One of the most visible benefits that MRAA members receive is the
discount afforded them with their registration to the MRAA annual
meeting, also known as the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo. MRAA
members save $50 on every employee they register for this event.

For
some dealers, such as Singleton Marine Group, that $50-per-registrant
savings more than covers the cost of membership. Singleton Marine Group,
a long-time member of the MRAA registered eight employees for the
upcoming MDCE, saving itself $400.

The beauty of this situation
isn’t even found in the fact that SMG principal Austin Singleton saved
more on registrations than he paid for the membership. The true value is
really found in what Singleton and his team get out of the annual
convention.

You see, last year was the first year that Singleton
and his leadership team attended the event, and they were so impressed
with what they took away that in 2011, they are bringing more team
members to increase the take-away.

“The MDCE event made a large
impact on me last year,” Singleton says. “Honestly, I had been a bit
hesitant to invest my time, but we were WOW’d by the event. Not only was
each session’s content incredibly valuable, but they also sparked
conversation among us that continued for months. I was very impressed
with the quality of the content, so much so, in fact, that we invested
in bringing one of the speakers in-house for a companywide meeting as a
season kickoff event this past spring. I cannot wait to get down there
this year with a much larger group and see how the event stirs the pot.”

If
you’re interested in realizing the same level of value from both the
event and from your membership, make sure you attend this event. It will
be held Nov. 6-9 at the beautiful Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando. The
MDCE offers 22 educational sessions that are designed to help you learn
how to run a more profitable business. The event also offers more than
100 exhibitors with products and services geared toward boat dealerships
and numerous networking sessions where you can connect with other
dealers.

Visit www.boatingindustry.com/mdce for more information and to register for the 2011 MDCE, simply click here. And don’t forget to click the MRAA member button to save $50 off of your registration.

I look forward to meeting you there.