Grow Boating and MRAA Expand Partnership

Grow Boating Inc. and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) are renewing and expanding their education partnership.

Under the new terms of this relationship, Grow Boating and MRAA are developing marine dealer education and training to be offered online and at the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo (MDCE), December 9 to 12 in Orlando, Florida.

Grow Boating will sponsor MDCE’s Pre-Conference Workshops, and the MDCE Show App. MRAA will produce a three-part e-learning course series: Grow Your Dealership with First-Time Boat Buyers, thanks to a grant from Grow Boating.

“The research we’ve conducted suggests marine businesses on the front lines of our industry could turn more first-time boat shoppers into buyers by understanding their unique needs and being well-armed to fulfill them,” said Carl Blackwell, president of Grow Boating Inc. “By partnering with MRAA, we can develop powerful educational resources that will give marine dealers the insight and tools to develop stronger relationships with these prospects and successfully guide them through a rewarding boat buying experience.”

Since its inception in 2017, the partnership between the two organizations has focused on leveraging the consumer research conducted by Grow Boating under its Discover Boating brand to create education to help marine retailers improve their marketing, sales and customer service.

“At MRAA, we have a responsibility to help dealers adapt to the changing needs of today’s consumers,” said Liz Walz, vice president and director of education for MRAA. “By partnering with Grow Boating to fulfill this responsibility, we can leverage the industry-specific data they’ve gathered to develop really targeted and actionable training to guide dealers to greater success.”