industry actually lost 35 percent of our
dealers during that stretch. Right through
that recession, though, our event continued
to grow, continued to bring inmore dealers,
and we really kind of carved out our place as
an entity that can offer dealers first-class
educational opportunities.
So we’ve taken that concept, and nowwe’ve
created regional conferences where dealers
can come out on a regional basis and get a
day’s worth of education at several stops
around the country. Last year, we held these
events, called Marine Retail University, in
cities like Boston, Seattle, Minneapolis,
Dallas and Syracuse. And most recently, we
launched an online virtual training system,
where dealers can access that first-class
education 24/7 from the comfort of their
desk or their couch, and learn how to sell,
how to improve their leadership and
customer service, and all kinds of great
things.
BUSINESS WORLD:
Talk to me
about the overall membership – since they
come from all different walks of the
industry, theymay not have a common issue
MRAA
| BusinessWorld-
Magazine
| 5
