31, 2021. All for as little as $249 per person.

Dealer Week offers nearly 30 educational sessions, including 18 “pathway” sessions; several thought-provoking insights you should consider before finalizing plans for 2021; and a keynote on how to re-wire relationships to respond to the growth we experienced in our businesses in 2020. For more information, visit DealerWeek.com.

About Dealer Week
For nearly 50 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world class educational programming to dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry and serve today’s boaters. Dealer Week is MRAA’s annual conference and expo, designed to engage, energize and empower the dealer community. Learn more at DealerWeek.com.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, contact us at 763-315-8043.

About Grady-White Boats
Founded in 1959, Grady-White Boats builds 26 models from 18 to 45 feet at its 500,000+ sq. ft. facility in Greenville, NC. The company has been under continuous private ownership since 1968 by Eddie Smith, NMMA Hall of Fame member. Grady-White has been awarded every third-party customer satisfaction award ever presented in the marine industry, including the National Marine Manufacturers Association Customer Satisfaction Index award for all 18 years the recognition has been granted. The company was awarded Highest Ranked Customer Satisfaction in the Coastal Fishing boats segment by J.D. Power Associates for all nine years that studies were conducted in the marine industry.

Please visit gradywhite.com to learn more about the company’s award-winning boats, unrivaled SeaV® hull performance, and the commitment the dedicated craftspeople have to exceptional attention to detail as they create the very best fishing and family-oriented boats.

Top Industry Trainers Return as 2020 Dealer Week ‘Education Hosts’

Thu, 1 Oct 2020 21:04:17 GMT

Once again, the Hosts will serve as guides throughout the event’s educational sessions — this year online.

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 1, 2020 — Dealer Week, the MRAA Conference and Expo, has released its lineup of 2020 Education Hosts, which brings back a couple of veterans from the inaugural event and adds a new (but familiar) face.

Dealer Week moves online for 2020, but many aspects of the event have made the transition to the new virtual setting. That include the event’s three main classrooms, or Education Pathways: The Dealership, The Customer and The Employee. Each of these Pathways will once again feature sessions, case studies, workshops — and a top marine industry trainer as host.

These dedicated “Education Hosts” will introduce each session and be online to answer question during the day. They will each also present one session or workshop within their pathway.

The 2020 Dealer Week Education Hosts are:

The Customer Pathway: Jim Million, Million Learning

The Dealership Pathway: Sam Dantzler, Wheelhouse College

The Employee Pathway: Valerie Ziebron, VRZ Consulting

Dantzler and Million resume their hosting duties from 2019, while Ziebron joins the group after hosting the Dealer Week Field Trip last year.

“Going into next year, we know dealers have a lot of questions and unknowns, so we once again brought in experts who they trust to lead the education at Dealer Week,” said Mike Davin, Brand Director at MRAA. “We’ve worked with each of these trainers to put together sessions that will help dealers carry the momentum from 2020 into the new year.”

The Education Pathways were selected because they represent the three pillars of MRAA’s education strategy. They were also designed to engage a cross-section of dealership employees through topics such as sales, service, marketing, customer initiatives, employee relations and more.

Sam Dantzler is a sought-after keynote speaker, 20-Club moderator and workshop trainer throughout in the U.S. and abroad for the marine, powersports and bicycle industries.

Valerie Ziebron is well-known within the marine industry for her service department expertise. She has delivered over 5,000 presentations and has helped more than 1,000 small businesses as well as larger clients that have included Chrysler, General Motors, Yamaha Motor Company, Boating Industry Magazine, Shelby American Collection, Eastman Kodak, IPIX and many others.

Jim Million has worked with dealerships for the past four decades as a salesperson, service writer, sales manager, facilitator, developer, writer, speaker and consultant. He has experience in both automotive and marine and works closely with MRAA as a Certification Consultant.

Also announced was the Dealer Week schedule, which can be viewed at DealerWeek.com/schedule.

Dealer Week takes place online Dec. 8-11. Registration, which is available now, has been reduced by half to make it more affordable for teams to attend the event together. To register, go to DealerWeek.com.

About Dealer Week

For nearly 50 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world class educational programming to dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry and serve today’s boaters. Dealer Week is MRAA’s annual conference and expo, designed to engage, energize and empower the dealer community. Learn more at DealerWeek.com.

OperateBeyond to buy lunch for dealership teams during Dealer Week

Thu, 1 Oct 2020 14:50:54 GMT

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but don’t tell that to OperateBeyond. To keep your team fueled, they’ll buy lunch for dealerships that register four or more staff for Dealer Week.

Working on your business takes  a lot of mental energy, which is why marine dealership platform provider OperateBeyond wants to buy lunch for dealers who register four or more staff to attend MRAA’s Dealer Week Conference and Expo this December.

For any dealership that registers four team members from the same location, OperateBeyond will send a $100 Visa gift card to buy lunch from the venue of their choice. The “Lunch and Learn” promotion starts today and will continue for a limited time while supplies last.

“OperateBeyond  wanted to think outside the box about how they could support dealers during Dealer Week,” says Allison Gruhn, Director of Business Development at MRAA. “With the cost of Dealer Week greatly reduced this year — especially with no flights and hotels to book — and more dealerships able to bring a larger number of staff members, OperateBeyond thought it would be great to buy those teams lunch to fuel their learning and brainstorming.”

In addition to the $100 gift card, OperateBeyond is also offering another $100 for dealers who sign up to view a demo with them during Dealer Week.

"The MRAA is an essential organization for marine dealers and we are thrilled to be partnering with them for the annual Dealer Week Conference and Expo this year to help bring some energy and excitement to the event," according to the OperateBeyond team.

Dealer Week takes place online Dec. 8-11. Registration, which costs half of what it does in a typical year, is now open at DealerWeek.com.

About  OperateBeyond
Based out of Grand Rapids, Mich., OperateBeyond is an all-in-one digital platform built for dealers that manages inventory, CRM, classifieds, website, and leads in one convenience place. Their web-based platform allows users to post and update current inventory to multiple online marketing avenues (Marketplace, Craigslist, etc.). Learn more at OperateBeyond.com.

About Dealer Week
For nearly 50 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world class educational programming to dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry and serve today’s boaters. Dealer Week is MRAA’s annual conference and expo, designed to engage, energize and empower the dealer community. Learn more  at DealerWeek.com.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, contact us at 763-315-8043.

Dealer Week announces schedule, session topics

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 23:39:48 GMT

Earlier this month, MRAA’s Dealer Week announced that it would be hosted this year online. Today the schedule and education topics for the event were posted at DealerWeek.com/schedule.

“Since we announced that this year’s Dealer Week would be hosted online, naturally people have been curious how the schedule would compare to last year’s event,” said Mike Davin, Brand Director at the MRAA. “What people will find is that it is very similar to what they would expect from an in-person MRAA conference, with a few tweaks to take advantage of being online.”

Dealer Week’s schedule remains anchored by its education sessions, which will again be divided into three pathways. The pathways focus on challenges related to “The Dealership,” “The Employee,” and “The Customer.”

Session topics planned for the event solve problems including:

· Navigating digital trends in the age of Covid

· How to catch up in service

· How to develop a virtual showroom

· How to recruit and lead people not like you

· How to avoid team burnout

· And much more

The event will also feature live Q&As with the event’s expert trainers, roundtable discussions with other attendees, and time to meet with solution providers in the Expo.

“Like a lot of things online, this year’s edition of Dealer Week makes some aspects of the event more convenient,” said Davin. “The fact that there’s no travel time comes immediately to mind, but there are other advantages as well. For example, you can set meetings from within the app or on your computer, so there’s no chasing someone down in the convention center or waiting in line at a booth. And obviously you can only attend one session at a time, but every session will be available on-demand after it concludes, so you can actually attend them all if you want.”

All sessions will be available to attendees through March 31, which was designed for dealerships that want to use them for training after the live event. Prior to the event, the MRAA is hosting a series of Dealer Week exclusive “Ask the Expert” webinars to help dealerships start working on their business before the conference kicks off. The topics for the webinars will be listed on the schedule page as they are announced.

Dealer Week 2020 moves online, adds webinar series

Wed, 2 Sep 2020 22:08:38 GMT

Dealer Week, the annual conference and expo of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, is moving online in 2020. The event will take place, as scheduled, Dec. 8-11, 2020, on the device of your choice, with a preview event slated for October and a series of educational webinars taking place, beginning in mid-September, available to all registered attendees.

“Picking the right venue is crucial for a successful event, and this year it’s obvious that a great online platform — which we have found — is the best way to provide the insights, education and business solutions dealers need from Dealer Week,” said Mike Davin, Brand Director at the MRAA. “Dealer Week will connect dealers with solutions to the pain points and opportunities they face.”

Dealer Week 2020 will include opening and closing ceremonies, education sessions, partners and exhibits with business solutions, Q&As with the experts, roundtable discussions, awards presentations, networking and more.

“As we look ahead to 2021, dealers have a lot of unknowns about inventory levels, market conditions, sales and service demand, customer expectations and more,” explains Liz Walz, MRAA Vice President. “Dealers and their teams who participate in the Dealer Week education lineup will receive powerful tools to navigate the uncertainty and maximize their success, no matter what the market throws at them.”

As part of their Dealer Week registration, dealers will receive exclusive access to a preview event as well as a series of webinars hosted by the same trainers scheduled to appear at the event. Scheduled for Oct. 29, 2020, the preview event will allow registrants access to a VIP panel discussion with the three leading trainers who will host this year’s Dealer Week, as well as sneak peeks into the exhibit hall and networking opportunities you’ll experience at the event.

The webinars will take place most Wednesdays leading up to the event, beginning Sept. 16. The first session, titled “3 Ways to Start Turning Your Shop Inside Out,” features Valerie Ziebron of VRZ Consulting, who will also serve as one of three “Education Hosts” during Dealer Week. The next two webinars will feature the event’s other hosts, Sam Dantzler of Wheelhouse College and Jim Million of Million Learning. The webinar series offers dealers an opportunity to prepare themselves for success before the event, but they will also have the ability to continue learning after the closing ceremony because MRAA will make the webinars and all Dealer Week education sessions and exhibits available for event attendees to access through March 31, 2021.

For MRAA partners who support Dealer Week through an exhibit or sponsorship, the event platform offers a robust online exhibit opportunity that includes video, downloadable documents, video chat, meeting scheduling and more. Partners can engage in the education and contribute to the learning and conversations that take place through Dealer Week, making this event a strong contributor to marine industry success. Their exhibit and exposure through this event will remain active in the online platform through March 31. Those partners who support Dealer Week will have an opportunity to submit a 10-minute thought leader-style video, which will be shared with dealers who attend the event. Those companies who supported Dealer Week in 2019 and 2020 will also be able to lock in 2019 booth pricing for Dealer Week 2021.

“The 2020 selling season was turned on its head a couple times with the sudden slowdown and subsequent rapid acceleration of boat sales,” explains Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “Dealer Week seeks to provide our dealers and our partners an opportunity to pause, collect themselves, plan for a strong year ahead, and collaborate on the collective success of our industry. And in this online format, Dealer Week becomes more accessible to more companies than ever before. We look forward to leading our industry with great confidence into the year ahead.”

Early Bird pricing for Dealer Week is $249 per person for MRAA Members and $349 per person for non-members. Prices increase to $299 and $399, respectively, after Oct. 31.

Originally slated to take place in Austin, Texas, the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact required MRAA to reschedule the in-person event for December 2021. More details will be shared soon.

For more information and to register today, go to DealerWeek.com.

MRAA’s Dealer Week Receives World-Class Net Promoter Scores

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 16:09:27 GMT

Dealer Week, the annual conference and expo of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, held Dec. 8-11, 2019 in Tampa, Fla., finalized its post-event attendee survey campaign to find that dealer attendees rated the event with world-class net promoter scores.

“To reinvent our annual conference, we collaborated with the dealer community, leading manufacturers and suppliers, the industry’s expert trainers and educators, trade associations across North America, and several other stakeholders in marine retail success,” says Liz Walz, MRAA Vice President. “It’s rewarding to discover that what we built together was so well received by those we built it for – the dealers and their employees.”

Dealer Week earned a collective 77.06 net promoter score. Net promoter scores are calculated by asking dealers, “On a scale of 0-10, what is the likelihood you would refer others to Dealer Week?” Then, the percent of Detractors (those who rate the event between 0-6), of which there were only 3.36%, are subtracted from the percent of Promoters (those who score the event a 9 or 10), of which there were 80.43%. Companies that garner world-class loyalty receive net promoter scores of 75 to 80 percent.

In addition to the high scores, MRAA Partner Member, Customer Service Intelligence, Inc., a third-party provider that administers the follow-up and post-event recording, reports that Dealer Week earned twice as many “WOW” reports, or stand-out positive comments on experiences at the show, when compared to the previous year’s annual conference.

“I came away with a handful of things that I think we can actually implement,” says Monica Hurst of Spend-A- Day Marina. “I have a goal, action plan and results that I want to see. Any time you come away with that … then it is a success!”

Some of the features offered for the first time at the 2019 MRAA annual conference and expo were the Field Trip, 10 x 10 industry thought leader presentations, Education Hosts and the Float Plan. The purpose behind many of the new features was to arm attendees to return to their dealership, armed to take action capable of driving meaningful performance improvement in every department.

“I have to admit I was skeptical … thinking it would be sales based since I work in service, but all of the information was great no matter what part of the dealership you work in,” says Dean Hoffman of River Valley Power and Sport.

Now, the MRAA team has turned its focus to helping dealers carry out the plans they built in late 2019 and using their feedback to craft a bigger, better 2020 Dealer Week, Dec. 8-11 in Austin, Texas.

“With our goal of building a brighter future for marine retailing, MRAA designed the education, exhibits and networking at the event to not only provide an engaging, memorable experience during Dealer Week, but also to prepare dealers for success putting what they learn into place under their dealership roof,” comments Walz. “That’s what drove a lot of the new features of the event. That’s what is now driving the post-event resources we’re offering dealers. And that’s what will drive the improvements we’ll make for the 2020 event.”

Amanda Levandowski Named Duane Spader Leadership Development Scholarship Recipient

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 20:34:22 GMT

Amanda Levandowski, Owner Principal of Charlotte Ski Boats in Mooresville, North Carolina, has been selected as the recipient of the seventh annual Duane Spader Leadership Development Scholarship, announced the MRAA Educational Foundation yesterday. This year’s scholarship recipient was unveiled on Tuesday morning, Dec. 10, as part of the Dealer Week Awards Luncheon in Tampa, Fla.

Amanda, with her business partner and husband, Lee, have owned Charlotte Ski Boats since 2010. Levandowski wrote in her application that, in 2010, she immediately set out to “seek solutions” and “to build a network, attend educational classes, and learn best practices,” which led to developing a “Top 10 List for each department to implement before year-end.”

Levandowski was recognized by a nominee for “her leadership, investment, and commitment to Charlotte Ski Boats,” along with, “her focus to ensure the financial sustainability by investing time, money, and talent.”

The Duane Spader Leadership Development Scholarship was founded by Spader Business Management and the MRAA Educational Foundation in 2013 to honor the marine industry service of Spader founder Duane Spader, as well as his leadership philosophy of lifelong learning. The recipient receives full tuition to attend the Spader Leadership Development Program, valued at $14,875. Applicants must be employees of a Marine Retailers Association of the Americas retail member.

“It would be an honor to be selected as recipient of the 2019 Duane Spader Leadership Development Program,” wrote Levandowski in her application, “The program will afford me the opportunity to seek more knowledge, insight, and awareness growing our dealership and boating industry. And if selected, I would commit myself to further developing the marine industry, as I was afforded.”

The Spader Leadership Development Program is a 15- to 18-month program for current and future leaders that involves five, three-day sessions in Sioux Falls, S.D. Between sessions, participants are tasked with putting what they’ve learned to work in their dealership and tracking the results of those efforts.

“We are thrilled to award this scholarship to someone who has already contributed so much to the marine dealer community,” states Jeff Siems, president of the MRAA Educational Foundation Board of Directors. “Given her dedication to her dealership and the industry, we are confident that Amanda will be able to leverage the scholarship to achieve great things.”

About MRAA Educational Foundation
As part of its mission to create a strong and healthy boating industry, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is committed to offering training, education and professional development opportunities to its members and the entire marine dealer community. In 2004, the association launched the MRAA Educational Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, to provide financial support for education, training and professional development in the recreational marine trades.For more information or to donate to support the foundation’s mission, visit MRAA.com/foundation.

Ken Sorley Named 2019 Kevin Lodder Scholarship Recipient

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 19:59:15 GMT

Ken Sorley, owner and President of Marineland Boating Center of Waco, Texas, has been selected as the recipient of the 2019 Kevin Lodder Scholarship. The scholarship recipient was honored on Tuesday morning, Dec. 10, as part of the Dealer Week Awards Luncheon in Tampa, Fla.

This scholarship was founded in memory of Kevin Lodder of Lodder's Marine in Fairfield, Ohio. Kevin worked in his family's dealership and was dedicated to the marine industry from an early age until his untimely passing. The recipient of this scholarship receives tuition to attend the Spader Total Management 1 Workshop in Sioux Falls, S.D., and a stipend to offset travel expenses.

Ken started in the boating industry in 1978, as a boat technician. In 1983, he, with his wife Mary, became the owners and operators of Marineland Boating Center in Waco, Texas. During that time he has dedicated his life to helping customers create lasting memories. With his vast experience from technician to owner, Ken has deep knowledge as a business leader. Yet he continues to seek even “more tools in which to approach his market” by being a “continual learner,” as noted in his application.

The Spader Total Management 1 Workshop is a five-day program in Sioux Falls, S.D., geared toward decision makers, leaders, and key employees. Topics covered include decision-making processes, business adaptability, pricing practices, inter-department profit plans, and communication skills.

“Anyone who has spent much time in the boating business knows that it takes real persistence and passion for your work to find success,” comments Matt Lodder of Marine Sales Group and the MRAA Educational Foundation Board of Directors. “Those qualities make Ken an ideal candidate for the Kevin Lodder Scholarship. By applying that persistence and passion to what he learns during the Total Management 1 Workshop, he will turn this investment of our Foundation’s funds into real results for him, Marineland Boating Center, and the industry.”

About the MRAA Educational Foundation
As part of its mission to create a strong and healthy boating industry, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is committed to offering training, education and professional development opportunities to its members and the entire marine dealer community. In 2004, the association launched the MRAA Educational Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, to provide financial support for education, training and professional development in the recreational marine trades. For more information or to donate to support the foundation’s mission, visit MRAA.com/foundation.

Massachusetts Marine Trades Association Awarded MTA Technical Scholarship

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 19:55:51 GMT

The Massachusetts Marine Trades Association (MMTA) has been selected as the recipient of the 2019 Marine Trade Association Technical Scholarship. The scholarship was presented to Randall Lyons, President of the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association (MMTA), on Tuesday morning, Dec. 10, as part of the Dealer Week Awards Luncheon in Tampa, Fla.

The MRAA Educational Foundation’s MTA Technical Scholarship funds will be distributed through MMTA’s existing William Armstrong Scholarship Awards. Bill Armstrong was a boat dealer on the south shore of Massachusetts and an original member of the MMTA as well as serving on its board of directors. Bill felt strongly that education and training are the key instruments of advancing careers.

These awards may be given to a Massachusetts resident who is a high school senior or graduate pursuing an education or training at a qualified institute of higher learning, with the intent of entering or continuing to work in the recreational marine industry in Massachusetts up to fifteen hundred dollars may be awarded to a recipient.

Initially underwritten by the OMC Foundation and now made possible by industry donations, the purpose of the MTA Technical Scholarship is to offer financial assistance for technical training of current and prospective dealership personnel. Applying marine trade associations must show evidence of plans to offer a scholarship for technical training of marine dealership personnel in the year ahead and commit to matching the $1,500 scholarship provided to the association, should they be selected.

“The Massachusetts Marine Trades Association shares our dedication to helping marine businesses train and grow their employees,” says Matt Lodder of Lodder’s Marine and the MRAA Educational Foundation Board of Directors. “We are proud to be able to support their efforts through this scholarship.”

About MRAA Educational Foundation
As part of its mission to create a strong and healthy boating industry, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is committed to offering training, education and professional development opportunities to its members and the entire marine dealer community. In 2004, the association launched the MRAA Educational Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, to provide financial support for education, training and professional development in the recreational marine trades. For more information or to donate to support the foundation’s mission, visit MRAA.com/foundation.

Sara Anghel Named Darlene Briggs Woman of the Year

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 12:42:58 GMT

Sara Anghel of the National Marine Manufacturers Association Canada has been selected as the recipient of the thirty-third annual Darlene Briggs Marine Industry Woman of the Year Award. The award was presented to Anghel by the 2018 award recipient, Angela Pilkington, on Tuesday morning, Dec. 10, as part of the MRAA Dealer Week Awards Luncheon in Tampa, Fla.

The Darlene Briggs Marine Industry Woman of the Year Award is named after the late Darlene Briggs of Wayzata, Minn., who was admired for her tireless dedication to the marine industry. The MRAA and Boating Industry magazine together present the award to honor her memory. It is offered annually to an outstanding woman who is actively involved in the marine industry at any level. It recognizes long and devoted service, untiring commitment, and the advancement of women in the marine business. The recipient receives an award and a check for $500 to be used for her professional development.

Anghel started her career in the marine industry in 2008 as the President of NMMA Canada. Since then, she has been a tireless advocate for the boating industry with the Canadian government, serving manufacturers and dealers in Canada, as well as manufacturers in the US who need assistance in Canada.

“Sara’s dedication to the boating industry is remarkable,” comments MRAA Educational Foundation Executive Director Natalie Briggs Carlson. “She demonstrates the immense impact one individual can have on an industry across an entire country.”

In reflecting on her own success, Sara recommends a threefold strategy. First, find mentors who can help you grow; next, learn all aspects of the marine industry, “Women should aim to learn more about the technical aspects of our industry. This will give them the opportunity to engage on multiple levels,” Anghel wrote in her application. This leads to her final strategy, “Don’t Be Afraid to Network!”

“I am passionate about working with the millennial women in the industry to help them build confidence in their abilities, and support them in developing their ideas and voices,” noted Anghel in her application, “Believing in yourself is the key to your success. Transcending preconceived stereotypes is important.”

About MRAA Educational Foundation
As part of its mission to create a strong and healthy boating industry, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is committed to offering training, education and professional development opportunities to its members and the entire marine dealer community. In 2004, the association launched the MRAA Educational Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, to provide financial support for education, training and professional development in the recreational marine trades. For more information or to donate to support the foundation’s mission, visit MRAA.com/foundation.

MRAA’s Dealer Week Announces 2020 Dates, Location

Wed, 4 Dec 2019 14:51:13 GMT

Dealer Week will take place Dec. 8-11, 2020, in Austin, Texas.

Next week MRAA’s newly reimagined conference and expo, Dealer Week, will welcome more than 1,000 industry members to its inaugural edition in Tampa, Fla. However, plans are already well underway for the 2020 event, which will take place Dec. 8-11 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.

“The MRAA has many members in the western half of the U.S. — and in Texas itself — and we hope that by hosting Dealer Week in The Lone Star State, we can expose new dealerships to the educational tools the conference provides,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA president. “Austin is one of the hottest conference destinations in the country, and we look forward to gathering the industry in ‘The Live Music Capital of the World’ in December of 2020.”

The Austin Convention Center and adjacent host hotel, The Fairmont Austin, are located in Downtown Austin, walking distance from popular destinations like Rainey Street, Sixth Street and Lady Bird Lake.

For information on this year’s event, go to DealerWeek.com. Look for more information and the launch of registration for next year’s event in early 2020.

About Dealer Week
For more than 40 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world class educational programming to dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry and serve today’s boaters. Dealer Week evolves as MRAA’s rebranded and reimagined annual conference and expo, a profoundly new event experience designed to engage, energize and empower the dealer community. The MRAA envisions a brighter future for marine retail, and Dealer Week is the preeminent means for bringing that vision to life. Learn more at DealerWeek.com.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, contact us at 763-315-8043.

Industry Celebration at Dealer Week Features Live Music Made Possible by Kicker Marine Audio

Tue, 3 Dec 2019 15:48:35 GMT

The Dealer Week Industry Celebration, which takes place on the Tampa Riverwalk at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10, is open to all conference attendees and will celebrate the 2019 accomplishments of the entire marine industry.

Dealer Week, the newly reimagined MRAA Conference & Expo, has updated the format of previous MRAA events in many ways, but one of the most fun might be the addition of a large “Industry Celebration” on the final evening of the event.

The gathering is a chance to kick back and celebrate the accomplishments of the marine industry in 2019 and will take place on the Tampa Riverwalk on Tuesday, Dec. 10, starting at 8 p.m. All Dealer Week attendees are invited to join in the celebration, which will feature food, drinks and live music from award-winning party band Phase5.

The live music is made possible by Kicker Marine Audio, who are also offering Dealer Week attendees a chance to win 1 of 100 sets of Kicker Bluetooth Earbuds, which they will give away at their booth during the event. Additionally, Kicker is offering two $350 prize packages that each include a pair of the company’s Bullfrog Bluetooth speakers. Details of how to win the first prize package, open to all industry dealers, are available now on the Dealer Week Facebook page.

“December is a great time for anyone to take a break and look back on what they’ve accomplished, but it’s especially appropriate in the marine industry,” says Allison Gruhn, MRAA’s Director of Business Development. “Dealers have finally wrapped up winterization and can take a moment before boat show seasons begins. At Dealer Week, we spend a lot of time thinking ahead to how we can make the industry better, but we don’t want to forget to look back at what has been accomplished. This year we’re excited to be able to celebrate in style in Tampa, and we appreciate Kicker Marine Audio for turning up the volume on the celebration and making sure we have a great band to perform for all our guests.”

About Dealer Week
For more than 40 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world class educational programming to dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry and serve today’s boaters. Dealer Week evolves as MRAA’s rebranded and reimagined annual conference and expo, a profoundly new event experience designed to engage, energize and empower the dealer community. The MRAA envisions a brighter future for marine retail, and Dealer Week is the preeminent means for bringing that vision to life. Learn more at DealerWeek.com.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit contact us at 763-315-8043.

About Kicker Marine
GO OVERBOARD with KICKER Marine! Kicker Marine products help you bring high-performance audio to your boat for those days out on the water. Built to endure the elements, our marine audio speakers and subwoofers ensure pristine audio quality whether you're anchored at your favorite fishing spot or just cruising the open waters, wherever you choose to GO OVERBOARD!”

Designed to be completely weather-proof, our marine subwoofers are real-world tested for salt/fog and UV exposure. They are made splash-proof for a long life span with a completely sealed motor structure and locking terminal cover, while a tough Santoprene® surround and marine-grade cone pump out the bass, no matter how long you are on the water. You can also customize your subs by adding LED grilles with up to seven different LED colors, and more colors with the KMLC LED remote.

Our marine audio products include source units, subwoofers, amplifiers, enclosures, tower systems and more. www.kicker.com