Marine industry veteran Jim Bronstien will host and facilitate IMI’s 6th Annual Southeast Florida Marina Study Tour, October 23–24, 2012. The Tour is produced by the International Marina Institute (IMI), a subsidiary of the Association of Marina Industries (AMI).

“We’re fortunate to get such an authority for our study tour,” Jim Frye, CMM, president of AMI says. “Jim is a 20-year veteran of the marine industry in South Florida and brings with him a vast collection of knowledge about the industry from the perspective of a marina owner, a boatbuilder, and a developer.”

The former owner of Rybovich—the megayacht marina and service yard in West Palm Beach, Florida—and co- founder of the International Marina & Boatyard Conference (IMBC), Jim now owns the Florida-based Marine Business Ventures. Since selling Rybovich in 2004, Jim has acted as a consultant, an executive advisor, or partner/owner for such ventures as Saunders Yacht Works in Gulf Shores, Alabama; Marina Pez Vela Marina in Quepos, Costa Rica; and Costa Rica’s first and only boat rental business, Tres Ninas Boat Rental.

The IMI Southeast Florida Marina Study Tour is a two-day mobile training course that takes participants on exclusive tours of marinas to provide an in-depth look at the operations of different types of facilities in South Florida. At the end of each day, attendees participate in a facilitated roundtable discussion and SWOT (strength, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of each marina before heading to a networking dinner.

The 2012 IMI Southeast Florida Marina Study Tour will be based at the Renaissance Boca Raton Hotel in Boca Raton, Florida. The tour will depart from the Renaissance each day and the hotel will serve as the location of the classroom portion of the course. To make a room reservation visit www. marinaassociation.org/conferences/imi/fall-conference/2012 or call (561) 368-5252 and mention the discount code: imiimia.

The International Marina Institute (IMI) has been training and certifying marina personnel since 1986 and offers courses in Intermediate Marina Management and Advanced Marina Management. IMI also provides qualified members with the coveted Certified Marina Manager designation. The Association of Marina Industries (AMI) is a nonprofit membership organization providing management training, education, and information about research, legislation, and environmental issues affecting the marina industry.