Smoker Craft Inc./Starcraft Marine signs on as MDCE sponsor

MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — Starcraft Marine and the Smoker Craft Family of Products have 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. Smoker Craft Inc./Starcraft Marine was also a “Powered by” sponsor, the MDCE’s highest level of sponsorship available, for last year’s event.
“This event provides a great deal of value for dealers, which is why we’re happy to support it,” says Peter Barrett, VP Marketing and Corporate Development at Smoker Craft Inc. “We pride ourselves on outstanding customer service and support, and those are great examples of the types of things that the MDCE offers dealers how to improve on.”
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.
“Starcraft Marine and Smoker Craft Inc. have demonstrated a commitment to educating their dealers on the most timely and pertinent topics of the current economy,” says Matt Gruhn, publisher of Boating Industry. “It’s great to have loyal partners who believe in our educational mission, and we’re excited to have Starcraft Marine and Smoker Craft Inc. return to support the MDCE again in 2010.”
The roots of Smoker Craft Inc. go back to 1903, when Starcraft Marine was founded as Star Tank Company by Arthur Schrock. In the 1930s, Smoker Craft, another family-owned company, began its own legacy of building quality boats. Eventually the two brands merged, and four generations and more than 100 years later, Starcraft Marine & The Smoker Craft Family of Products continue to produce solidly built, top quality boats for the entire family.
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.