marine15 set for May

The marine15 International Conference & Trade Exhibition conference program is nearing completion. In the words of BIAA Chairman Darren Vaux the program will "inform, educate and inspire delegates across the three streams of boating business, boating safety and marinas". Ninety-fve per cent of plenary and session topics have been locked in and speakers have been secured for most of the 56 plenary and stream sessions.

Boating Business Stream
Knowing what consumers are buying is of vital importance to any marine dealer or retailer.  David Campsell (pictured), Director, Lifestyle, Leisure and Industry at Carsales Group which includes boatsales.com.au and BoatPoint.com.au will explain and provide analysis on what’s selling, why and how to evaluate trends in online sales, drawing on experience and the vast data set from the Carsales Group’s range of industry platforms

Correct Craft CEO Bill Yeargin has just announced growth plans for more marine company acquisitions post acquiring PMC Marine Engines and Crusader Engines. Bill will provide delegates with insights into boating trends and successful management practices that are driving the business success of Correct Craft. Bill will also present a session on the manufacturer and retailer relationship.  

Boating Safety Stream
Assessing the effectiveness of safety campaigns will be the focus of an informative session presented by Jean Murray, Chair of the Canadian Boating Safety Council. Jean will also present a thought provoking session entitled "Cross–jurisdictional and cross-agency education and compliance: better coverage, coordination and cooperation between agencies and states".

Other session topics include online boating education, weather information systems, safety management systems, emerging technologies in boating, the lifejacket evolution and developments in essential communication tools for boaters.

Marina Stream
Issues faced and approaches to getting development approvals for marina upgrades, expansions and redevelopments will be the focus of another session led by Dr Kate Panayotou, Principal Consultant, Environmental Management and Communications at GHD. Kate will provide a particular focus on the strategies and processes for effective stakeholder and community consultation.

New technologies at marinas; berth occupancy verses yield and dry stack case studies are just some of the marina session topics marina stream delegates can look forward to.

Tony draws upon his many extreme experiences sharing the lessons learnt in a highly customised fashion to ensure genuine "take home value".

Closing out the conference will be Martyn Thomas, MD of FRANk Media talking to delegates about "Communications in the Digital Age" A compelling plenary session with vital information to keep up with the fast pace of changes in digital media, Martyn’s ethos is to consistently add value for clients and keep marketing teams abreast of the world outside their office.  As a full service communications agency, FRANk Media has a core focus on social media and the important connection to a company’s promotion strategy.

Early bird registration is now open. Group rates are also available. To ensure you enjoy the benefits of on-site accommodation at RACV Royal Pines Resort it is strongly recommended you can also book your accommodation at the time of registering. However, organisers say that on-site accommodation is in high demand.

The latest marine15 program updates can be found at http://www.marine15.com/ including pre and post activities.