It will be so great at ELEVATE!
By David Gee
When the staff at Boating Industry and parent company EPG Media sat down in 2019 to reimagine what a recreational boating industry conference could be, we really did start with a clean sheet of paper.
What arose from those strategic planning sessions was ELEVATE SUMMIT; a place where top marine industry visionaries and emerging leaders convene over strategic content to CONNECT, COLLABORATE, CULTIVATE & CELEBRATE. We like to think of it as Boating Industry LIVE, bringing all of our resources and industry experts together in one immersive setting Nov. 8-10, 2021.
“First and foremost, we want it to be inclusive of everyone in the recreational boating industry, including dealers, manufacturers, service and aftermarket providers, F&I professionals, trade association members and marina and boatyard owners and operators,” states David Gee, Boating Industry content director and editor-in-chief, who is responsible for the ELEVATE agenda. “We also want it to have a strategic, not tactical focus, yet we provide content, speakers and sessions that give attendees solid takeaways they can use to improve their businesses today and tomorrow, as well as into the future.”
The conference kicks off with the popular Mover & Shaker Fireside Chat at 4 p.m., Monday, November 8, at the downtown Atlanta Hyatt. Hear from this year’s Boating Industry Mover & Shaker of the Year in a free-flowing conversation covering a wide range of subjects, and including questions from the audience as well. There will be a casual, opening-night reception following the Fireside Chat.
On Tuesday, November 9, our featured keynote is Elliot Eisenberg, Ph.D. He’ll both educate and entertain as he presents on macroeconomic conditions such as GDP growth, interest rates, unemployment, inflation, and currency movements, and how those broader things impact the boating industry.
Next, we convene Correct Craft CEO Bill Yeargin, Ben Speciale, President, Yamaha Marine Group, and Bill Young from Morningstar Marinas for a panel to discuss the state of the recreational boating industry, including inventory shortages and supply chain challenges.
The NMMA will give a legislative update, then Darlene Briggs Award winner Angela Pilkington steps in to lead a panel discussion on “Women and the marine industry.” Joining her will be Ann Baldree, Natalie Briggs Carlson, Ellen Bradley, Keri Doscher and Helene Mellquest.
Brenna Preisser, President of Business Acceleration and the Chief Human Resources Officer at Brunswick Corporation will lead a breakout on “The Customer of Tomorrow,” a subject she and her company spend a lot of time and resources on.
Following her session, there will be a casual combined reception, and then a reception honoring Women Making Waves recipients, open to all ELEVATE attendees.
On Wednesday, November 10, corporate energizer Dustin James will get us started with his keynote presentation, “Creating everyday excellence; how to become a creative leader to find unrecognized opportunities for your teams and customers.”
David Gee and Boating Industry managing editor Adam Quandt are next on the agenda with their Market Data Book presentation on marine statistics, sales trends, wage rates, benchmarking data, boating expenditures and more.
New for 2021 will be a proprietary analysis of our Boating Industry Consumer Panel surveys by the EPG Media data analytics team.
After a look into the crystal ball on where boat sales are headed for 2022 – and beyond – we’ll hear from the top dealers in the Top 100 Dealer Panel, that always includes a lively Q&A as well as best practices, lessons learned and top takeaways
And last, but certainly not least, the Boating Industry Top 100 Reception/Cocktail Hour gets underway at 6:00pm, culminating with the Top 100 Gala Awards Celebration.
And those are some of the reasons ELEVATE 2021 will be so great! Visit boatingindustryelevate.com for more information or to register for ELEVATE SUMMIT.
