Dear Marine Colleague:

We've heard from a number of suppliers and dealers that the annual MRAA convention needed change. It needed better marketing. It needed better content. And it needed better attendance. Well, we're writing to you today to let you know that we've listened — and we are making sweeping changes

But we've done more than just listen. We've reached out and teamed up with Boating Industry to create a new and improved, bigger and better annual dealer convention. This annual event has been improved from many angles. It has a new name: the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo. It features entirely new content. It has developed a theme appropriate to the marine industry atmosphere: Surviving and thriving in today's market. And it is focused entirely on providing marine dealers with what they need most: ideas and best practices they can employ immediately.

The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, which will take place Nov. 17-19 at the Rio All Suites & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev., will be highlighted by keynote speaker Karin Iwata of E-Myth Worldwide. Offering mindset-changing exercises and practical tools for immediate implementation, Iwata has taken the core E-Myth concepts and has created a customized agenda designed specifically to provide solutions for running a marine dealership. The E-Myth solution promises to provide small business owners with concepts for helping their business serve — as opposed to consume — their life, for working on their business rather than in it, and for creating a product out of their business.

This year's agenda will feature 10 educational sessions as opposed to six at last year's conference. It will feature a panel of Boating Industry's Top 100 Dealers discussing trends and ideas on how dealers can thrive in today's market; planning for greater profitability; increasing sales; service department best practices and marketing your dealership during a difficult economy.

To aid in driving dealers to this educational opportunity, Boating Industry has provided the marketing support and multiple avenues for promoting the event to thousands of dealers across the country. Promotional materials will run in the August, September, October and November issues of Boating Industry to 26,000 subscribers. And Boating Industry will also distribute communications to its 13,000 e-news subscribers, encouraging them to take advantage of this opportunity by attending the event.

As the event's exposure grows, so, too, will the exposure for its sponsors. And as part of our efforts to make this a stronger event, we have increased the sponsorship opportunities available to you. In short, there are six sponsorship opportunities that you can choose from (in the attached document) to take advantage of this in-person exposure in front of some of the best dealers in the marine industry. We've taken the opportunity to listen to you; now you can give dealers the opportunity to listen to you, too. Please take the time to review the materials that outline sponsorship opportunities for you and your company, and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact the Chicago office at 708-763-9210 or any of the committee members.

We look forward to partnering with you in Las Vegas.

MRAA Convention Committee
John Vallely, Jr., Chairman, Vallely Sport & Marine, Bismarck, ND, 701-258-9223
Rob Youker, The Sportsman, San Benito, TX, 956-399-5123
Phil Miklo, Oak Hill Marina, Arnolds Park, IA 712-332-2701
Rob Soucy, Port Harbor Marine, South Portland, ME 207-767-3254
Paul Nickel, Pride Marine Group, Bracebridge, ON, 705-645-9151