Grow Boating Program - Thank Goodness!

Thank goodness our industry started planning for a National Grow Boating Program four years ago. The program actually kicked-off three years ago in the spring of 2006. Imagine where we would be today if we were just getting around to addressing the need for a national, coordinated, research-driven, multi-faceted campaign to get more people into boating.

Kudos to Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association, Phil Keeter, president of the Marine Retailer’s Association of America as well as their respective volunteer boards for having the courage to create the first ever Grow Boating Program. Given the state of the economy and rising gas prices, our industry needs every bit of help we can find to help us get through these challenging times.

I recently attended the annual meeting of the National Marine Trade Council in Chicago where Carl Blackwell from NMMA gave a presentation to all the regional marine trade associations in the country on the current state of the Grow Boating Program. I wish all of you could have been there. It was very impressive.

Since you were not there to hear Carl, here are some of my observations:

• The NMMA is taking this effort seriously and using research and data to drive all their decisions.
  
• They are spending the $12.7M as if each dollar were their own. By that I mean they are being thoughtful, frugal and careful.
  
• All the money is being spent on national programs so the benefits are spread equally across the country; for example, all the TV ads are national cable buys so the spots are seen everywhere.
  
• John Thorburn, our Director of Communications has uploaded a summary of Carl’s presentation on our website. I encourage you to go to http://www.NMTA.net/GrowBoating/National/ and check it out.
  

I would also encourage you to spend some time on the national grow boating website, www.discoverboating.com. I think you will be impressed. There are four features on the website that you should explore:

1. One section is devoted to comparing boating costs to other activities.
2. One helps a person choose the right boat for them.
3. There even is a section they have created that is called “Persuade your spouse to buy a boat” that includes a Spousal Conversion Kit.
   
4. Finally, I suggest you order the DVD from the website labeled “How to get started in Boating” because it is good to see how the whole Grow Boating Program is presenting our sport to those who are thinking about coming aboard.

As I hope you all know, we (NMTA) are in our 5th year of our own regional grow boating program which I see as complimentary to the national campaign. Our budget this year is $200,000. If you would like to get involved in our own efforts to grow boating, contact John Thorburn in our office (206-634-0911 or john@nmta.net) and attend our next Grow Boating Committee meeting. While I am at it, I would like to extend my thanks to Bob Walker, of Lake Union Sea Ray for chairing the committee this year and to all the volunteers who have served on the committee in years past. The current committee has come up with some novel ideas for 2008 to promote boating including a summer-long promotion with the Seattle Mariners. Thanks to support from Olympic Boat Center, we will be giving away a special edition Mariners-style Bayliner 205 at Safeco Field on September 7 when the New York Yankees make their final appearance of the year in Seattle.

It is our job to stay positive while the economy goes through its natural cycles. The national and regional grow boating programs are tangible efforts that support a “glass half-full attitude.” The other day I heard an economist say that we are closer to the end than the beginning of this downturn. I am absolutely sure that when we come out the other end, we will be in better shape because the industry had the foresight to create grow boating programs over the past few years that will benefit all of us in the years ahead.

With warm regards,

Michael Campbell
President
michael@nmta.net