Next week MRAA’s new conference and expo, Dealer Week, will kick off in Tampa, Fla. However, MRAA said plans are already underway for the 2020 event, which the association announced will take place Dec. 8-11 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. “The MRAA has many members in the western half of the U.S. —  and in Texas itself ...

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas published its latest white paper, “The Guide to Phone Skills,” powered by the Marine Industry Certified Dealership program. This 10-page digital publication provides marine retailers with tips on hiring and training staff members, auditing a dealership’s phone responses, advice on scripting calls, and how to market a phone number. “It isn’t a secret ...

As part of its educational partnership, Grow Boating and MRAA are now offering the second course – Selling to First-Time Boat Shoppers’ Motivations – in a three-part series of e-learning courses, which can be viewed at www.mraa.com/GrowBoating.  The purpose of the series, Grow Your Dealership with First-Time Boat Buyers, is to transform Discover Boating’s research of first-time boat buyers into education, tools and resources that ...

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has opened the nomination period for the Third Annual Lifetime Achievement Award. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes marine retail professionals who have made fundamental, significant and sustained contributions to the marine industry. Applications are due October 18, 2019. Last year, Gary Briggs of Wayzata Marine, Wayzata, Minn., was named the second recipient of ...

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has strengthened the voice of the marine dealer in Washington, D.C., with the appointment of Adam Fortier-Brown as MRAA’s government relations manager. Fortier-Brown, whose family owns and operates Clark Marine, a Manchester, Maine-based boat dealership, graduated from the University of Maine magna cum laude, with a Bachelor’s degree in economics and political science. ...

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas recently announced the education lineup for its inaugural Dealer Week Conference and Expo, which includes experts from inside and outside the marine industry; and a mix of professional educators, consultants and innovators from the front lines of marine retail. “At the MRAA, everything we do is motivated by our vision statement, which calls ...

BoatPAC, the joint political action committee of NMMA and MRAA, will host two upcoming events in Florida with key members of Congress and industry champions.  Next Tuesday, Aug. 27, BoatPAC will host Congressman Mike Waltz in the Orlando/Daytona area at Mission Inn from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.  BoatPAC then heads to Tampa for an event with key industry champions ...

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas says more than 120 marine dealerships completed the inaugural year of the association’s Continuous Certification program. The all-new Continuous Certification program was launched in January 2018 as a powerful revamp to the previous “Re-Certification” process. The new program was built specifically for Certified Dealers and not only qualified dealers to maintain their Dealership ...

MRAA announced that it will divide its education during its new Dealer Week conference into three main classrooms, or Education Pathways: The Dealership, The Customer and The Employee. Each of these Pathways will feature sessions, case studies, workshops, dealer-to-dealer interaction — and a top marine industry trainer as host. These dedicated “Education Hosts” will act as guides throughout the week ...

MRAA recently launched an open “Call for Solutions” to solicit educational partnerships throughout 2019. Instead of a traditional “Call for Speakers” for a single event, MRAA is interested in potential solutions across all of its educational offerings, including both its annual conference and expo, Dealer Week, and a host of other educational initiatives. “Some topics are perfectly suited for a ...