Austin, Texas, Nov. 11, 2021 — Boat dealers have enjoyed a lot of success in 2021, but they are also facing challenges that are unique to today’s retail environment. To help them create a plan for 2022 and beyond, the Dealer Week Conference and Expo has built an education lineup that addresses the most common pain points currently faced by dealers.
Dealer Week will take place in Austin, Texas, on Dec. 6-9 and online Jan. 11-13. Attendees who sign up for the in-person event will receive complimentary access to Dealer Week Online. For those who are unable to attend in person, a separate online-only registration is also available.
“We waited longer than usual to finalize our schedule this year,” said Mike Davin, Brand Director at MRAA. “That was primarily because we wanted to ensure we weren’t focused on what happened in the past, but instead on the challenges dealers tell us they are concerned about going into next year.”
The complete schedule of events is now available online at DealerWeek.com/schedule and DealerWeek.com/online. A printable version is available here. Below are some highlights of what to expect.
Dealer Week Education Highlights
Dealer Week will open with a Keynote titled “Build Resilience in Uncertain Times:
8 Strategies to Help Your Team Overcome Anxiety, Recover from Burnout and Get Stuff Done.” It will be presented by Chester Elton & Adrian Gostick, best-selling authors who will help dealers learn to cope with uncertainty and avoid burnout in today’s stressful environment.
After that, the education will break into three pathways, which will once again be hosted by three of the top trainers in the marine industry: Sam Dantzler, of Wheelhouse College, hosting the Sales & Marketing Pathway; Jim Million, of Million Learning, hosting the Leadership Pathway; and Valerie Ziebron, of VRZ Consulting, hosting the Service & Parts Pathway. The hosts will introduce each session and help attendees to understand how it applies to the overall themes of the conference.
As part of each Pathway, dealers will hear experts on topics including:
• Marketing without Inventory
• Omnichannel Sales
• New Service & Parts Strategies
• Dealership Design
• Customer Interviews
• Brand Building
• Better Delegation to Free Up Your Time
• Increasing Accessory Sales
• Filling Workforce Gaps
• Developing Compensation Plans
• Selling More Pre-Owned
Additionally, each Pathway will include a session in which a Marine Industry Certified Dealership will share a best practice. These three case studies will give dealers a chance to learn from their peers.
Also peppered throughout the event will also be a series of short “Thought Leader” presentations. These are presentations from big industry thinkers that are designed to make you look at the industry in a new way.
On the final day to the event, Dealer Week will feature a special high-energy musical keynote appearance by Kai Kight arranged through Gotham Artists.
After the in-person education ends, Dealer Week Online in January will include online versions of all the sessions from the in-person event as well as nine new workshops and a new keynote from Chester Elton & Adrian Gostick. Topics covered online include sales role-playing, attracting customers in 2022, using texting to increase efficiency in parts and service, F&I process, improving repair time, and more.
To learn more about all the events at Dealer Week, including the Networking Receptions, the Industry Celebration, and the Women in the Industry Breakfast, go to DealerWeek.com.
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.
