Volvo Penta signs on as MDCE sponsor

Volvo Penta of the Americas 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.
Volvo Penta chose the “Powered by” level, the highest MDCE sponsorship available, to complement its efforts to provide educational content and business solutions to marine dealers. Volvo Penta was also a “Powered by” sponsor for last year’s event.
“MDCE has become a major educational opportunity for dealers and suppliers alike in the marine industry, and we’re excited to continue to be a part of it,” says Bob Apple, senior vice president at Volvo Penta. “A lot of great conversations happened at last year’s event, and there were many valuable takeaways, and we’re looking forward to joining those conversations again this year.”
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 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.
“Long-time partnerships such as that shared by the MDCE and Volvo Penta continue to grow into outstanding educational opportunities for today’s dealers,” said Matt Gruhn, publisher of Boating Industry. “We’re appreciative of all the support and direction that Volvo Penta has provided us over the years, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with them again in 2010 to build an even bigger and better event.”
Volvo Penta is a global manufacturer of engines and complete power systems for both marine and industrial applications. The engine program comprises diesel and gasoline engines with power outputs of between 10 and 2,000 hp. Volvo Penta is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications and aerospace components and services.
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.