What Type of Event Should I Hold?
This year with our partnership with Discover Boating we are focusing on not only land-based events, but we are bringing you the opportunity to let visitors have on-the-water experiences with skilled trainers guiding them in the basics of boat operation. In addition several of our partners are offering products or services to participating marinas.
Landside Activities
What you create to entice visitors to your marina is guided only by what you and your staff can imagine and put together. We only ask that you consider bringing visitors some more information on the fun of boating, your commitment to your community, the value of keeping our waters clean, and how they can become boaters.
Options for such a celebration include, but are not limited to:
- Tours of your facility
- Children’s activities and events, such as scavenger hunts, build a boat projects, touch tanks
- Raffles and charity fundraisers
- Clean-up day
- Environmental demonstrations
- New boat demos
- Fishing rodeos
- Boating safety demonstrations
- Booths of items for sale from local businesses
- Live music
- Picnics
- Sailing races or boat parades
Experiential On-Water Events
Letting people take the helm on a boat will show them how much fun boating is and how easy it can be with a few fundamental skills. Bring hands-on training to your National Marina Day event and see your participants walk off the boats so excited and enthused about boating that they can’t wait to buy a boat and get back on the water.
Let us help you bring together certified trainers, dealers with boats, and host sites to have your own Welcome to the Water on National Marina Day on-the-water customer experience.
For more information and to find out how you can organize and conduct these events on a local level, contact:
Tom Knighten, Discover Boating Team Leader
772-220-3849 or 561-307-4880 (cell) [email protected]
Partner Offerings:
American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) would like to find several marinas across the US who are interested in hosting Free Boat System Checks for their customers or visiting boaters as part of their day’s events. Certified ABYC electricians will come to your site and inspect the boats. Customers must pre-register for a set inspection time. For more information visit http://abyc.com/whyabyc/clinic.cfm
The National Safe Boating Council’s Wear It! campaign has resources available to help share the important message of life jacket wear. The campaign web site, SafeBoatingCampaign.com, has its print, video, and radio public service announcements available for download. Interested in a free custom Wear It! logo with your marina’s name? Email [email protected] with your request. Free resources including stickers for kids, brochures, posters, and DVDs are available to order at BoatingOrders.com under “Free Resources.” Generic Wear It! banners made of heavy-duty vinyl and grommets for easy hanging are only $25.00 and durable plastic Wear It! and Life Jacket Zone signs (two-sided with Spanish translation) are only $8.00 each.
Ocean Conservancy educates and empowers citizens to take action on behalf of the ocean. Help educate your customers on the steps they can take to enjoy their boats in an environmentally responsible way. Please contact Ocean Conservancy for green boating brochures and posters at [email protected] or 202.280.6267. Marina owners are in a unique position to stop trash and other pollution from entering the water: clean water is good for boating and for business.
State Clean Marina Programs promote not only clean marinas, but clean boater programs. Many can provide information to boaters on clean boating practices and some groups may even be able to set up a booth at your site. Visit this site to find your state’s program. http://marinaassociation.org/government/clean-marina
US Coast Guard Auxiliary has local chapters throughtout the US with members who can provide Vessel Safety Checks, educational booths highlighting navigation and boat handling courses, as well as general safety information. Visit this site http://www.cgaux.org/units.php to find a group near you and see what they have to offer.
ValvTect is providing free trophies for marinas to distribute to the person who has traveled the farthest to attend their National Marina Day event. Deadline to apply for trophies is May 25. National Marina Day Trophy Form 2013 .
