MRAA’s Dealer Week has announced speakers for the conference, which takes place at the Tampa Convention Center from December 8-11.
The association said that Vince Poscente, a New York Times bestselling author, will deliver the keynote. Poscente, according to the association, will speak about how marine dealership owners, managers and their teams “can flourish in an unpredictable and highly competitive landscape.” Poscente will share a formula that he used to change himself from a recreational skier to an Olympic athlete in four years.
“The dealers on the MRAA Education Committee raved about Vince,” said Liz Walz, MRAA vice president. “What stood out to them were his unique combination of abilities as both a wildly entertaining storyteller and a highly effective coach. Given what’s happening in the market right now, they saw how powerful it could be to learn new strategies for thriving in fast-changing and often unpredictable conditions.”
The conference will be divided into “pathways,” with multiple sessions.
Tony Gonzalez of Garage Composites will present a session for the Dealership Pathway called “Create a Culture That Delivers.” David Spader, Spader Business Management, will host a Dealer Case Study on Succession Planning. He will interview Carrie Stacey, a CPA in the U.S. and Canada who has owned two powersports dealerships. Stacey worked in both RV and marine. The conversation will include topics such as business valuations, preparing your business for sale and turnaround support. Other speakers for the Dealership Pathway include D.J. Stringer of Garage Composites, David Foco of A World of Training, and Rich DeLancey of Dealership Toolkit. The Dealership Pathway will conclude with Spader leading a two-hour workshop called “The Agile Dealership: Confidently Responding to Change & the Unknown.”
Sam Dantzler of Wheelhouse College will be Education Host for the Customer Pathway. He is also presenting a session called, “Stop Letting Data Get Between You and the Customer.”
Dantzler will also interview Kevin Zoodsma, Action Water Sports, about “Segmenting Customer Data.” Valerie Ziebron of VRZ Consulting will teach a session on “Reducing Repair Cycle Time.”
Other speakers include MRAA Lead Certification Consultant Bob McCann and Theresa Syer of Syer Hospitality Group Inc.
Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz of Courage Crafters will open the Employee Pathway with their presentation “Go For No.” Education Host Jim Million of Million Learning, will speak with Eric Smith, Colorado Boat Center, about “Combating a Local Tech Shortage.” Samantha Cunningham Zawilinski of Portratz Partners Advertising will discuss “Intrapreneurship: Developing Early Adopters & Harnessing Innovation in Your Company.” Other speakers in the Employee Pathway include Allison Chaney of Boot Camp Digital and Art Hill of the University of Minnesota.
