ARI/Channel Blade signs on as MDCE sponsor

MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — ARI/Channel Blade Technologies has signed on as a “Powered by” sponsor for the 2010 Marine Dealer Conference and Expo. The conference, hosted by Boating Industry magazine, the Marine Retailers Association of America and the marine industry’s leading suppliers, takes place Nov. 14-17 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel and Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
ARI/Channel Blade chose the “Powered by” level, the highest MDCE sponsorship available, because it supports the educational mission of and the sharing of business solutions at the MDCE’s. ARI/Channel Blade was also a “Powered by” sponsor for last year’s event.
“The mission of MDCE completely fits with what we do at ARI/Channel Blade,” says Chuck Lewis, Industry Executive – Marine and RV Industries at ARI/Channel Blade. “They offer solutions for the entire marine industry, which is what we do by providing technology-enabled solutions that help dealers, distributors and manufacturers reduce cost and increase sales.”
In that same line of thinking, ARI/Channel Blade will also support the MDCE with two educational sessions. Bob McCann, whose 2009 presentation provided some of the most shocking lead management data the industry has ever seen, will return to share with attendees best practices that dealers can immediately implement to increase service department revenue at his presentation “Web Strategies for Service Profits,” during the Service Department Track. And Richard Harris will share with attendees best practices designed to generate more high quality leads at his presentation on “Immediate Results Using SEM” during the Sales & Marketing Track. As an added value, ARI/Channel Blade will create and distribute a Search Engine Analysis report for pre-registered dealers that attendees can be pick up by visiting ARI/Channel Blade’s booth.
Last year’s MDCE, which took place at Disney’s Coronado Spring Resort in Orlando, attracted 743 total attendees, an increase of 199 percent over 2008. Of those who attended, 439 were dealership personnel, an increase of 122 percent over 2008, and 228 individual dealerships were represented. In addition, 75 companies exhibited during the show, filling 58,000 square feet of exhibit space, which also represented a substantial increase over 2008.
This year’s event, MDCE 3.0: New Decade, New Market, New Strategies, will once again feature a first-class educational lineup, including three concurrent tracks and more than 20 total educational sessions all designed based on feedback generated through a survey of marine dealers. The exhibit hall at the Orange County Convention Center, a five-minute walk from the host hotel, offers 106,272 square feet of space.
“The MDCE will offer its best, most detailed educational line-up yet, thanks to partnerships with companies like ARI/Channel Blade,” says Matt Gruhn, publisher of Boating Industry. “ARI/Channel Blade has an innate passion for educating dealers on how to succeed in the current economy, and that makes this a stronger partnership each and every year.”
ARI Network Services is a leading provider of technology-enabled solutions, including electronic parts catalogs and marketing services to dealers, distributors and manufacturers in the manufactured equipment markets. Channel Blade, an ARI company, provides online lead generation, lead management and sales education solutions.
The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is the Marine Retailers Association of America’s annual conference. It focuses on dealer education in areas such as Sales & Marketing, Service, and this year adds a third track geared toward dealer principals titled “Powering Profits.” Through a five-year agreement signed in 2009, the MDCE is co-produced by the MRAA and Boating Industry magazine. The partnership began in 2008 when Boating Industry provided marketing support and content creation services to the MRAA in addition to helping re-brand the event. That year dealer attendance doubled, and in 2009, aided by a move to Orlando, Fla., the partnership lead to a 200-percent increase in total attendance and exponential growth in exhibit space sold. For more information and to register for the event, go to boatingindustry.com/mdce.