May 1, 2016

New this year: three business tracks, six technical education tracks

The 2016 NMEA International Marine Electronics Conference & Expo will offer three new business tracks and six new technical education tracks to business owners, dealers, installers, technicians, office personnel, and all others who register. The event is scheduled for September 20-22, 2016, at the Naples Grande Beach Resort in Naples, Florida.

Here is the education lineup:

Moderated open business forum (Business Track)

Moderator: Steve Katz

Steve Katz, writer of the “Business Sense” column in the Marine Electronics Journal, will moderate an open forum for business owners to discuss challenges and share ideas with the audience. The goal is for attendees to take home some ways to better their business. Audience participation is welcomed and encouraged.

QuickBooks (Business Track)

Presenter: Esther Marantz, QuickBooks Consultant

This popular business management software platform is used widely across all industries, including our niche marine electronics market. Learn from the experts how using QuickBooks allows you to better manage costs, track jobs, and run reports to help streamline your operation.

Is your marine business adequately insured?(Business Track)

Presenter: Alycia Napier McGlone, CMIP, CEO, ANM Maritime Solutions

NMEA-insurance-seasoned maritime insurance specialists will go over the key areas that might be overlooked when shopping for insurance. This is not a sales pitch presentation. It is an informative review of the unique areas installers, dealers, distributors, and manufacturers need coverage for when installing, selling, and manufacturing marine electronics.

NMEA OneNet Ethernet Standard (Technical Track)

Presenters: NMEA OneNet Committee

Version 1.0 of the NMEA OneNet Ethernet Standard will be released in 2016. Attendees are invited to this technical presentation, which will cover key elements of this powerful and expandable Ethernet Standard, including the Physical Layer, Device Discovery Process, Security Module, and Gateways.

Wireless networking on vessels and at marinas (Technical Track)

Presenter: Richard McLaughlin, Aigean Networks

Wi-Fi is everywhere-on-board, at marinas, on our phones. This technical session outlines modern Wi-Fi switching and booster boxes that can be installed to help reduce the customer’s airtime bills by auto-switching Wi-Fi signals at marinas and while underway.

Tackling complex audio installations (Technical Track)

Presenter: Alan Wenzel, JL Audio

The growing trend of high-end audio systems on-board requires planning and engineering. This technical track will present an overview: installing multiple amplifiers, large arrays of speakers, subwoofers, and proper wiring techniques. Integrating to most manufacturers’ stereo head units and also on-board MFD using NMEA 2000 will be included.

Keys to a solid autopilot installation (Technical Track)

Presenter: Kevin Boughton, Midcoast Marine Electronics

Regardless of manufacturer type, important factors vary from vessel to vessel when installing an autopilot. Installation expert Kevin Boughton has installed hundreds of autopilots for both recreational and commercial vessels. He will go over drive selection, rudder feedback selection, junction box selection, and heading integration, along with other key components that all autopilot systems rely on for accurate steering in all sea conditions. He will also help in basic troubleshooting of autopilot failures.

Digital switching (Technical Track)

Presenters: Peter Braffitt, Gemeco; and John Harnet, Raymarine

MFDs are evolving more and more into digital switch panels. This session will overview the current offerings for digital switching of virtually anything on the boat that uses AC or DC voltage. The instructor will go over the various components needed to complete these complex installations utilizing the NMEA 2000 backbone.

Vessel installation diagrams & drawings using Visio (Technical Track)

Presenter: John Barry, Technical Marine

Documentation of marine electronics installations is an important step in the installation process. From technical wiring drawings to helm reference cards, backup data disks, and photographic documentation, this session discusses the requirements and recommendations for documenting the job. Learn how using the Visio PC program can add a huge level of professionalism to your business and an added benefit to your customers. Learn how to easily create wiring diagrams of your completed vessel installations and present these to your customer upon job completion.

Other important education opportunities will include:

Manufacturer-specific training offered during the NMEA Conference

ABYC / NMEA Combined Electrical & Electronics Training

NMEA Installer training at a 50% discounted price

Basic Marine Electronics Installer (MEI)

Advanced Marine Electronics Installer (MEI)

NMEA 2000 Installer

NMEA Certified Marine Electronics Technician (CMET) testing is also available during the event.

“The training and education opportunities planned for the 2016 NMEA Conference & Expo have never been better,” said Mark Reedenauer, NMEA President & Executive Director, “and many of them are available only at the 2016 event. We have listened to member requests for improving the education offerings in the hopes that business owners, dealers, installers, technicians, and office personnel throughout the industry show up and take advantage of them.”

www.expo.nmea.org 

For more information, contact the NMEA office at 410-975-9425.