Ethan Vorchheimer from Ess-Kay Yards Inc. in Brewerton, N.Y., and Frank Didonato from Port Harbor Marine in South Portland, Maine, were selected as recipients of a pair of scholarships sponsored by the MRAA Educational Foundation and American Boat & Yacht Council. The scholarships were presented to Vorchheimer and Didonato by MRAA Educational Foundation President Ed Lofgren of 3A Marine Service Inc. Nov. 19, during the annual Marine Dealer Conference & Expo Awards Breakfast at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

Vorchheimer received the ABYC Basic Scholarship, which provides complimentary access to ABYC’s Introduction to Basic Marine Electric & Corrosion Protection, a four-day course that addresses fundamental electrical theory. It is valued at $985.

Didonato took home the ABYC Advanced Scholarship, which grants him complimentary access to one of ABYC’s Marine Certifications, which include Marine Systems, Marine Electrical, Marine Corrosion, ABYC Standards, Marine Diesel Engines, Marine Gasoline Engines, Marine Composites, and Marine A/C-Refrigeration Certification. These also are four-day courses, valued at up to $1,170 each.

“ABYC believes that boat owners should have access to the best service possible,” says John Adey, ABYC president. “Offering scholarships to dealership employees is one way of enhancing the customers’ service experience, one ABYC Certified technician at a time. Congratulations to Ethan and Frank; we wish them both well as they start their courses and continue providing exemplary service to their respective dealerships’ customer base.”

The ABYC Scholarships were founded to offer financial assistance for technical training and certification of dealership personnel. Employees of MRAA Retail Members are eligible to apply for the ABYC Basic and Advanced scholarships.

For more information, contact Liz Walz at 315-692-4533 or liz@mraa.com.

About MRAA Educational Foundation
As part of its mission to create a strong and healthy boating industry, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is committed to offering training, education and professional development opportunities to its members and the entire marine dealer community. In 2004, the association launched the MRAA Educational Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, to provide financial support for education, training and professional development in the recreational marine trades. For more information, visit MRAA.com/foundation.

About Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
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 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.

Margaret Podlich, president of the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), the nation’s largest boat owners’ association with more than 500,000 members, was named the 2014 Darlene Briggs Woman of the Year. Podlich was honored Wednesday morning, Nov. 19, during the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo Awards Breakfast at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. The Darlene Briggs Woman of the Year Award is presented annually to an outstanding woman in the marine industry.

For the past 20 years, Podlich has served in various capacities for BoatUS, working her way up to the presidency in 2011. She began her two-decades-long career with the association back in 1994, when she was recruited by BoatUS to run its then-new, non-profit BoatUS Clean Water Trust. In 2005, Podlich was promoted to the position of vice president of government affairs. She ascended to BoatUS’ top position more than three years ago, overseeing the group’s membership activities, recruitment and retention efforts, government affairs and lobbying responsibilities, and consumer and public affairs, among other responsibilities.

Podlich is active beyond her BoatUS duties with organizations such as the Recreational Boating Leadership Council and the American Boat & Yacht Council, where she currently sits on the ABYC Board of Directors. She also served one term on the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Advisory Council, ending in 2011.

A lifelong boater, Podlich was raised in a sailing family. After racing in college while attending Tulane University, she competed in a wide range of national and international events, including finishing fourth in the 2011 Rolex Women’s International Keelboat Regatta. In 2006, she also was a member of the three-woman Yngling Team Cronin sailing crew that competed for a place on the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team for the 2008 Beijing Summer Games.

“To be in the select group of women who have received this award before me — who build, sell, service and provide ‘homes’ to the boats that are critical to our half-million members — is very humbling,” says Podlich. “Folks like Volvo’s Marcia Kull and Grady-White Boats’ Kris Carroll have shown great leadership and prove there are successful career paths for women in recreational boating. I hope the industry recognizes that today, women play a central and growing role, and can offer a valuable perspective when it comes to increasing our customer base.”

The recipient of the Darlene Briggs Woman of the Year Award demonstrates leadership and commitment to the boating business. Recipients also must show a willingness to volunteer their time and effort in their communities and social organizations.

The award was established in 1987 in honor of Darlene Briggs of Wayzata Marine in Wayzata, Minn., who exemplified these qualities, serving as the first retail marine saleswoman in Minnesota and the first female member of her state marine trades association. It is sponsored by the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and Boating Industry magazine.

At the event, Boating Industry’s national sales director Kathy Johnson introduced the 2007 Darlene Briggs Award winner, Marcia Kull, vice president of Volvo Penta of the Americas, who presented the award to Podlich. Podlich received a trophy furnished by Boating Industry, which will publicize the presentation and feature Podlich in an upcoming issue of the magazine following the event.

“Margaret’s passion for boating is evident in all she pursues, and she directly translates that passion into action that ensures safe and available boating access for all boaters,” says Kull. “She promotes and protects boating on both a national and regional basis, and works with a wide variety of stakeholders to solve issues facing the boating community tirelessly and enthusiastically. She is an incredible person and thoroughly deserving of the honor of being named the Darlene Briggs Woman of the Year.”

Past recipients include: Rallee Chupich of Gordy’s Lakefront Marine; Debbie Meigs of Cobalt Boats; Jewell “Julie” Crowe of Crowe Marine; Barbara Woodard of Woodard Marine; Nancy Smith of Colorado Boat Center; Ann Baldree of Marine Products Corp.; Marcia Kull of Volvo Penta; Joan Maxwell of Regulator Marine Inc.; Kris Carroll of Grady-White Boats; Lynn Fiorenzano of Silver Spring Marine; and Maureen Dickson of Cap Sante Marine.

For more information, contact Liz Walz at 315-692-4533 or liz@mraa.com.

About MRAA Educational Foundation
As part of its mission to create a strong and healthy boating industry, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is committed to offering training, education and professional development opportunities to its members and the entire marine dealer community. In 2004, the association launched the MRAA Educational Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, to provide financial support for education, training and professional development in the recreational marine trades. For more information, visit MRAA.com/foundation.

About Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
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 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.

More than 200 dealers signed up to participate in yesterday’s MDCE Pre-Conference Workshops, the unofficial kick-off of the 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, which runs Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

The seven morning sessions were well attended by 213 dealers eager to learn about everything from sales and marketing strategies to social media and video editing.

After a successful initial launch in 2013, MDCE organizers decided to bring back the Pre-Conference Workshops for the 2014 event. The workshops give marine retailers access to hands-on training with leading experts in areas that have the biggest impact on their future success.

“In 2013, dealers rated the workshops higher than any other aspect of the MDCE education,” says Liz Walz, director of education for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which produces the annual event in partnership with Boating Industry. “When the results are tallied, I expect this year’s workshops to be just as powerful for attendees, if not more so.”

This year’s workshop topics included leadership, sales, marketing, social media, succession planning, video production and editing, and the service department. Each workshop featured takeaways (job descriptions, workbooks/guidebooks, report cards, tip sheets, etc.) to help attendees implement what they learned in the pre-conference sessions without delay upon returning to their respective dealerships.

“The Pre-Conference Workshops give MDCE attendees a chance to dig deeper into several subject areas they have previously identified as being critical to their business success,” says Boating Industry editor-in-chief Jonathan Sweet. “It’s an educational opportunity unlike any other we offer here at the conference, and attendees that chose to take advantage of the Pre-Conference Workshops report satisfaction and enthusiasm for implementing and sharing what they learned back at the dealership upon their return home from the conference.”

The 2014 MDCE feature more than 30 educational sessions in all, the most the event has ever offered, including seven Pre-Conference Workshops. The conference has traditionally included three educational tracks, but in 2014, it has expanded to four tracks: Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus. A Closing Keynote address also has been added this year.

The MDCE has attracted an increasing number of dealers every year since 2007. MRAA’s goal is to grow the event to more than 1,000 dealer attendees. To learn more, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and member meeting. As the marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, the 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. The MDCE is co-produced by MRAA and Boating Industry, and it features Pre-Conference Workshops, Opening and Closing Keynote presentations, four tracks of educational content and more than 30 sessions. It will be held Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

The Marine Retailers Association of the America, in partnership with the American Boat & Yacht Council, announced today the launch of an all-new marine industry career center, an online resource that seeks to connect job seekers with marine industry businesses.

Found at www.mraa.com/careercenter, this new resource will provide the opportunity for businesses to post job openings and find a number of tools to help them do a better job of hiring and managing employees. Simultaneously, it will allow job seekers to look through open positions and post resumes to the resume bank.

“Our members have asked us repeatedly for a place they can go to help them find qualified job seekers, and we expect that this resource will deliver that for them,” says Matt Gruhn, president of MRAA. “We believe that the partnership with ABYC will be very valuable in that they will bring qualified, and oftentimes ABYC-Certified job seekers into the conversation, giving us the ability to create a match between leading candidates and leading businesses.”

The MRAA Rewards Career Center currently includes a link for employers to post jobs and view resumes; connect with marine schools that are educating future industry employees; and a database of job descriptions that MRAA members can tap into and use for their own operations. It also includes links that enable job seekers to view job postings and find resources that will help them do a better job of presenting themselves to potential employers.

MRAA has plans to build out the tools and resources available through the career center to offer employers more opportunities to find success with hiring and managing employees. The job listings and resume bank will remain the focal point of the career center as MRAA builds up and around those tools.

“We plan to be able to offer HR-related training opportunities, insight into career paths and salary expectations, as well as to partner with other workforce development options to give our industry more options for qualified employees,” Gruhn explains. “This is one of our members’ greatest needs, and we plan to help them in any way we can.”

To learn more about MRAA membership or to join, contact MRAA membership coordinator Hannah Muerhoff at 763-333-2420 or hannah@mraa.com.

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.

Bringing the marine retail industry’s leaders of tomorrow together for an evening of levity, laughs and networking is the core aim of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ Young Professionals Comedy Event. MRAA will host the third-annual gathering Tuesday, Nov. 18 in conjunction with the 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, taking place Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

The Young Professionals Comedy Event will kick off at 8 p.m. in Salon 20/21 at the Rosen Centre Hotel, immediately following the MDCE Networking Reception on the Expo Hall Floor. The event will feature a night of improv comedy provided by SAK Comedy Lab in Orlando.

“This is a great opportunity for MDCE attendees to socialize with other young leaders, exchange ideas and make new contacts,” says Mike Alleva, vice president of national accounts and account management at Lighthouse Media Solutions LLC and a member of the MRAA Young Leaders Advisory Council who helped organize the event. “After a full day of education and learning, what better way to close things out than to kick back, relax and enjoy a few laughs?”

The Young Professionals Comedy Event is the brainchild of MRAA’s YLAC, a group of marine industry professionals all under the age of 40 that represent the next generation of marine retail leadership/ownership. MRAA created YLAC as an advisory group to represent the needs and the thinking of this generation of industry professionals and to provide additional insight and direction to the MRAA Board of Directors. The council’s creation was based on a desire to help develop future leaders to aid in the progress and growth of the boating industry.

The event is free to all MDCE attendees, but interested parties must register prior to start of the event. There are a total of 100 seats available on a first come, first served basis. Click here to register.

To learn more about MRAA membership or to join, contact MRAA membership coordinator Hannah Muerhoff at 763-333-2420 or hannah@mraa.com.

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.

To succeed as a manager, you need to get your people to fully commit to you and your business; to go “all in.” Whether you manage the smallest of teams or a big, multi-location marine dealership, you are the owner of a work culture — and few things will have a bigger impact on your performance than getting your employees to buy into your ideas and believe that what they do truly matters.

This was the message New York Times best-selling author and world-renowned leadership guru Chester Elton delivered Monday night, Nov. 17, to a packed conference room of marine retailers, manufacturers and suppliers during his Opening Keynote address at the 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo. MDCE runs through Wednesday, Nov. 19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

“The happiest and most productive people have aligned their work with their motivators,” Elton said during his address. “Everyone deserves a great place to work.”

During his interactive and entertaining Opening Keynote address, entitled “All In: How the Best Managers Create a Culture that Drives Big Results,” Elton talked to MDCE attendees about how to engage, enable and energize their employees. Elton shared in-depth research about how the most successful organizations — and those who lead them — deliver extraordinary results.

“Ask your people what you can do better,” Elton urged managers and principals in the room. “Rooting for each other is the secret sauce of a great culture.”

Elton provided keynote attendees with ideas to excite and motivate dealership employees — ideas that are intended to boost employee morale and translate into a more productive workplace. His methods have been put to good use in his role as leadership consultant to firms such as American Express, Avis Budget Group, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Cigna.

“General praise has no impact on people,” Elton said. “You can’t just come to work and say ‘Great job!’ Specific has all kinds of power.”

Key take-aways from Elton’s Monday evening address include: The three characteristics of the world’s most profitable, productive team cultures; seven steps today’s most successful managers use to generate employee buy-in; and ways any manager can build a culture in which employees give that extra push of effort.

“In the pre-MDCE surveys, leadership was the topic in highest demand by marine dealers,” explains Liz Walz, director of education for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which produces the annual event in partnership with Boating Industry. “Chester Elton not only provided insight that will help MDCE attendees better lead their businesses, but by giving them tools to improve employee satisfaction, his advice also will likely result in a better customer experience.”

Co-author of several successful leadership books including “All In,” “The Carrot Principle,” and “The Orange Revolution,” Elton is considered an expert in the field of company culture and employee engagement. His research shows that the most successful businesses deliver extraordinary results by developing a team culture in which employees believe that they are valuable contributors to the business.

Elton’s collection of books, which are both New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, have been translated into more than 30 languages and sold more than a million copies worldwide. His work has been called a “must read for managers” by Larry King of CNN, and he earned the clever moniker “Apostle of Appreciation” by Canada’s largest newspaper, the Globe and Mail.

“Chester did an amazing job firing up the dealer base and getting MDCE attendees excited for the next few days of educational opportunities,” says Boating Industry editor-in-chief Jonathan Sweet. “A huge thank-you to our longtime Opening Keynote sponsor, Smoker Craft, for allowing us to bring a talent like Chester to MDCE.”

The 2014 MDCE features more than 30 educational sessions in all, the most the event has ever offered, including seven Pre-Conference Workshops. The conference has traditionally included three educational tracks, but in 2014, it has expanded to four tracks: Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus. A Closing Keynote address also has been added this year.

The MDCE has attracted an increasing number of dealers every year since 2007. MRAA’s goal is to grow the event to more than 1,000 dealer attendees. To learn more, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and member meeting. As the marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, the 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. The MDCE is co-produced by MRAA and Boating Industry, and it features Pre-Conference Workshops, Opening and Closing Keynote presentations, four tracks of educational content and more than 30 sessions. It will be held Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

Marine retailers looking to renew their Marine Industry Certified Dealership status or get through the next step of the MICD Program in the most affordable way possible will have a golden opportunity to do so at the 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, taking place Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

Dealerships that swing by the MICD Booth #302 on the MDCE Expo Hall Floor to register for the next step of the program or to Recertify will receive $200 off the total cost of their Certification or Recertification.

To begin the path towards completing Certification, dealers start with Step 1, which focuses on outstanding customer service, for an entry point of less than $600. Dealers can then move on to Step 2, focusing on operational excellence, for $949. Finally, to achieve superior performance, the third and final step, Five Star Certification, the cost for dealers is $1,330, keeping the total fee for program participation under $3,000.

There’s also a Fast Track option that allows dealers to follow a more streamlined route to Certification at a total cost of $2,499, which represents a $380 savings over completing the program one step at a time. Recertification takes place every other year at a total cost of $1,699 (to Recertify at the Five Star level).

Members of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas receive additional discounts for each step of the MICD Program (a $50 savings per step and $100 off the Fast Track).

“The $200 MICD Program savings available exclusively to dealers that sign up to participate at MDCE is a great incentive to either get enrolled, continue on with, or stay involved in Certification,” says Sonja Moseley, MICD Program director. “We know how important it is to monitor costs and expenditures for marine retailers, and in order to help them save the most money possible, we wanted to offer this valuable, cost-saving opportunity to dealerships that make it a priority to attend the industry’s premier annual dealer educational event.”

For more information about the MICD Program or to enroll, contact Sonja Moseley at 763-333-2424 or sonja@mraa.com.

About the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program
Managed by the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program (MICD) is dedicated to improving the customer experience at the retail level. The first step in the Certification process focuses on establishing a high level of customer satisfaction through communication, appearance and quality. The second tier of Certification continues to enhance the customer experience by implementing processes for overall dealership functionality. At the program’s Five Star level, established organizational procedures are implemented to ensure smooth operations and happy customers. To learn more about the MICD Program, visit MRAA.com/certification.

The cost of producing custom dealership videos can be an exorbitant expense for dealerships large and small. A professional job could cost upwards of $15,000 or more, and this is money that many dealerships must allocate to other, more pressing aspects of running their business on a day-to-day basis.

Fortunately, the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program is taking some of the sting out of this traditionally enormous cost by making professional, completely customizable, consumer-facing videos available exclusively for MICDs for just $1,475 — but this special price only is available for Certified Dealers that attend the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, taking place Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

“This is an amazing opportunity for Certified Dealers to up their game even more by taking advantage of what amounts to probably the lowest cost available for the most professional-looking custom videos in the industry,” says Sonja Moseley, MICD Program director. “We know that video is becoming an even more critical component of a dealership’s overall marketing strategy, and consumers are at the point where they not only want, but expect, to see your business on YouTube, Google+ and the like. These consumer-facing videos will help jump-start Certified Dealers’ video marketing efforts and give them even more online visibility, where a potentially limitless customer base is waiting to learn more.”

The MICD Program mailed out postcards the third week of October that guarantee Certified Dealers their custom video discount at MDCE. Certified Dealers are simply required to bring the postcard to the MICD Booth at MDCE, #302, and lock in their one-time-only rate of just $1,475. After the show, the price goes up to $1,975.

“We have some fantastic footage on file, just waiting for Certified Dealerships to use in their consumer-facing promos,” says Charles Eide, CEO of Minneapolis-based EideCom, the exclusive video provider for the MICD Program. “We look forward to working with these dealers and helping them create a unique, memorable and custom piece for a consumer audience.”

EideCom will produce the custom videos by taking B-roll shot for various MICD Program videos and transforming it into a perfectly unique, customized video for Certified Dealers, helping them promote their Certified status to consumers and explain its value.

For more information about the MICD Program or to enroll, contact Sonja Moseley at 763-333-2424 or sonja@mraa.com.

About the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program
Managed by the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program (MICD) is dedicated to improving the customer experience at the retail level. The first step in the Certification process focuses on establishing a high level of customer satisfaction through communication, appearance and quality. The second tier of Certification continues to enhance the customer experience by implementing processes for overall dealership functionality. At the program’s Five Star level, established organizational procedures are implemented to ensure smooth operations and happy customers. To learn more about the MICD Program, visit MRAA.com/certification.

In order to take care of your business and dealership team members, you need to first understand what’s happening in the government and the industry. Matt Gruhn, president of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, and Jeff Englander, senior vice president and senior research analyst at GE Capital, will lead the MRAA Special Presentation “Caring For Your Team and Your Dealership,” being held in conjunction with the 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo Nov. 16-19 in Orlando, Fla.

The hour-long presentation, which takes place Monday, Nov. 17 at 4 p.m. in the Rosen Centre Hotel’s Junior Ballroom, will provide insights into how the Affordable Care Act impacts marine retailers. It will include an update of revisions to ACA deadlines, requirements that apply to employers contained within the act, and strategic considerations around ACA planning, administration and coverage.

“The employer mandate to comply with ACA will officially become law on Jan. 1, 2015, and despite the fact that more employers appear to be aware of their requirements under the law, a recent study by the Transamerica Center for Health Studies found that almost one-third reported being ‘less than satisfied’ with their level of knowledge about the law,” says Gruhn. “This informative MDCE presentation seeks to educate dealers about what they can expect their legal responsibilities to be under the law and also provide them with the tools they need to ensure compliance.”

With the Jan. 1, 2015 deadline fast approaching, it is incumbent upon marine retailers to ensure they’re ready to either implement the employer mandate, or take advantage of the potential incentives in the ACA that apply to them.

“Small and mid-sized businesses — which encompass many of today’s marine retailers — should take steps now to ensure they’re prepared for the upcoming changes set out in the ACA,” explains GE’s Englander. “There’s a lot to consider, so it’s crucially important for each business to get up to speed on ACA employer requirements and consult legal counsel for specific guidance. It’s also important for dealers to implement cost management strategies that can potentially help ease the burden of implementation.”

The 2014 MDCE features more than 30 educational sessions in all, the most the event has ever offered, including seven Pre-Conference Workshops. The conference has traditionally included three educational tracks, but in 2014, it has expanded to four tracks: Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus. A Closing Keynote address also has been added this year.

The MDCE has attracted an increasing number of dealers every year since 2007. MRAA’s goal is to grow the event to more than 1,000 dealer attendees. To learn more, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and member meeting. As the marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, the 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. The MDCE is co-produced by MRAA and Boating Industry, and it features Pre-Conference Workshops, Opening and Closing Keynote presentations, four tracks of educational content and more than 30 sessions. It will be held Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

The 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo officially got underway with much excitement last night during the Opening Night Kick-Off Reception on the Expo Floor. MDCE runs Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

During the networking event, dealers were treated to their first glimpse of the MDCE Expo Hall, featuring more than 100 exhibitors. Attendees explored the 41,000-plus square feet of products and services, while entertained by the acoustic musing of the Bayside Boys.

“One of the things that makes in-person events so valuable is the opportunity to form new relationships and strengthen old ones,” says Liz Walz, director of education for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which produces the annual event in partnership with Boating Industry. “Dealers learn just as much from each other and the manufacturers and suppliers here to support them as they do from our expert presenters.”

The Kick-Off Reception was sponsored by Dominion Marine Media. In addition to the live entertainment, attendees were treated to cocktails, hors d’oeuvers, and plenty of time to mingle and network before the Pre-Conference Workshops and Educational Track Sessions begin this morning.

“The 2014 MDCE is shaping up to be the best one on record,” says Boating Industry editor-in-chief Jonathan Sweet. “Dealers are excited about the start of this year’s event and eager to dive head-first into the next three days of educational content.”

The 2014 MDCE features more than 30 educational sessions in all, the most the event has ever offered, including seven Pre-Conference Workshops. The conference has traditionally included three educational tracks, but in 2014, it has expanded to four tracks: Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus. A Closing Keynote address also has been added this year.

The MDCE has attracted an increasing number of dealers every year since 2007. MRAA’s goal is to grow the event to more than 1,000 dealer attendees. To learn more, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and member meeting. As the marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, the 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. The MDCE is co-produced by MRAA and Boating Industry, and it features Pre-Conference Workshops, Opening and Closing Keynote presentations, four tracks of educational content and more than 30 sessions. It will be held Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.