National Marina Day

National Marina Day (NMD) has moved to June 12 in order to take advantage of the enthusiasm sparked by the kick-off
of the boating season. It was also moved to coincide with other industry events that support boating and outdoor recreation.
June 12 is National Get Outdoors Day, sponsored by the American Recreation Coalition and the final day of National Fishing and Boating Week, sponsored by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF). Earlier in the spring the National Safe Boating Council sponsors National Safe Boating Week, which kicks off this event filled month.

A New Plan

Since all of these activities have the same general goal of getting people boating safety, it made sense to the sponsors of these various events that they should start working together.

RBFF has an existing Boating Task Force made up of representatives from the Association of Marina Industries (AMI), Marine Retailers Association of America (MRAA), the National Marine Manufacturer Association’s Discover Boating program, BoatU.S., and the Bonnier Group, a media company that publishes many marine-related magazines. As this group met to discuss how RBFF could better engage the boating industry, the discussion turned to how these industry groups could all begin to work more closely to support each other’s efforts. The hope is that this one event could gain more publicity and support than any individual association could accomplish alone.

Since NMD was the longest standing event and because marinas are a boating hub, the group chose to hold an all industry event at several marinas participating in NMD.

What’s In A Name?

Naming this event became one of the biggest hurdles.While every group wants to have its name attached and get credit for its efforts, could “Discover Boating at NMD sponsored by Take Me Fishing” become a recognized brand?Would it roll off the tongue of participants? The answer was clearly no. RBFF stepped up and offered its marketing services, and a name was born: Boat.Fish.Live.

Ten marinas around the country will be selected to host Boat.Fish.Live. where there’s enough access to land and water. They were also selected due to their proximity to high numbers of boat owners and boating activities, hoping to ensure a sizeable audience the first year out. The planning task force also wanted to make sure that the event covered all areas of the country. Holding events at only 10 different facilities might seem like a small audience, but organizers wanted the event to be high quality the first year, in the hope that more marinas and organizations would want to participate in the future. Ten will serve as a trial number of marinas for the first year, and marinas that were not chosen can look to participate in future years.

At press time, nine of the 10 host marinas have been chosen: Bill Bird Marina in Miami Beach, Fla.; Colony Marine at Algonac Harbor Club in Algonac, Mich.; Grande Dunes Resort & Marina in Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Scotts Landing Marina in Grapevine, Texas; Callville Bay Resort & Marina in Las Vegas, Nev.; Aqualand Marina in Flowery Branch, Ga.; Anchorage Marina in Baltimore, Md.; Marina Bay at Boston Harbor in North Quincy, Mass.; and New Rochelle Municipal Marina in New Rochelle, N.Y. One other marina is still under consideration.

The Boating Task Force also agreed to open the door to boating associations and organizations that weren’t necessarily involved with RBFF. Stepping up was the National Safe Boating Council’s “Wear It” campaign, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, several dealers and manufacturers, and even ESPN.

Contributing sponsors for the event include: ValvTect Marine Fuels, Eaton Corp.—Marina Power and Lighting, BoatU.S., Premier Materials Technology Inc., and RBFF.

What To Expect?

Each site will have representatives and/or activities from all the groups, along with its NMD celebration events. To date, each site may have the following: boat demos, fishing demos, “Take Me Fishing”, “Wear It”, and “Discover Boating” campaign materials and activities, a visit by BoatU.S. tow boats, free boat rides. Some of the events these facilities have already planned for NMD include fireworks, regattas, speedboat races, live music, raffles, contests, kids areas, and more.

And it isn’t only about the activities. The event has promotional value as well. All the participating groups will be promoting Boat.Fish.Live to their own audiences. Everyone will tout the value of recreating on the water, from the beauty and tranquility of bobbing in a fishing boat to the thrill and fitness benefits of wakeboarding down a river.

Why do this at all? Every boating organization has the overall goal of getting more people out boating. More boaters mean more slip rentals and more sales and service opportunities. By combining the forces of many organizations, the scope will hopefully reach even farther.

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Warren, RI—On Monday March 15, the Association of Marina Industries launched the new and improved National Marina Day (NMD) website, www.nationalmarinaday.org.

Users will see some of the original features they’ve come to rely on, such as the NMD Resource Kit, but there is new content, and the overall design has been updated with improved navigation and more useful information.

One of the most important new features is a marina event registration page where participating marinas can enter information about their facility and their event. This will allow AMI to track how many facilities celebrate National Marina Day, which areas have the most participation and where to better focus marketing, give media a place to find marinas in their area to highlight, and give other marinas a chance to see who else holds events and what they do. A different registered marina will be featured each week on the homepage. A bonus for registering this year is that a drawing will be held of all the registered marinas for a free one-year AMI membership and all the benefits that come with it.

Other pages and links include: event planning pages, press section, information about a new addition Boat, Fish, Live at National Marina Day, application for the NMD Marina of the Year award, partners page, and more to help you plan your event and celebrate the marina industry. There are also lots of pictures to give users visual ideas on what type of event they can hold.

National Marina Day, June 12, 2010, is a day for celebrating marinas and all they bring to their communities as gateways to our nation’s waterways. On this day marinas are asked to open their doors to their neighbors and let them experience the marina lifestyle, learn about the waterfront environment and see firsthand all the fun that can be had recreating on the water.

National Marina Day is managed by the Association of Marina Industries, a non-profit membership organization dedicated exclusively to serving the needs of marinas nationwide.

For inquiries, contact Wendy Larimer, wlarimer@marinaassociation.org / (202) 350-9623

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Warren, RI—National Marina Day is moving to a new day, Saturday June 12th, the second Saturday in June.

Following comments received from participants and discussions of the National Marina Day committee, the decision was made to move the day closer to the boating season kick-off and away from the worst heat of the summer. Previously, National Marina Day was held the second Saturday of August.

“We believe this is the best move for National Marina Day. We have a brand new logo and are working on a website overhaul, and we anticipate all of this change will enhance the event,” said National Marina Day coordinator Wendy Larimer.

By choosing this date, National Marina Day was also able to take advantage of a new strategic partnership to help generate support for boating as an ideal outdoor recreational pursuit for families. June is Great Outdoors Month and June 12th is National Get Outdoors Day, both coordinated by the American Recreation Coalition (ARC). Last year 46 state Governors as well as the President of the United States issued Great Outdoors Month proclamations. Boating has not been a leading activity of this effort, but with the addition of National Marina Day as a partnering event, that can change.

Derrick Crandall, President of ARC commented, “Enthusiasm for encouraging participation in outdoor fun is exploding. Evidence of this new and potent force is the growing array of events and activities for Great Outdoors Month. And we are very, very excited that 2010 will add another important event to existing June highlights, which already include National Trails Day, National Boating and Fishing Week, National Get Outdoors Day, the Great American Campout and more. That exciting addition is National Marina Day, and we say with delight — welcome aboard!”

On National Marina Day marinas across the US are asked to celebrate and promote their industry by inviting politicians, civic leaders and the public to their facilities to show them the important role marinas play across the nation as family-friendly gateways to boating, and the responsibility marina personnel have as stewards of the environment.

National Marina Day is managed by the Association of Marina Industries—a non-profit membership organization dedicated exclusively to serving the needs of the marina industry in the US.

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