In response to dealers’ requests for help choosing the right educational sessions for their skills and experience, for the first time in 2015, the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo will feature recommendations for each of its 35 educational offerings.
The recommendations will include the following:
· Fundamental – Explores the basics and serve as building blocks on which all other strategies are built.
· Intermediate – Allows those with several years of experience to further develop their skills.
· Advanced – Designed to help experts break through to new levels of success.
· All Skill Levels – Offers value to all attendees.
This year’s event, which is scheduled to take place Nov. 15-18 at the Orange County Convention Center, Rosen Plaza Hotel and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla., features 12 Pre-Conference Workshops and four concurrent Educational Tracks, including Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus, plus an MRAA Special Session and an Opening and Closing keynote.
In total, the 35 educational offerings at this year’s event include four sessions rated Fundamental, 14 rated Intermediate, eight rated Advanced, and nine rated All Skill Levels. MDCE attendees are invited to choose whichever combination best fits their needs and desires. All of these educational offerings are included with a standard MDCE Registration, with the exception of the 12 Pre-Conference Workshops, which require a separate registration fee.
“Each MDCE attendee brings a very specific set of experiences and expertise with them to the conference,” explains Liz Walz, vice president of MRAA, which produces the annual event in partnership with Boating Industry. “By adding these recommendations, we intend to help marine retailers identify the workshops and track sessions that will have the most significant impact on their performance and that of their business.”
For the past several years, each Marine Dealer Conference & Expo has attracted hundreds of marine retail attendees from dealerships, marinas and service facilities located throughout the United States, Canada and even Australia. The job titles of these attendees, their years of experience, the size of the marine businesses they work for, and the products they carry and service vary widely.
“Our job is to build an MDCE educational lineup that can make a difference in the success of every single member of this very diverse group,” says Boating Industry editor-in-chief Jonathan Sweet. “In addition to providing a new level of guidance to attendees, these recommendations will help our team ensure that MDCE’s education serves the needs of all participants as our event continues to grow and develop.”
The 2015 MDCE has inspired record dealer registrations so far this year, compared to the same period of time in previous years. Inspired by marine retailers own recommendations for the ideal event, this year’s MDCE campaign theme — “Made New. By You.” — may become the rallying cry for a resurging industry.
About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and member meeting. As the marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, MDCE offers an in-depth lineup of educational topics, 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 Educational Tracks, Pre-Conference Workshops, Opening and Closing keynote presentations, and the all-new Learning Labs. The 2015 will be held Nov. 15-18 at the Orange County Convention Center, Rosen Plaza Hotel and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information and to register, visit marinedealerconference.com.
About Boating Industry
Boating Industry is the leading trade magazine serving 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.
About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting marine retail businesses, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit
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