No time for training

During my early days running a dealership and then later at Channel Blade, we constantly made or heard the excuse: “We don’t have time for training. We need to work the phones or sell or fix something.” 

We learned later that not dedicating time to training cost us a ton in wasted time! Not to mention lost customers and sales because the crew wasn’t up to speed on their product, the competitor’s products, or the sales skills to help people buy.

Dealers today still find it difficult to dedicate time for training. That was the subject of a conversation I had with Liz Walz leading up to MDCE 2016. If you know Liz, you know that she is extremely passionate about dealer education and works vigorously to produce hours of training on multitudes of topics by industry experts, available at MDCE and MRAA.com in the MRAA Resource Center and MRAA Interactive Virtual Training System. She gets frustrated knowing that dealers are struggling to take advantage of training that could make a real difference for their team.

That’s where I came in. Liz asked me to create a training workshop at MDCE to show dealers how easy it is to create a simple plan to educate their people without adding more hours to the day. Fortunately, Liz asked me early in the year, as it took most of that time to find ways to make the process simple, with just a few steps.

We gave the workshop at MDCE, offering a complementary workbook to help attendees learn:

  • The why behind training
  • Who needs training
  • How to define your training needs and set training goals
  • Where to find training resources
  • How to schedule training
  • How to track and assess the results

It’s really that simple: determine who needs training, what training you need, what’s the goal for the training, find the training, and then schedule it! Schedule it? That’s the problem! We can help you find unique ways to work training in more often without working longer hours.

Now, we’re taking the research we did for that workshop and expanding upon it, transforming it into an MRAA Guide to Training that will walk you and your team through the planning (and if needed, budgeting) process from start to finish, offering you the chance to customize your strategy to fit your dealership’s and your team members’ unique needs and interests.

We spend time on getting buy-in from both employees and management. You simply need to find out what your crew wants to learn and keep it in line with management’s priorities. As we mentioned in a recent blog on job descriptions, marine dealers can see a big benefit from performance evaluations. This is yet another reason for them: So you can find out what your employees want and need to learn, instead of just checking the box that you did training. Click here to access the MRAA Member Resource: 10 Tips for Marine Dealership Performance Reviews.

Lastly, to keep training perpetual in your store, it’s important that every course your dealership attends or conducts has a goal and that you track the results. We are confident that when you train on a certain area, you will get better results in that area. When you get better results, you will keep doing what got you the results.

Brick and mortar vs. click and order

Amidst the monotony of the ongoing political banter and the optimism of a growing economy, you may have missed a troubling report coming out of CNN Money.

The report, published just last week, suggests that the American economy may be experiencing the bursting of a retail bubble. Dispute the concept of a retail bubble if you’d like — I think we could agree there has been no boom to set up the burst — but the fact remains that traditional brick-and-mortar retail is struggling.

The article documents disappointing quarterly results from several large retailers, store closures, an underperforming retail organization’s IPO, bankruptcies and more. All juxtaposed with the incredible continued success of Amazon and other online retailers.

There are examples of strong retail stores out there, some of which are also highlighted in the report. Each of those examples has differentiated itself by finding a niche to capitalize on.

And herein lies the challenge to you. What are you doing to differentiate yourself in the marketplace? How do you go about making yourself irreplaceable to your customers and your market?

If, as our industry continues to grow, you think there’s no risk to your business, I want to urge you to think again. The retail business is changing. Our industry is changing. And the business of online retailing, as you can tell by this article, “Amazon is going to sell cars online,” is soon to change even further.

How long it takes before Amazon considers moving into the marine industry, no one knows. But it would be a wise move for you to consider how you would capitalize on your competitive advantage under such circumstances. Begin today by defining how you currently differentiate your business and how you should further differentiate.

In the end, we can either evolve or stay the same. Amazon’s success has come at the expense of industries that have chosen to stay the same.

Tools to compete in the job market

Good people are hard to find. This statement is as old as any other business cliché, but it has never been more of a slap in the face for me than it is today.

I’m writing this blog as I wait for an interview candidate, who is now more than five minutes late for his interview. The assignment we asked him to complete prior to the interview still hasn’t arrived either. I’d love to exhale and simply move on to the next candidate, but our pool of candidates is bleak.

Five weeks ago, we actually hired someone for this position. She came to the Minneapolis Boat Show with us, a full weekend prior to when she was officially going to start. She had every skill and ability we were looking for, in addition to an eager attitude and a get-it-done mentality. She showed up as planned on Monday, was out until Friday with sick kids, and we haven’t seen her since. Vanished.

The best candidate for the position, after we resumed the recruiting process, took another job the day we were to interview her. Now this next interviewee hasn’t shown up, and it’s more than 10 minutes after his scheduled appointment. Don’t most people show up early for an interview?

I realize I’m singing to the choir here when I complain that it’s tough to find quality employees these days. Our members have been challenged to find technicians for a few years now, and the problem is only getting worse.

MRAA has committed itself to finding solutions for these issues. In fact, for the second year in a row, workforce development issues made our list of top issues to be addressed, which was created by the Advisory Council of Marine Associations, a group of trade association leaders who help to set the MRAA legislative agenda.

In 2016, our efforts created the first MRAA Marine Industry Workforce Assessment. It revealed that more than 21 percent of the positions budgeted to be on dealership payrolls went unfilled in the prior year and suggested that our industry could be short some 31,000 retail employees by 2019. MRAA members can download the assessment here.

In the end, dealers pointed to a few main reasons why they are having trouble finding good employees: the generation gap, a poor transition from schools to the workforce, a lack of tech schools to begin with, the seasonality of our business, a lack of employee training, and an inability to compete with the pay scales of other industries. With a mission to provide solutions for some of these issues, MRAA has:

  1. Held several generation-related topics at the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo. MRAA Retail Members, sign into MRAATraining.com for access to some of these topics.
  2. Generated a database of marine specific technical schools.
  3. Been working on a guide to dealership training, to be published as a free member resource later this year.
  4. And launched a compensation study to give us a better understanding of the pay scales and structures in the marine industry.

The results of the 2017 MRAA Compensation Study are now available for purchase. For just $299, you can access the high-level executive summary; the full, in-depth report; and an online, dynamic salary calculator that will allow you to run an unlimited number of queries on up to 35 job descriptions, broken down by region, dealership size, and more.

Whether they’re training opportunities or customized resources, these are all tools designed to help you compete better in your market place. The only thing we can’t do is force these people to show up for interviews or for work.

Moving on…

Infinity Woven Products Becomes a MRAA Platinum Partner

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas welcomes Infinity Woven Products, LLC, manufacturer of luxury vinyl flooring, as its newest Platinum Partner member.

“Over the past few years, we have taken an intentional approach to be the best marine supplier in the industry,” says Warren J McCrickard, Vice President of Corporate Sales. “Strengthening our partnership with the MRAA is one key way we feel we can make an immediate impact at a local level engaging with dealers across the United States and Canada. We are solution seekers and see this as one way to remain proactive in advancing dealer success.”

Infinity, which currently serves more than 30 marine manufacturers, prides itself in providing its customers with innovative designs that are proven to withstand the most demanding environments. To validate how confident they are in their product, Infinity offers an industry leading, 10-year UV/Fade warranty.  

“The team at Infinity has demonstrated a deep desire to help marine retailers find success,” says Matt Gruhn, President of MRAA. “That mission resonates and aligns very closely with our team here at MRAA, and we are thrilled to welcome Infinity on board.”

Infinity Woven Products, LLC. joins a continually growing roster of boat manufacturers, vendors and suppliers that have chosen to support the dealer community through partnership with the MRAA.

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 Infinity Woven Products, LLC.

Infinity Woven Products, LLC is a leading floor manufacturer supplying recreational (Marine & RV), contract and hospitality industries. Branded Luxury Woven Vinyl™ (LWV), our diverse range of fabric designs and backing offerings have set us apart from competition as we revolutionize the way flooring is experienced on a boat, in a recreational vehicle and in offices worldwide. Infinity LWV is antimicrobial, stain and soil resistant and comes with a ten year UV/fade warranty.  Infinity is simply better flooring proudly made in the USA.  Learn more at infinitylwv.com

Trade Only Joins Partnership to Produce Monthly Pulse Reports

Soundings Trade Only, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and Baird Research have expanded a partnership to compile, analyze and deliver the most detailed insights into retail boating’s economic health.

First launched by MRAA and Baird in December 2013 as the first report of its kind compiled specifically for marine retailers, the Marine Retail Pulse Reports are designed to provide industry professionals with a regular, timely look into retail trends at the dealership level. Soundings Trade Only, a B2B print and digital magazine reporting on marine industry news since 1963, joins the partnership this month to participate in distribution of the survey and reporting of results.

“The information contained in each Pulse Report simply can’t be found anywhere else, and we strongly believe our print and online audiences will find them extremely useful,” says Trade Only Editor-in-Chief Bill Sisson. “Joining MRAA and Baird in gathering data and distributing the Pulse Report results each month was an easy choice for us, and we’re pleased to partner with these two organizations.”

While the Pulse Reports analyze an array of industry data points such as new boat demand, inventory levels,  access to credit and other indicators, the Marine Retail Sentiment Index, a sort of confidence index for retailers, was one of the chief reasons the reports were created. Providing a glimpse into how dealers are feeling about current and future market conditions, the current conditions sentiment index rebounded to near-record highs in December and January after dipping early in the fourth quarter of 2016. The 3-5 year sentiment index remains at record highs.

“Regularly monitoring the economic vitality of retail boating not only plays a key role in how MRAA members plan their year, but identifying key trends allows marine retailers to adjust their long-range plans as well,” MRAA President Matt Gruhn said. “Offering the industry access to the Pulse Reports provides an important baseline off which dealerships can make decisions.”

In addition to raw numbers, Baird provides an analyst’s report to accompany each survey. This expert analysis of the most recent data available adds valuable context to detailed analytics and allows the information to be applied with confidence at dealerships.

“Our goal is to make participation in the survey a quick and easy exercise,” Craig Kennison, senior research analyst and director of research operations at Baird, said. “We’re interested in gathering data from dealerships of all sizes, and confidentially sharing a few important metrics can have a major benefit for the entire marine industry.”

Access to the monthly Pulse Reports is free for MRAA members; all others can view the report by either participating in the survey or by visiting www.rwBaird.com and creating an account.

 

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About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the companies that interact with the boater in their community must thrive. Those businesses determine the boater’s experience and are the leading factor in the industry’s success. MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those businesses, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit MRAA.com.

About Baird Research 
Baird offers internationally recognized equity research, sales and corporate access to institutional clients around the world and a full suite of equity trading services. As a privately held, employee-owned firm, we have a long-term focus on client relationships and associate development. Our exceptionally low turnover rate ensures continuity and quality in client coverage. And as one of the nation’s best places to work, we are able to attract and retain top talent.  Our client relationships are built on:

About Soundings Trade Only
Soundings Trade Only is the B2B print magazine marine industry professionals count on for all the news that is relevant and important to them in their jobs. Trade Only monthly magazine breaks news and explores it in depth, through features and columns that help the industry understand the news and put it into context. It is available in a printed or digital format.

SeaDek becomes MRAA Platinum Partner

MINNEAPOLIS, March 1, 2017 — SeaDek Marine Products, a manufacturer of non-skid, closed-cell EVA traction products, has joined the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas as a Platinum Partner — the MRAA’s highest level of corporate partnership.

SeaDek, which recently also sponsored and contributed to the success of MRAA’s 2017 Compensation Study, has demonstrated a deep commitment to supporting the marine dealer body with this membership with the MRAA as well as its participation in last month’s Marine Dealer Conference & Expo.

“We realize that the dealers are the direct connection between builders and their customers,” says Jason Gardner, VP of Marketing for SeaDek Marine Products. “By supporting the dealers we understand that we are better serving our customers and doing our part to help the OEMs grow their business. We are all in this together.”

SeaDek says its product can be tailored to fit a wide variety of applications on just about any type of boat, including additional applications such as swim platforms, cockpit pads, step kits, footwells, gunnels and trailers.

“We know that the SeaDek team has long enjoyed excellent relationships with its boat builder partners,” explains Matt Gruhn, President of MRAA. “We’re thrilled to see that they’re continuing to expand their reach to nurture those same types of relationships with the dealers who are servicing boats and customers on a daily basis. It’s an honor to welcome them onboard.”

SeaDek Marine Products joins a continually growing roster of boat manufacturers, vendors and suppliers that have chosen to support the dealer community through partnership with the MRAA. Find a full menu of partner benefits here.

About MRAA
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the companies that interact with the boater in their community must thrive. Those businesses determine the boater’s experience and are the leading factor in the industry’s success. The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those businesses, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, please call 763-315-8043 or visit www.mraa.com.
 
About SeaDek Marine Products
SeaDek manufactures a wide range of EVA non-skid products for OEM boat builders, aftermarket customers, and dealers. In addition to custom products, SeaDek offers an extensive line of retail items, including DIY sheet material, anti-fatigue helm station pads, coaming bolsters, and more. As a safe and comfortable alternative to molded-in non-skid, paint-on textures and other marine traction products currently available, SeaDek provides exceptional traction and aesthetically pleasing stylistic options. Made from UV protected non-absorbent EVA foam, SeaDek utilizes an acrylic-based 3M™ pressure sensitive adhesive for a lasting bond and simple peel-and-stick application. In 2014, SeaDek became an employee owned company with the implementation of an ESOP profit sharing plan. With a wide array of colors, textures, and thicknesses available, there is a place for SeaDek on every boat. Learn more at http://www.seadek.com.

CRM: A look in the mirror

Whether you believe in coincidence or not, you’ve probably had an experience like this. A topic comes up. Maybe it’s in conversation, a video or a podcast. You might read it in a book or on a website. And then it comes up again and again and again in the following days and weeks.

In my case, that topic is CRM: Customer Relationship Management. Wikipedia defines it as: “An approach to managing a company’s interaction with current and potential future customers that tries to analyze data about customers’ history with a company and to improve business relationships with customers, specifically focusing on customer retention and ultimately driving sales growth.”

If you attended the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo in December, you may have heard Sam Dantzler talk about the relationship between CRM and Business Development Centers or BDCs. He believes that BDCs are unnecessary if your team is highly disciplined in its use of CRM technology. That means entering every person who walks in your door, calls your team or shoots you an email into the CRM – and then following up with them to gain the 20 touches it typically requires to convert a prospect to a customer. That kind of discipline is pretty rare, which is why he says most dealerships can benefit from a BDC.

Sam and his team at Garage Composites spoke about CRM in more depth during a powersports customer event in January. But they didn’t just emphasize putting 100% of prospects and customers into it – including the UPS delivery person. They also said failing to do so should be a serious violation of company policy, one with consequences.

CRM was a popular topic in MDCE’s Marketing Track as well. Today’s technology allows us to be highly targeted in our marketing, which tends to be more effective than messaging designed for the masses. Who doesn’t prefer to receive marketing messages that apply directly to our individual interests and preferences? But if you don’t have much prospect and customer data in your CRM, it’s nearly impossible to pull off targeted marketing campaigns.

CRM, CRM, CRM. I can’t escape. In my inbox, in my conversations with my team and with MDCE speakers. Everywhere. I started looking in the mirror. How disciplined have I been in using the MRAA CRM? The answer wasn’t pretty. So, I’m opening up a conversation with the rest of my team about how we all can improve our use of it. Here are the questions we’re asking ourselves – and you may want to ask yourselves too:

    • How does our CRM work? I thought I knew the answer, but it turns out there are several new features that make it much better than it used to be, which will help me use it more. If you haven’t checked in a while, make sure you do.
    • When should I use it? If you believe Sam, the answer is all the time. Not just the sales department, but the service department too. And the marina and boat rental, if you have it. Maybe instead the question should be: When shouldn’t I use it?
    • How do I get my team to use it consistently? If you believe it’s important – and I haven’t found a dealer or expert yet who doesn’t – you have to hold yourself and your employees accountable for using it. That means finding ways to incorporate it into your processes, tracking adherence to those processes, praising those who use it, and introducing coaching and eventually consequences for those who don’t.
    • What information do I include in the CRM? Many dealers focus their CRM notes on products the prospect is interested in or the boat they own right now. However, dealers have the opportunity to strengthen their relationship with the customer by including personal information. How many kids or pets do they have, and what are their names? What do they do for work? What are their hobbies and passions? Use this type of information to transform your follow-up calls in the best possible way.
    • How should I use data from my CRM? The short answer is sales, marketing and coaching. If you’re serious about improving and growing your people and your business, I can’t think of a more powerful tool.

MRAA Releases 2017 Compensation Study Results

MINNEAPOLIS, February 27, 2017 — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced today that it has released its 2017 MRAA Compensation Study results, which detail the compensation ranges for 35 common job descriptions in the retail sector of the marine industry.

 

More than 2,600 position-level responses were collected from a total of 292 retail locations for this in-depth report, which was created in response to an industry-driven desire to identify staffing and compensation trends for retail employees across North America. The results of the study are being shared with the industry through an Executive Summary, a Full Report and a Dynamic Online Compensation Calculator.

 

“After completing a comprehensive workforce assessment in 2016, we heard the message loud and clear that dealers believed that they could not compete with compensation packages from other industries,” explains Matt Gruhn, President of MRAA. “With no comprehensive compensation-related information or resources in our industry, MRAA set out to define compensation levels, benefits packages and more, to provide a baseline for understanding and acting on the workforce challenges we face.”

 

The Full 30-page Compensation Study Report boasts insights into salary and hourly compensation ranges for 35 common marine retail job descriptions. It dives into benefits offered at retail operations, year-over-year compensation increases, additional cash compensation packages, and much more. The study’s Dynamic Online Calculator allows dealers, then, to customize their own compensation research by narrowing their criteria by geographic region, geographic location, revenue size, and more. It also breaks down compensation by 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles, whereas the full printed report only highlights the 10th, 50th and 90th.

 

“We wanted to ensure that we not only captured relevant data to help MRAA continue to address workforce needs,” Gruhn explains, “but also that the data was useful to the dealer body in identifying and reacting to compensation and benefit trends so they can remain competitive in today’s workforce environment. This calculator provides them an incredible tool along those lines.”

 

You can learn more about the 2017 MRAA Compensation Study here.

 

Those businesses that participated in the survey were emailed a copy of the Executive Summary, a high-level overview of the study, including salary information on the most common dealership positions, as well as a link to the Full Report and Online Calculator and a promo code for a $50 discount on the package.

 

The entire compensation study package can be purchased for just $299, and it includes the Executive Summary, the Full Report and full access to the Online Compensation Calculator, including unlimited searches and reports on unlimited job descriptions and comparisons. MRAA Retail and Partner Members receive a $50 discount if they are logged in upon purchase. The reports can be purchased here.

 

This research was made possible in part by the contributions of SeaDek Marine Products and the ABYC Foundation, who sponsored the effort financially.

 

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.

MDCE 2017 Issues Call for Presentations

MINNEAPOLIS, February 22, 2017 — Organizers of the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo are seeking educational session proposals from potential speakers for the 2017 conference, which will take place Dec. 10-13 in Orlando, Fla.

The information being presented must be applicable to those involved in every facet of marine retailing. The goal is to provide an educational event that gives dealership owners, managers and employees the tools and insight to improve their performance in areas such as sales, leadership, service, marketing, parts, accessories, finance and insurance. The deadline for submissions is March 15.

“The secret to the success of our conference is that we listen to the marine retail community,” says Liz Walz, vice president of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas — which along with Boating Industry magazine co-hosts the annual event. “Our pre-MDCE survey gives us insight into the education that will most impact dealer results in the year ahead, which we use to seek out the leading experts on those topics.”

Conference organizers are looking for presentations and workshops on business topics that are not only timely and informative to the marine sector, but also offer concrete takeaways the audience can bring back and implement into their business.

“To maximize the learning opportunity for attendees, we seek out presenters from a diverse range of backgrounds,” says Jonathan Sweet, editor-in-chief of Boating Industry magazine. “That includes experts from inside and outside the industry whose roles range from consultants, 20 Group moderators and professional speakers to seasoned trainers and marine business owners.”

In total, 640 marine dealers thoughout North America attended MDCE in 2016, which represents an increase of more than 5 percent compared to last year and a new record for the event. The 2016 MDCE featured 36 presenters providing 30-plus educational sessions, including four Educational Tracks: Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus, and 11 Pre-Conference Workshops. In addition, it offered a Learning Lab, Dealer-to-Dealer Roundtable Discussions, an Innovation Spotlight, numerous networking opportunities and a large Expo Hall with more than 100 exhibitors.

If you have an idea for an educational seminar that would make a meaningful contribution to MDCE 2017 and the presentation skills to entertain and engage the conference’s audience, please submit a proposal or email Liz Walz for additional information. The 2017 conference takes place at the Orlando County Convention Center and will be hosted by the Rosen Centre Hotel and Rosen Plaza Hotel.

About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo

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, multiple keynote presentations, the Learning Lab, and Dealer-to-Dealer Roundtable Discussions. The 2017 event will be held Dec. 10-13 at the Orange County Convention Center, Rosen Centre Hotel, and Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, 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 MRAA.com.

Industry Invited to Help Shape MDCE 2017

MINNEAPOLIS – Organizers of the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo have begun the planning process for the 2017 agenda, and are looking for input from boating industry professionals to create an educational experience that offers fresh value to all marine retailers.

Take the Pre-MDCE 2017 Attendee Survey Now

2016 was a record setting year for the MDCE, attracting 640 marine retailers, and the goal is to continue to grow by offering education that delivers results for attendees across every department in their business. By taking this survey, you can do your part to shape a brand new program that is engaging, informational and high impact.

Each year, the process of building the MDCE educational lineup begins with a thorough review of the session evaluations from the prior year, post-event CSI surveys and feedback from attendees and the dealers who make up the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas Education Committee.

Organizers then create a pre-event survey designed to identify topics most relevant to and desired by the dealer community. Those results are paired with speaker research and input from MDCE’s annual Call for Presentations to develop each year’s educational lineup.

“What attendees have in common is a desire to improve and grow their businesses,” says Liz Walz, vice president of MRAA, which co-hosts MDCE alongside Boating Industry magazine. “The survey ensures that as marine retailing changes, the education at MDCE changes with it, offering new strategies that dealers can put to work to reach and exceed those goals.”

With educational tracks concentrating on sales, marketing, leadership and service, MDCE serves the entire marine retail community. All are encouraged to take just five minutes to complete the Pre-MDCE 2017 Attendee Survey.

“One of the great things about our industry is that each business is unique,” says Boating Industry Editor-In-Chief Jonathan Sweet. “We want MDCE to provide value to every single attendee, which is why we encourage all to participate.”

The 2017 MDCE will take place from Sunday, Dec. 10 through Wednesday, Dec. 13 at the Orange County Convention Center, Rosen Centre Hotel, and Rosen Plaza Hotel.

About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, MDCE offers an in-depth lineup of educational sessions, 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 four Educational Tracks, Pre-Conference Workshops, Keynote Presentations, a Learning Lab, Dealer-to-Dealer Roundtable Discussions, and an Innovation Spotlight. For more information, 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 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 MRAA.com.