One week after launching registration for Dealer Week, the all-new MRAA Annual Conference and Expo, more than 100 dealers have registered to attend the event.
The 100th registrant was Bob Bense, President and CEO, Superior Boat Repair & Sales of Rancho Cordova, Calif.
“We signed up for the new Dealer Week because the MRAA team continues to deliver information and resources that help us to prosper and grow as a marine dealer,” Bense said in an email to organizers.
Bense joins dealer registrants from 19 states and Canada who have already signed on to the event. That total only includes dealer registrants, not the numerous sponsors or exhibitors who have committed to the event, or the MRAA staff.
Upon learning that he was the 100th registrant for the event, Bense and his wife and co-owner, Kathy Bense, created a list of 50 reasons why they love MRAA’s events and have benefited from them as business owners. Those reasons include:
- We enjoy time spent meeting dealers from all over the country and the world.
- We get ideas, fresh ideas, to implement at the dealership.
- We get to hear really entertaining and thought provoking speakers that inspire us to be better and do better.
- We get to get away and get a break from the dealership, which helps us to relax and unwind with our staff.
- We are able to meet with new vendors and learn about new products that we can purchase to help our business grow, like software.
- We rekindle relationships with old friends that work at the boat manufacturers, some that are decades old.
- We learn how to ride the wave through the good years and how to hold on to what we have created, during the bad.
- We get the privilege of meeting other husband and wife dealership owners and we share what makes it all work.
- We are reminded that we sell JOY, memories and a great quality of life.
“Each year, our team spends a lot of time and energy promoting the key deliverables of our annual conference, including the powerful education, the expo hall packed with business solutions, and so forth, but frankly, the list that Bob and Kathy sent us underscores that this event delivers real-world, meaningful impact for real business owners,” said Matt Gruhn, MRAA president. “It’s quite humbling for our team to witness this sincere outreach, and it only inspires us to meet and exceed all those expectations – and add in a few surprises as well. We are so excited to welcome all the dealers who have signed up for Dealer Week, and we sincerely appreciate everyone who has given Dealer Week an early vote of confidence.”
So far, Bob and Kathy have registered for the event, but they plan to bring other members of their team.
“The culture at Superior Boat Repair & Sales is to continually grow and learn,” Bob wrote to the MRAA. “We will be bringing several of our team members to the 2019 Dealer Week.”
About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit MRAA.com or contact us at 763-315-8043.
About Dealer Week
For more than 40 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world class educational programming to dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry and serve today’s boaters. Dealer Week evolves as MRAA’s rebranded and reimagined annual conference and expo, a profoundly new event experience designed to engage, energize and empower the dealer community. The MRAA envisions a brighter future for marine retail, and Dealer Week is the preeminent means for bringing that vision to life. The event will be hosted Dec. 8-11 at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla. Learn more at DealerWeek.com.
