MRAA provides new conference update

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and expo has been rebranded and reimagined as “Dealer Week: The MRAA Conference and Expo.”

The all-new event experience will be held Dec. 8-11, 2019, at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla.

Celebrating the 43rd anniversary of its annual conference, MRAA has developed a profoundly new event experience designed to engage, energize and empower boat and engine dealers and their teams so they can continue to lead the marine industry to greater growth and success.

This conference evolution has already garnered the support of several MRAA Strategic Partners: Brunswick Dealer Advantage, CDK Global Recreation, Correct Craft, Global Marine Insurance, Volvo Penta, and Wells Fargo Commercial Distribution Finance.

MRAA fine-tuned its vision and strategy for Dealer Week through an early October collaborative strategy meeting with nearly 60 leaders from around the marine industry.

That meeting was held during this year’s International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference.

In addition to the world-class educational programming that the marine industry has come to expect from the MRAA, Dealer Week will deliver deeper collaborative opportunities and a richer experience that will showcase business solutions in all-new ways.

“We have designed Dealer Week so that dealers of all shapes, sizes and levels of sophistication can engage in a memorable, rewarding learning experience that will make their businesses and their bottom lines stronger,” says Matt Gruhn, president of the MRAA. “Our goal is not to simply educate for the sake of education. Our goal is impact. Everything we’ve designed with this reimagined event experience has been built on a foundation of maximizing the impact that Dealer Week can have for the marine industry.”

MRAA has invested more than two years in designing and building Dealer Week, researching and studying conference experience trends and solidifying a foundation that can deliver real-world value and impact.

Attending several conferences, investing in numerous event-production materials, adding to its staff and retaining the services of an event experience design consultancy, MRAA has launched this new era of its annual conference with more expertise and passion than ever before.

“Dealer Week is the in-person embodiment of everything we offer at the MRAA. Our association exists to invest in the growth of the marine dealer body and the marine industry, and you’ll see that investment come to life at Dealer Week,” says Liz Walz, vice president and director of education at the MRAA. “We already offer high-level educational programs, developed specifically for marine dealers, but our event-based education is improving. At Dealer Week, we’re stepping it up by adding new elements, a variety of learning opportunities and deeper dives into the topics that matter most to dealership success. The Dealer Week education experience will be unlike anything our dealers have experienced before.”

For more than 40 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world-class educational programming to dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry and serve today’s boaters.

Dealer Week evolves as MRAA’s rebranded and reimagined annual conference and expo, a profoundly new event experience designed to engage, energize and empower the dealer community.

The MRAA envisions a brighter future for marine retail, and Dealer Week is the preeminent means for bringing that vision to life. Learn more at www.DealerWeek.com.