MINNEAPOLIS, July 23 – The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) has announced the theme of “Outperform” for its annual Dealer Week Conference and Expo, held December 8-11 in Orlando, Fla.
Economic winds have not been as favorable to boating as a whole in 2024 as they were in recent years. Nor are they projected to be in 2025. However, not everyone has been equally affected by macroeconomic trends. Certain dealers and brands have outperformed the market and show strong sales. At Dealer Week 2024, marine retailers will learn best practices and attain tools from industry experts to help them outperform the trends, the competition and even their own expectations.
“When we were developing this year’s Dealer Week, we knew there were real economic headwinds affecting the boating market, but we were also hearing from some top dealers that they and their brands had been able to outperform the trends,” said Mike Davin, VP of Industry Relations at MRAA. “Our goal is to give everyone who comes to Dealer Week the tools to do that, and if you look at the lineup of speakers that was just released you’ll see some of the ways our experts think retailers actually have an opportunity right now to take advantage of the current market. For that reason, this is a year that we believe every boat dealer will want to be at Dealer Week to set themselves up for success in 2025.”
MRAA has added dedicated Marketing pathway in 2024. The new track will highlight ways that top dealerships are outperforming the market. Topics will include practical ways to leverage AI, how to craft a marketing budget that will turbocharged sales and how to utilize community-based marketing to greatly increase your reach.
Returning educational tracks include the newly renamed Sales & F&I pathway, which will focus on how to close sales and anticipate and overcome objections. The Leadership pathway will offer insights and takeaways for how to get your entire team moving in the same direction, united around a common goal. Finally, the Service & Parts pathway will provide specific examples of how to drive performance both in-season and in the (too-often-overlooked) offseason.
“The Dealer Week educational line-up has been developed specifically to give dealership teams the combination of education and tools they need to outperform the market ahead of us in 2025,” says Liz Walz, Vice President of Education. “Those marine professionals who join us in Orlando are dedicated to not just navigating the pitfalls ahead, but also finding new opportunities. By applying what they learn at the event, they’ll be ready to stand out from the rest, grow market share and set their dealership up to emerge stronger than before.”
Dealers have no control over the larger economy or market downturns, so Dealer Week will help attendees focus on what they can control, identify opportunities for growth and understand how successful businesses have surpassed expectations despite the prevailing headwinds.
Dealer Week 2024 early bird registration is available through the end of September. Industry companies looking to boost their competitive edge can still reserve exhibitor booth space for boating’s only event focused on dealer growth.
About Dealer Week
For more than 50 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 exists 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. Learn more at 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.
