• MRAA’s Dealer Week Conference and Expo offers marine dealerships an unmatched experience for education, networking and advancement.

After removing the covering for the temporary tattoo on my right shoulder, the words in the bright red heart with an arrow piercing through it read, “Mom!” But from my inverted angle, those same three letters read WOW! It was the perfect summation of MRAA’s 2024 Dealer Week Conference and Expo held in Orlando, Fla.

Informally, wow means astonishment or admiration. As a noun, it stands for a sensational success. And when used as a verb, wow (or wowed) signifies to impress or excite greatly. Again, Dealer Week 2024 did just that, earning admiration from attendees and partners. It was sensational for its sheer size and growth. It also was impressive how it wowed everyone from first-time attendees to long-time cohorts. But what made it feel red hot?

Was it the education, which included four separate pathways to help attendees find success? Was it the largest Expo Hall on record? Perhaps it was the opening keynote address from the one-and-only Marcus Sheridan or the magical closing keynote from Ben Whiting, who made a bowling ball appear out of thin air. One spoke of endless customers, and the other about limitless culture!

You could argue the awards luncheon added event hype. It recognized Great Dealerships to Work For, the Darlene Briggs Marine Woman of the Year, industry scholarships for growth and two new awards; one designed to recognize an industry Trailblazer and the other a leading industry advocate.

Then again, it could have been the crowded house of a Welcome Reception at the Rosen Plaza Hotel. Maybe it was the (now famous) rock-n-roll-themed Industry Celebration made possible by KICKER Marine Audio. One final possibility was the networking opportunities themselves for dealers, exhibitors, manufacturers and other attendees.

More than likely, the blending of all these offerings helped Dealer Week 2024 “outperform” every previous event in its history. I don’t use that term loosely. You see, it was our theme for the event, and our team kept hearing from all types of attendees that “this is the best Dealer Week yet!”

Rock Stars
I can count on one hand how many times I’ve gotten to dress like a rock star. The annual Industry Celebration is notorious for KICKER-ing things up a bit. Every year, it seems our two teams unite to raise the bar and produce an uncanny gathering within the world-class event of Dealer Week. This year, we packed Howl at the Moon in Orlando with lookalikes from Joan Jett, Tina Turner and members from the iconic bands of Mötley Crüe and Guns N’ Roses, among others. At the same time, dueling pianos embarked on memorable sing-along songs that engaged the crowd.

In my day-to-day, I’m involved with MRAA content, PR and education. But one night in Orlando, I dressed like the younger Vince Neil. Along with Matt Gruhn (aka Tommy Lee), Chad Tokowicz (Nikki Sixx) and Gunnar Davies (Mick Mars), my bandmates and I mingled with the crowd. We briefly walked on the wild side, only without the debauchery.

I’d be remiss if I failed to mention the rest of the MRAA’s rock stars. Without them, the MRAA couldn’t have pulled off another stellar event. Whether dressed as their favorite musical icon or sporting their favorite rock-and-roll T-shirts, our team is a bunch of rock stars. Performers in the sense that we always put our fans first, always. Dealer Week has become a WOW event because the MRAA is “for dealers by dealers.” We put the focus on our dealers, not ourselves. The help from our sponsors, partners, board members, exhibitors, pathway educators and others contributes to our ability to create an outstanding experience for our guests.

Servicing the S.S. Minnow
I grew up watching Gilligan’s Island. As a teen, my fondness for the silly show was tied to the relationship between Skipper and Gilligan (OK, maybe Ginger and Mary Ann, too). Whenever it seemed like the crew would find a way to escape the deserted island, Gillian would usually muck it up, leaving the crew stranded, yet again, and searching to find another way to make it back home.

Sometimes, it can be smooth sailing and a legitimate three-hour tour in your service department. Other times, that three-hour adventure can turn into a two-week nightmare highlighted by inefficiency, miscommunication and disarray. The Service Department Special Event was so rewarding for the service managers and service advisors who attended in part because of all the solutions offered to various causes of those service nightmares.

The intimate all-day workshop was hosted by Valerie Ziebron (VRZ Consulting), Bernie DeGraw and the MRAA Education team. Attendees gained marine service department data, benchmarks tied to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), proven tactics for success, golden nugget best practices for attracting, keeping and growing technicians, and more. Perhaps most importantly, the peer-to-peer sessions brought industry connection and shared solutions.

Hydrotherapy Tank
What does anyone want after four days of walking their feet off in new shoes? A relaxing time in a hot tub, you say? That was my exact plan, to unwind and celebrate another great Dealer Week. However, no sooner had I sat in the hot tub than one of our pathway educators, Jonathan Dawson, joined me. Soon enough, six guys were soaking in the water and soaking in more education.

For two hours, we shared personal stories, talking about business and life. We followed that up with an off-the-cuff, one-on-one educational session with Jonathan, where he talked to us about digging ditches and hard work. He spoke of building sales incentives and a gamification strategy of sorts for new hires and old hats alike. My relaxing soak transitioned into a relaxed sales and strategy session, and I was more than OK with that.

My takeaway here is: Don’t rush through Dealer Week; stay a bit. Find time to interact away from the classrooms and training sessions because you never know what you could learn. Don’t just take my word for it. The Canadian dealer I sat with in the “hydrotherapy tank” shared this in his post-event evaluation, “Ended up with Jonathan Dawson in the hot tub and got a 3-hour private session. Great guy and have so many ideas to take back to the dealership.” 

Key Notes from the Keynotes
For me, both keynote speakers, Marcus and Ben, provided stellar best practices to help people be, well, more human even in a digital era and the hype of artificial intelligence. Being human is done through connection, building trust and becoming a resource for others. Owning your emotions and self-regulating your negativity also helps you focus on others.

You do that by understanding your core values and living them out to the fullest, putting customers first and remembering why you got started in boating. Creating lasting memories with friends and family is as important today as ever for your staff and customers. To outperform in the boating market, you must be authentic, honest and foster a culture that can overcome challenges through collaboration.    

Dealer Week Is Ongoing!
While you now have some ideas of the benefits of Dealer Week, it is an event you must attend to fully understand its value for you and your role at the dealership. It’s also THE place to bring a team so you can learn together, fully exploring the various educational sessions and events, and engaging with exhibitors, suppliers, speakers and peers.

If you missed Dealer Week in Orlando this year, don’t fret. You and your team can still register for Dealer Week Online. You can learn from up to 20 sessions within four pathways (Leadership, Marketing, Sales & F&I, and Service & Parts). It began on December 17 and runs through March 1, 2025.

Finally, Dealer Week is an annual event that takes place in December, so each year represents an opportunity to participate yourself or send your team. Next year, Dec. 7-10, we’re back in Tampa Bay, Fla., so put it in your budget, commit to sending a couple teammates, and experience the wow factor for yourself.