TRAINING, EDUCATION AND NEW PRODUCTS HIGHLIGHT 2014 NMEA CONFERENCE & EXPO
New products, great training opportunities, new trends and the best face-to-face contact of the year await attendees of the 2014 NMEA International Marine Electronics Conference and Expo, to be held Oct. 8 – 11, in Fort Myers, Florida.
Training Opportunities for DealersThe year’s best opportunity for professional training and education at the lowest cost will be offered at the 2014 NMEA Conference.“Improve your business, improve your professional expertise, or improve both. It can all happen at the NMEA Conference and Expo,” said Brad Good, chairman of the NMEA Conference Committee. The NMEA has made it easy for marine electronics dealers to provide training for technical personnel—at the lowest cost of the year.
Here is the lineup of training opportunities. ALL sessions are included in the basic conference registration fee unless otherwise noted.
Wednesday, October 8
•Choose from eight technical sessions
•NMEA Basic Marine Electronics Installer training Course
(50% discount at the NMEA Conference with full registration)
Thursday, October 9
•7 technical sessions
•6 manufacturer-specific product training sessions
•NMEA Advanced Marine Electronics Installer Training Course
(50% discount at the NMEA Conference with full registration)
Friday, October 10
•9 technical sessions
•NMEA 2000® Networking Course
(50% discount at the NMEA Conference with full registration)
Saturday, October 11
•”Tech Day” — 12 manufacturer-specific, product training sessions.
Product Discounts Available to Dealers:
Dealers that attend the 2014 NMEA Conference & Expo may also realize significant savings on product purchases.
Participating manufacturers offer an additional 5% discount on product purchases made at the NMEA Conference & Expo. Some dealers have been able to pay for their trip and registration to the NMEA Conference & Expo by taking full advantage of the additional manufacturer discounts.
NMEA Expo
“The beauty of the expo at the NMEA Conference is that it gives dealers, distributors and others in the trade the best face-to-face contact with manufacturers of the entire year,” said Brad Good, chairman of NMEA’s conference committee. “It is a great opportunity for everyone, including manufacturers who wish to make sure that dealers understand their new products, and understand how to sell, install and service them.” This year will be better than ever, Good said, because manufacturers will have more demo boats available than ever before.
The NMEA Expo, itself, will feature top marine electronics manufacturers: As this article was written, 34 companies had signed up for the expo. A total of 50 companies are expected to participate.
Demonstration Boats
With the waterside location of the 2014 NMEA Conference & Expo, several manufacturers are bringing boats to demonstrate their latest products to dealers, the trade and the media. This is a great service that gives attending dealers a head-start on understanding the new products and how to most effectively, sell, install, service them. Dealers also learn how to provide the boating consumer with the education needed to take full advantage of new equipment features and capabilities.
CEO Panel: “The Future of Our Market”
The “Meet the CEO Day” on Thursday concludes with the CEO Panel Discussion moderated by Jim Fullilove, editor of the Marine Electronics Journal. Titled, “The Future of our Market,” the panel begins at 3:30 pm. CEOs on the
panel include
•Martin Kits van Heyningen, CEO, KVH Industries
•Andrew Teich, CEO, FLIR / Raymarine
•Leif Ottosson, CEO, Navico
Product Awards
An impartial panel of journalists from Boating Writers International will evaluate nominated products and select the NMEA – BWI 2014 Technology Award, the industry’s most prestigious award. The three journalists who participate on the BWI team specialize in coverage of marine electronics. The NMEA will also present the NMEA Product Awards and the manufacturer of the year award. These awards are made as a result of a vote by members of the NMEA.
For registration forms and more information:
On attending:
Call Cindy Love, clove@nmea.org
410-975-9425
On exhibiting:
Call Jon Cole, jcole@mcnabbmr.com
207-236-6196
On sponsoring:
Call Jon Cole, jcole@mcnabbmr.com
207-236-6196
