MBIA conference attracts 158 registrants
LIVONIA, Mich. – The Michigan Boating Industries Association’s Recreational Boating Education Conference – scheduled for Dec. 8 -10 at the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City, Mich. – will feature several general sessions focusing on growth for the industry, challenges and setting an agenda for the future, MBIA said in a release today.
The general sessions will include an analysis of Michigan’s dedicated boating trust funds, which are intended to provide more water access and improve marine facilities. Attendees will be briefed on where these funds are derived, how they are being spent and how they might be put to better use.
MBIA said several of the industry’s most “seasoned and successful individuals” will be sharing their perspectives on the current state of the boating industry and what they believe the most pressing challenges and opportunities for the future are. They include Herb Eldean of Eldean’s Marine Group, Dave Irish of Irish Boat Works and Pete Beauregard, Sr., of Colony Marine Sales and Service.
Attendees will also be updated on the “Grow Boating” initiative by Carl Blackwell, National Marine Manufacturers Association vice president of marketing.
MBIA has expanded RBEC to include the Michigan Harbormasters Association, members of which manage public harbors from various state, counties and city-managed Harbors. RBEC is a cooperative event undertaken by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Michigan Sea Grant and Michigan State University. For a full conference agenda, visit www.mbia.org.
Clean Marina workshop
MBIA has also scheduled a fourth Clean Marina Program workshop in conjunction with RBEC. The workshop is scheduled for Dec. 7.
“The interest in the program continues to grow and the demand for an additional workshop prior to the annual conference made the perfect opportunity to schedule a workshop prior to the end of the year,” said Van Snider, CAE, president of MBIA.
With this addition, 53 individuals representing 37 marinas and harbors will have attended the 2004 workshops, where attendees learn marina environmental best management practices as well as receive the Michigan Clean Marina manual, MBIA said.
After the workshop, marina operators move to the next stage of the designation process by reviewing their environmental policies and practices and comparing to the standards outlined in the manual. MBIA hopes to have the first group of marinas designated as Michigan Clean Marinas in the second quarter of 2005.
The Michigan Clean Marina Program is a partnership between the Michigan Boating Industries Association, Michigan Sea Grant, and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
- For more of the latest news, click here.
