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WHEN AND WHERE:

Industry Regatta: June 14 (3:00 pm - 8:00 pm) - J/World Annapolis
   
Industry Conference: June 15 (10:30 am - 5:30 pm) - St. John's College, 60 College Road, Annapolis, MD
June 16 (07:30 am - 3:30 pm) - St. John's College, 60 College Road, Annapolis, MD
   
Industry Conference BBQ: June 15 (6:00 pm - 9:00 pm) - Port Annapolis Marina, Bembe Beach Road, Annapolis, MD
   

Download Conference Agenda



CONFERENCE OUTLINE:

This two day conference has been carefully designed to provide maximum information and benefit in a minimal amount of time. The schedule is jam-packed with presentations from knowledgeable, insightful and entertaining speakers; includes topical discussions on challenges facing our industry, and provides interactive break-out workshops covering a wide variety of issues critical to your business success.

In less than 48 hours, you'll gain new perspective on the sailing marketplace, learn about new e-marketing tools, improve your personal communication skills, and take home valuable sales ideas and tactics that will have an immediate positive impact on your revenue.


GUEST SPEAKERS:

Gary Jobson - Making Sailing Essential - An Overview of How We Can Grow the Sport
US SAILING’s President Gary Jobson is a world class sailor, television commentator and author. Gary has authored 16 sailing books and is Editor at Large of Sailing World and Cruising World magazines. Jobson has been ESPN's sailing commentator since 1985 and produced the television broadcast of sailing at the 2008 Olympic Games on NBC. He has won many championships in one design classes, the America's Cup with Ted Turner in 1977, the infamous Fastnet Race and many of the world's ocean races. In college he was an All-American sailor three times and was twice named College Sailor of the Year. His newest books are titled Championship Sailing and A Cats: A Century of Tradition and Classic.

Gary is also an active cruising sailor, leading expeditions to the Arctic, Antarctica and Cape Horn.
Dean Brenner - Leadership Communication for the 21st Century
Dean Brenner, Chairman of the U.S. Olympic sailing program and President of The Latimer Group, coaches athletes and Fortune 500 clients alike. Leadership in the 21st century boils down to clarity, simplicity and direction.

Dean will share five simple concepts for clear and effective leadership communication that will create better team dynamics within your organization.
Vince Morvillo - It's Not Just a Recession
Vince Morvillo, motivational speaker and world champion sailor, identifies how to bring inspiration and leadership to your business, which will ultimately improve bottom-line sales and profits.
Don Cooper - The Future of Selling
Don Cooper, "The Sales Heretic", will challenge your assumptions and the conventional wisdom about traditional sales tactics. He'll dispel myths and misconceptions that are holding your sales back and inspire you and your sales team to go beyond the ordinary. The unorthodox and innovative ideas he'll present will enable you to blast through your sales goals!




GENERAL SESSIONS:
  • Changes in Behavior of the Sailing Consumer: A roundtable discussion with George Day, Blue Water Sailing; Bruce Edwards, West Marine; Barrett Canfield, South Coast Yachts; and David Pugsley, Brewers Yacht Yards.






  • Sailing Participation Trends: Join Neil Schwartz from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers of America for a discussion on how sailing participation trends compares to other leisure activities & sports.






  • Update from Industry Segments Focus Groups: Sail America President Sally Helme moderates a review of Sail America's recent focus groups with industry leaders in different market segments.


BREAKOUT SESSIONS:
  • Social Networking
    Industry Execs share what’s working for them
    John Burnham, Moderator

    Ever want to figure out how to blog, tweet and Facebook your way to success with your customers? What should you be doing? How do you do it? John Burnham will lead an interactive panel discussion and Q&A with three industry leaders who have been working hard at different aspects of social media: Mike Mills (Jamestown Distributors), Sam Tuttle (Caffeine Interactive), Bentley Collins (Sabre Yachts).

    John Burnham is Sail America’s Secretary/Treasurer and has been a member of the board of directors for several years. John is Editorial Director of YachtWorld.com and Boats.com, and previously served as editor of Cruising World and Sailing World magazines. Although John has cruised extensively with his wife and three daughters, he spends most of his sailing time in International One-Designs and Shields, and has won each class championship in the past.

  • The New Internet
    How to take advantage of the latest trends online
    Joe Fuller

    Discover what’s working online for the marine industry, learn some tricks of the trade found in auto and cycle industries, and forecast how the Internet will evolve in the next few years. There will be ample opportunity for Q&A.

    Joe Fuller grew up as the son of a weekend sailor with whom he plied the Chesapeake Bay and the Virgin Islands. After years spent in software development, computer sales, and network management, Joe joined Dominion Enterprises (parent company to YachtWorld.com, Boats.com, BoatTrader.com, and Soundings magazine)to lead their new Internet effort, growing his team to 160 people, supporting hundreds of sites. He became Dominion's Chief Information Officer in 2009 and supervises the operation of two hosting centers where Dominion’s web sites serve 15 million unique visitors each month.

  • Can I Finance That? What’s New in Banking
    Strategies to survive the new lending environment
    Bill Thompson

    How is your banker treating you these days? Wonder why your financial sources are acting the way they are? Yes, today’s banking looks much as it did 20 years ago but there have also been many changes. What can you expect and how do you plan for these changes? Learn about the latest retail and commercial banking trends, government programs and discuss strategies to survive this lending environment.

    Bill Thompson brings 20 years of experience in financial services, with most of his career spent in recreational marine lending. Prior to starting Cardinal Points Network, Bill was a finance and marketing executive at Key Bank, Wachovia Bank and Secured Marine Trust where he served dealers, brokers, manufacturers, associations and lenders in the boat, RV and automotive industries. Bill has orchestrated many commercial and retail finance and marketing programs that resulting in increased boat sales at both the wholesale and retail levels.

    Today, Bill spends his time helping dealer and manufacturers find or keep their floor plan sources. He is involved in helping groups such as the NMMA, MRAA and NMBA in advocating for our industry. Most recently he attended the American Boating Congress where he acted as a small business expert with the goal of expanding the SBA’s programs aimed at the boating industry. Bill brings a breadth of experience from national issues that affect our industry down to what dealerships face in their local markets.

  • Professional Communication: Sharpening Your Craft
    Learn the right words, tone, and body language to improve communications
    Nancy Ansheles

    We spend most of our days communicating with others – employees, vendors, clients, and colleagues. Communication is at the heart of getting work done on time, developing relationships, resolving disagreements and conflict, and promoting our goals and vision.

    In this interactive and engaging workshop, we’ll look at the importance of communication, discover four foundational needs, and examine specific words, tone, and body language to help you sail through the new economy.

    Nancy Ansheles, M.Ed., owner of Catalyst & Co., provides creative learning programs to help her clients achieve business results, develop solid relationships, and reduce stress. She has been an enthusiastic trainer and facilitator for more than 20 years and has sparked development for hundreds of New England, national, and international organizations, including the Maine Built Boats, LL Bean, and the Maine Science & Technology Foundation. PPP Nancy’s interactive workshops and coaching sessions address workplace topics such as communication and management. She actively listens to participants and shares her knowledge, practical skills, humor, and a wealth of real-life experiences. PPPP Nancy holds a Masters in Corporate Education from Boston University and a B.S. in Communication from James Madison University in Virginia. She has a Certificate in Training Design and Delivery from Bryant College in Rhode Island and is a qualified instructor for Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Nancy lives in Portland, Maine, and on Little Diamond Island in Casco Bay. For more information, see www.nkacatalyst.com.

  • Success through Sustainability
    Growing Sailing through Sustainable Practices and Technologies
    Dieter Loibner, Moderator

    Dieter Loibner is the author of Sustainable Sailing and The Folkboat Story published by Sheridan House. He also is sailing columnist for Soundings and Yacht Revue, a regular contributor to Trade Only and the editor of the online publication www.sailing-news.us. His work appeared in Cruising World, Sailing World, Sailing, Sea Kayaker, Wooden Classic Boat, YACHT and YACHT Classic. He holds a Ph. D. in Journalism from the University of Vienna, Austria, and lives in Portland, Ore.

  • Harnessing the Power of the Unimagined
    Three-step process to get to innovation, creativity, and ground-breaking solutions
    Vince Morvillo

    In his motivational talks, Vince affirms the fact that anything is possible when you “harness the power of the unimagined”. Vince’s own experience has proven that it is not sight that builds successful companies, or enables you to succeed, compete and win. Rather, it is your own “vision” – your own ability to “harness the unimagined” and to understand that “what is, is not all there is or can be”. This belief has lead to Vince’s extraordinary achievements, and he wants to share that belief with his audience.

    Over his impressive career, Vince has achieved multiple milestones. He was the youngest department head at a world-class, non-profit hospital; managed the start-up of a medical staffing company; became the #1 sales producer for a large international sales organization; and developed a leading yacht sales organization, Sea Lake Yacht Sales, which became the Texas market share leader in the sailboat market for both new and used boats. A believer in giving back to industry, Sea Lake was the pre-eminent sponsor for the 2008 Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship and a major sponsor for the 2008 U.S. Special Olympics Sailing Team.

    A blind yachtsman and winning skipper of both blind World and National Championships, Morvillo brings his own lifelong passion for sailing to our event, along with a truly unique and entrepreneurial perspective to business. His compelling approach and winning attitude has propelled his own success both on and off the water, as he affirms the power of believing that anything is possible.