Virtual AMI Conference & Expo Presents Future of Boat Design Panel

Date: February 9, 2021
From: Kayce Florio
Contact: kflorio@marinaassociation.org
 

 
Warren, RI- After a week of successful exhibit hall visits, networking and educational sessions, the 2021 Virtual
Association of Marina Industries (AMI) Conference & Expo neared the end of the major portion of its conference with a panel discussion, the Future of Boat Design, on February 4. This session—moderated by Conference & Expo Master of Ceremonies, Jim Frye, CMM, Westrec Marinas—included Sean Marrero, chief strategy officer and president of
Watershed Innovation, Correct Craft; Troy Kollmann, director, advanced engineering and technology for Brunswick Boat Group; Joe Maniscalco, Yamaha marine service division manager; and Steve Arnold, owner of Yarmouth Boat Yard, Moose Landing Marina and Freedom Boat Club of Maine. 
 
This panel was one of the conference highlights, providing attendees an insight into the design changes planned by the leading boat and engine manufacturers and the potential impact of these changes on marinas. “This was quite a valuable session for conference attendees and the marina industry overall,” says AMI Chair, Chris Petty, Suntex Marinas. “Changes such as the electrical requirements that were discussed are a big undertaking for marinas. Having this type of information is critical for successful planning. These types of projects can take years from design to installation, being able to properly plan allows us to continue to provide the best possible experience for our boaters with little interruption, which is extremely important. Boat and engine manufacturers are selling the lifestyle, but the marinas are tasked with delivering the lifestyle and creating the experience. Marinas play a very important role here.” 
 
Educational sessions earlier that day included the second-day keynote, The Calm Person in the Boat: Leveraging Emotional Intelligence During COVID-19, presented by Dr. JP Pawliw-Fry. Dr. Pawliw-Fry is an emotional intelligence keynote speaker, leadership thought leader, peak performance expert, and co-author of the New York Times bestseller “Performing Under Pressure”. His work with leaders from Fortune 500 companies such as Goldman Sachs, Intel, CocoCola and Johnson & Johnson, as well as the U.S. Marines, Olympic athletes and NBA and NFL teams has provided him with considerable opportunities to test his science-based tools in environments of high pressure. He knows what works when leaders face their most significant challenges. 
 
The conference opened with a marine industry economic update by Anirban Basu, Sage Policy Group and was followed by sessions on strategies for dealing with long and short-term water level changes, tax planning for small businesses, and a follow-up to the keynote “Emotional Intelligence: The Key Ingredient to a Highly Engaged Culture”.  
 
The extended portion of the conference continues on February 9-10, 2021, with sessions on “Top Ten Skills of a Service
Superhero”, “Soft Sills are Power Skills: Hiring Right to Power the Best Customer Experience”, and “Boating: Managing Growth and Retention”. At 2 p.m. on the 10th, the day concludes with thought provoking, idea-packed regional roundtable discussions.  Additional sessions are being held on February 16-17, 2021.

Full-conference passes, which provide access to the full virtual event—including networking, educational sessions and exhibit hall—are available through March 31, 2021. All content that is accessible through a full-conference registration has been recorded and is available for on-demand viewing. Registrations are $175 for AMI members and $225 for nonmembers. Exhibit hall-only passes are free but require a registration to access the virtual event. To register, visit https://marinaassociation.org/conferenceandexpo.
 
To review the full Conference & Expo agenda or for more information, please visit https://marinaassociation.org/conferenceandexposchedule.
 
AMI Conference & Expo, formed in 2002 as the National Marina & Boatyard Conference and rebranded as the International Marina & Boatyard Conference (IMBC) and Association of Marina Conference & Expo, is the leading conference for marina and boatyard owners, operators and managers as well as dockmasters, harbormasters, boat builders and repairers, designers and industry consultants.
 
AMI—The Association of Marina Industries (AMI) is a nonprofit membership organization that provides management training, education and information about research, legislation, and environmental issues affecting the marina industry.