MINNEAPOLIS, June 21, 2017 — Best-selling author and noted innovation guru Tim Sanders has been named the Opening Keynote speaker for the 2017 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo.
Slated for Monday, Dec. 11, Sanders’ keynote presentation, titled “How Digital Can Supercharge Your Business,” will offer actionable advice on how to leverage customer media, inexpensive content, and targeted social ads to help dealers bring more clients through the door. Sanders will also share secrets on how to leverage social media marketing to attract new talent. His expertise includes advice on how to prioritize investments in Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, and how savvy dealers can employ social network pages to interact with and learn from customers.
“With the ever-evolving nature of digital technology, we believe the insights that Tim offers will provide our attendees with numerous tools to help them reduce costs, increase their customer base, and serve current customers better,” explains Liz Walz, MRAA vice president and director of education. “Tim will take an overwhelming topic and help our dealers not only stay on top of the changes, but also increase their understanding of how they can take advantage of the key opportunities technology presents.”
Sanders is known as an internet pioneer and New York Times best-selling author. He was on the ground floor of the quality movement, the launch of the mobile phone industry and, most notably, the birth of the World Wide Web. He was an early member of Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner’s broadcast.com, which had the largest opening day IPO in history. After Yahoo acquired the company, Sanders was tapped to lead their ValueLab, which enabled sales teams to close hundreds of millions of dollars of new business through rapid collaboration. In 2005, he founded Deeper Media, which provides consulting and training services for leading companies, trade associations and government agencies.
“We are happy to have someone with Sanders’s expertise at MDCE speaking on such an important topic,” said Brianna Liestman, managing editor at Boating Industry, which co-produces MDCE with MRAA. “It furthers our commitment to marine dealers to provide relevant, top-quality education that helps their businesses continue to grow into the future.”
The MDCE Opening Keynote, which is sponsored by Smoker Craft, Inc., has been designed to equip dealers with the tools to take advantage of this digital marketing opportunity, but will inspire attendees to apply the concepts to other areas of their business, as well.
The 2017 MDCE will be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., Dec. 10-13. Sanders’ keynote presentation will be preceded by MDCE’s popular Pre-Conference Workshops and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ Annual Meeting & Special Presentation, the latter of which is open to all MDCE attendees.
About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, MDCE offers an in-depth lineup of educational sessions, a full-featured expo hall and a series of fixed networking opportunities, all of which are designed to help marine dealers connect with and learn from others who can foster their success. MDCE is co-produced by MRAA and Boating Industry, and it features four Educational Tracks, Pre-Conference Workshops, Keynote Presentations, a Learning Lab, Dealer-to-Dealer Roundtable Discussions, and an Innovation Spotlight. For more information, visit MarineDealerConference.com.
About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has been delivering powerful educational programs for marine dealers since 1977. At the MRAA, the team of professionals believes that for the marine industry to thrive, the dealers on the front lines of the industry must first find success. So MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by providing dealers with tools, resources and educational programs, such as its annual conference, and by representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit MRAA.com.
About Boating Industry
Boating Industry is the leading trade magazine serving the marine industry. From award-winning editorial to awards programs including the Top 100 dealers program, Movers & Shakers, Top Products of the Year and more, Boating Industry serves all aspects of the marine industry. For more than 85 years, boating professionals have turned to Boating Industry for market intelligence, product updates, best practices and industry news. For more information, visit BoatingIndustry.com.
