MRAA and Lightspeed Host Webinar to Help Dealers Advance Their AI Skills for Better Results

Artificial intelligence continues to reshape how marine retailers operate and how customers make buying decisions. For your dealership, the challenge is understanding how to use it in ways that create meaningful results for your employees, your business and your customers.

The industry’s search for practical answers recently attracted 162 registrants to the webinar. More than 100 live participants joined the MRAA-hosted event. AI & The New Fundamentals: How to Advance Your Skills for Better Results featured subject matter expertise from Taylor Allis Lightspeed DMS Chief Product Officer. The MRAA Education team of Liz Walz, Director of Learning, Vision and Impact, Bernie DeGraw, Senior Education Developer, and Ridgeway Addison, Senior Director of Dealer Development, also shared insights. They offered practical advice to help boat dealers understand where AI fits within the marine industry’s new fundamentals.

You can watch the full webinar now.

Dealerships Are on Their Own Unique Journeys

This discussion revealed that every dealership is on its own AI journey. Some are still in the AI exploration phase. Others are experimenting with prompts and productivity tools. Further down the integration pathway, some dealers have integrated AI into sales, marketing, operations and customer communications. Wherever a dealership falls on that spectrum, the key is identifying the next step forward.

That idea serves as the foundation for MRAA’s new AI Pathfinder initiative, which helps dealers evaluate where they are today and identify practical opportunities for growth. The new resource shared by Addison is designed to help you and your dealership understand where you are on your AI journey and determine the next step forward. Built around the reality that every dealership is different, the Pathfinder provides a framework for charting your course based upon your business goals, opportunities and resources.

4 Day-to-Day Realities Shaping Modern Marine Retail

The webinar also highlighted several realities shaping today’s marine retail environment.

1. Customers Are Already Using AI

More consumers are turning to AI-powered tools to research products, compare options and gather information before they ever walk into a dealership or submit a lead form. Understanding how AI is influencing customer expectations has become part of understanding the modern buying journey.

2. Small Steps Can Lead to Meaningful Results

Many dealerships are discovering value through simple applications. From simple to complex prompts. It also includes using it for drafting communications, organizing information, generating ideas and analyzing business data. Those early experiences often help teams build confidence and identify additional opportunities.

3. Technology Is Only Part of the Equation

Of course successful adoption depends on people, processes and a commitment to ongoing learning and upskilling in AI. Software can help but developing the skills needed to use AI effectively remains one of the biggest opportunities for dealerships moving forward.

4. The Conversation Is Just Getting Started

The webinar is one piece of a much broader effort to help marine retailers navigate AI and the industry’s evolving landscape that will require The New Fundamentals. AI will play a significant role throughout Dealer Week 2026 educational sessions. At MRAA’s Dealer Week 2026 Conference and Expo, Dec. 6-9 in Tampa, Fla., you will find hands-on sessions, practical applications and peer-to-peer learning opportunities to foster real-world implementation. Learn more about AI-focused Dealer Week 2026 education or explore the full Dealer Week education lineup.

Part of your learning journey can begin by exploring and using MRAA’s growing collection of tools, educational content and practical guidance:

• Explore MRAA AI resources and prompts.
• Ask AI for Marine Industry Education. AIMIE is our AI-powered platform. She is educated on the MRAA’s vast amount of content and educational programs and designed to answer your most challenging questions on how to run your dealership. Headed to Dealer Week? AIMIE can help you plan your schedule.
• Additionally, finding the right pathway for your dealership starts with having conversations with MRAA Partners, like Lightspeed, and other Dealer Week exhibitors onsite in Tampa.

The AI Journey Continues

AI integration in marine retail is a journey. Every dealership’s path is different. The crucial thing is taking the next step forward. For those looking for a place to start, this webinar provides a valuable waypoint amongst many at Dealer Week 2026 helping to guide you on your AI journey.