MRAA opens 2022 Dealer Week registration

As marine dealership teams navigate continual disruption in the market place, switching from an environment where boat pre-orders were stacking up to one where inflation, interest rates and fuel prices are causing boat sales to slow, it’s critical that dealership leaders re-establish a strong foundation for their business to find success in the uncertainty ahead. To help dealerships formulate these plans, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced that dealer registration for the 2022 MRAA Dealer Week Conference & Expo, to be held Dec. 5-8 in Austin, Texas, is now open.

Under the theme of Discipline Amidst Disruption, Dealer Week 2022 will offer dealers access to the latest training and educational programs, an expansive expo hall featuring the industry’s leading manufacturers and suppliers, and connectivity and networking where they can learn directly from other dealers.

“There’s no doubt that the economy is shifting back to put the power in the hands of today’s consumers. With more objections and obstacles to overcome, closing business and generating profits is becoming more challenging in almost every department of the dealership,” explains Liz Walz, MRAA’s Vice President of Education. “With that in mind, it’s critically important that dealership leaders get ahead of the curve and evolve the operations of their businesses for a changing market place. Dealer Week 2022 and its educational programs have been designed to help them do just that.”

Dealer Week features more than 20 educational sessions that will showcase the latest trends, strategies and best practices that dealerships should be aware of to prepare themselves for 2023. Organized into three pathways — Leadership, Sales & Marketing and Service & Parts — the training sessions will provide dealers expert advice as well as critical tools to help them walk away with significant value they are prepared to implement when they return.

The 2022 Dealer Week educational line-up focuses its efforts on helping dealerships discover the discipline they’ll need to find success in a disruptive, uncertain market. It will help dealership teams reinforce and update the fundamentals of their sales processes, strengthen their service departments and reduce their Repair Event Cycle Times.

Throughout the event’s programming, the Dealer Week Expo Hall will feature more than 100 exhibitors displaying boats, engines, software solutions, financing and insurance options in addition to many other types of products and services from industry-leading suppliers. Several networking events will provide for easy connections throughout the event, including cocktail receptions, luncheons, and the MRAA 50th Anniversary Industry Celebration.

“Dealer Week is the boating industry’s only event focused on dealer success,” Walz says. “It is the one-stop program to learn, connect and grow your dealership to new heights. Our proven approach to delivering this education has helped dealers through the downturn of the Great Recession, through the growth cycle of the 2010s, and through the severe ups and downs of the Covid pandemic. We are well-prepared to provide the guidance to help dealers through what’s next. Dealer Week 2022 is where it all comes to life.”