Charting a New Heading

The MRAA’s reimagined Dealer Week conference was a master class in designing an unforgettable event.

Over the last several decades, planning and executing engaging events has been a cornerstone of the strategic initiatives led by membership-based associations, utilized as both a way to advance policies and unite their members. If you have already pulled off a successful event in the past, how can you transform it into an engaging experience that attendees can incorporate into their own work all year long?

Through a recent recrafting of its annual conference, Dealer Week, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas discovered that the keys to evolving a member event include doing your homework and assembling the right team - unified behind a central vision.

“We saw an opportunity to create an all-new, immersive experience at the conference, where it would feel different than before and give our members a rewarding and memorable experience,” explained MRAA president Matt Gruhn. “The whole strategy was based on every person on the team playing a role and being part of the process.”

To build the perfect event planning team, MRAA focused on its core components. They built the foundation on the organization’s expertise in delivering tools, resources and educational programs. The team added both up-and-coming and proven leaders in marketing, sales and logistics, helping to promote the event, strengthen partner relationships and execute a world-class event. This core team of 14 people successfully hosted an exciting, 1,100-person conference and celebration in Tampa, Fla., last December focused on fueling the success of MRAA’s boat dealer and partner members.

“MRAA focused on structuring Dealer Week on the eight phases of event experience: announce, attract, anticipate, arrive, enter, engage, exit, and extend.”

The expertise of the core team was only one element that contributed to the rebranded conference’s success. The team also conducted extensive research into what to look for in an engaging, innovative event experience that has left their members talking about the event long after the closing speaker.

Team members even attended several other conferences to see first-hand how other membership organizations created memorable, rewarding experiences for attendees and partners. They read books like The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, and other articles on creating unforgettable events to help reimagine Dealer Week. Through it all, the core team focused on structuring the conference on the eight phases of event experience: announce, attract, anticipate, arrive, enter, engage, exit, and extend, a framework they learned at one of the conferences they attended.

MRAA also involved its board, young leaders’ advisory council, partners, and local Tampa dealers in a strategy session facilitated by consultant Velvet Chainsaw to provide valuable input and build on the Dealer Week vision the MRAA staff had created.

“It was a collaborative process from start to finish,” Gruhn said. “That’s what made it so rewarding: from beginning to end, the entire team created the vision for Dealer Week and followed through with flawless execution.”

With 1,300 member locations across North America, the MRAA used a unifying vision to connect its membership at Dealer Week and build excitement for the conference. Every detail was planned out – and then, more importantly, executed – by the entire team. Whether it was attendees congratulating the MRAA team during the opening reception, or following the call of the closing keynote speaker – a drummer – to go out and inspire others by passing out branded sets of drumsticks, every part of the conference reflected MRAA’s new, experiential vision.

As COVID-19 and social distancing has rapidly altered the reality of association conferences for the foreseeable future and individuals and organizations increasingly switch to virtual meetings, Gruhn says the important concepts of assembling the right team and doing your research still apply. Thanks to modern technology, the MRAA team and vision remain accessible right at its members’ fingertips.

“The MRAA has always invested in technology, with a few of our staff members based in other parts of the country,” said Gruhn. “We already use live video meetings, webinars and an instant messaging system to connect with our staff and our members. The education and resources we provide are applicable everywhere.”