Dominion Marine Media and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas have partnered to bring a third season of the Marine Retail University series of one-day educational conferences to life.
Designed to take fresh professional development opportunities to marine retailers in regions throughout the country, the series stops in seven or more locations each season, which runs from September through April.
Since the launch of this event series in November 2011, it has attracted more than 700 attendees. The MRU’s success can largely be attributed to the power of industry collaboration, such as that with Norman-Spencer Marine Insurance, which has supported the event series through a title sponsorship for three years running; the state and local Marine Trade Associations that host many of its stops, and Boating Industry magazine, which serves as the exclusive media sponsor.
“We feel incredibly grateful that we are able to share our passion for education through this partnership program with MRAA,” says Courtney Chalmers, director of marketing for Dominion Marine Media. “It is important to the mission of both our organizations that educational programs in our industry continue to grow and become more widely available to dealers and other marine retailers across the country.”
At each Marine Retail University, attendees participate in six educational sessions that offer local and national data, trends and best practices, as well as several networking opportunities. Topics range from analysis of the latest boat sales registration numbers and consumer research to expert advice and proven strategies in areas like succession planning, marketing, the service department, hiring and human resources, sales, and finance and insurance.
“Each year, we choose topics and speakers that provide attendees with new opportunities to improve and grow their businesses,” says Liz Walz, director of education for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. “For some retailers, the affordability of the MRUs makes quality professional development uniquely accessible. For others, they represent a rare opportunity to train together as a team. Either way, thanks to MRAA’s partnership with Dominion Marine Media, the MRUs offer those who participate an incredible value.”
About Marine Retail University
The Norman-Spencer Marine Retail University is a series of regional dealer educational conferences. Launched in 2012 as a partnership between the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and Dominion Marine Media, these regional events seek to provide attendees with in-depth market knowledge and the tactics to capitalize on those insights. The partners work closely with regional and state associations to deliver additional value to their members. Norman-Spencer Marine Insurance Services supports MRU as the title sponsor of the event series. For more information about an MRU event, please contact Liz Walz at 315-692-4533 or liz@mraa.com. To sponsor or exhibit at an MRU event, please contact Bart Zienda at 763-333-2419 or bart@mraa.com.
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