Reception, keynotes highlight opening of IMBC
The International Marina & Boatyard Conference kicked off Wednesday night in Fort Lauderdale with an opening reception, sponsored by Safe Harbor Marinas.
This year’s IMBC includes 145 exhibitor booths and 20 sponsors. IMBC continues through Friday at the Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale and is produced and organized by the Association of Marina Industries (AMI).
Thursday featured two keynotes at the conference.
In the first, human relations expert Connie Podesta presented “Life Would Be Easy if it Weren’t For Other People.”
The key to success is the ability to get along with other people, Podesta said: “What’s wrong with finding out what type of person they are as soon as you meet? Asking the person simple questions like whether or not they would rather meet for coffee or quickly meet and go over details will help both you and the consumer.”
IMBC’s second Keynote of the day, “How Leaders Communicate To Win,” was presented by motivational speaker and former candidate for governor of Rhode Island John Robitaille. The interactive presentation provided tools to understanding the human side of communication and the need to be authentic, while at the same time being aware of the interplay of all five basic human senses.
“Over reliance on communication technology has distanced us from the human side of interpersonal communication,” he said. Robitaille continued by discussing how to “master the engagement,” which can be, “educational, entertaining and empathetic.”
