NATIONAL RECREATIONAL BOATING STAKEHOLDERS GROWTH SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT - FCRC ...
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NATIONAL RECREATIONAL BOATING
S TA K E H O L D E R S G R O W T H S U M M I T
SUMMARY REPORT
DECEMBER 13-14, 2011
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Prepared for the National Marine Manufacturers Association by
The FCRC Consensus Center at Florida State University
Report by Jeff A. Blair and Robert M. Jones
January 19, 2012
“Together making boating the #1 choice in recreation” “ Facilitating Consensus Solutions, Supporting Collaborative Action”
T ABLE OF C ONTENTS T ABLE OF C ONTENTS ............................................................................................... 1 T ABLE OF A PPENDICES ............................................................................................ 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................. 3 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................10 THE PARTICIPANTS AND THE PROCESS ....................................................................................10 PARTICIPANTS AND THE FRAMING OF AN INDUSTRY DIALOGUE .............................................. 11 SUMMIT PROCESS ......................................................................................................................12 FOUNDATION FOR A COMPELLING VISION AND INFORMED ACTIONS .....................................15 TRENDS, DEMOGRAPHIC AND INDUSTRY COLLABORATION LESSONS LEARNED .....................15 BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER ..................................................................................................19 VISION OF SUCCESS THEMES ....................................................................................................19 MOVING FORWARD: JOINT ACTIONS FOR A SUCCESSFUL FUTURE ........................................... 22 RANKED LIST OF CONSENSUS JOINT ACTIONS ........................................................................ 22 LEADERSHIP PANEL ON NEXT STEPS ...................................................................................... 26 PLENARY SESSION DISCUSSION ON NEXT STEPS .................................................................... 27 CLOSING ...................................................................................................................................31 RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 1
XI. APPENDICES ................................................................................................. 32 A. SUMMIT PARTICIPANTS ...................................................................................................... 33 B. SUMMIT OBJECTIVES AND AGENDA .................................................................................... 36 C. SUMMIT EVALUATION RESULTS ......................................................................................... 39 D. SUMMIT PARTICIPANT COMMENT FORM RESULTS ............................................................ 46 E. SUMMIT GUIDING PRINCIPLES ........................................................................................... 53 F. TAILWINDS, HEADWINDS AND TRENDS ............................................................................. 54 G. SUMMARY OF LESSONS LEARNED—TABLE ROUND #1 ...................................................... 57 H. RECREATIONAL BOATING 2021 VISION OF SUCCESS THEMES OVERVIEW ..........................61 I. MOST URGENT CHALLENGES FOR 2021 VISION OF SUCCESS THEMES ................................ 67 J. RANKED JOINT ACTIONS FOR 2021 VISION OF SUCCESS THEMES........................................ 69 K. OVERALL RANKING OF JOINT ACTIONS ............................................................................. 77 L. IMPLEMENTATION OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES—TABLE ROUND #5....................... 84 M. FACILITATION TEAM—FCRC CONSENSUS CENTER AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY .... 89 RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 2
DECEMBER 2011 NATIONAL RECREATIONAL BOATING
S TA K E H O L D E R S G R O W T H S U M M I T R E P O R T
Executive Summar y
Chicago, Illinois, was the site of the December 12 and 13, 201l, ”Whatever it is we need to do collectively to
National Recreational Boating Stakeholders Growth Summit move this industry forward so that we can
hosted and convened by the National Marine Manufacturers look back 10 years from now in 2021 and
say “Wow”, we did make a difference and
Association with the cooperation and participation of every the industry is healthier and we’re all glad
Industry sector and association. The Summit was designed as a that we put forth the effort that we did, not
first step toward establishing a shared industry 10-year growth only today, but over the next 10 years, to get
to that point, to that better place.“ -- Thom
action agenda based on a shared vision of success in 2021. Dammrich, NMMA
More than 150 participants identified and reflected on the .
vision of a successful future of growth for recreational boating
in 2021, prioritized the most urgent challenges facing the
achievement of that success, and identified and rated the
acceptability of potential joint actions to meet those challenges.
The Summit concluded with the commitment to continue the
dialogue and exchange of information, and to implement
agreed to joint actions.
The Participants: Underscoring the challenges facing the
industry, the Summit participants came from all parts of both
the U.S. and Canada and represented a broad range of
recreational boating industry perspectives and experiences.
Participants included dealers, boat, engine and accessory The Recreational Boating Stakeholders
Growth Summit provided a constructive
manufacturers, distributors, trade associations, fishing industry forum for participants representing a broad
representatives, marine representatives, yacht brokers, banking range of perspectives from all industry
and insurance companies, consumer and youth organizations, segments and key organizations and
associations to identify challenges and
government agencies, big box retailers and safety organizations. possible solutions.
The Summit Process: The NMMA, as convener, engaged the FCRC Consensus Center at Florida State
University to design the Summit process and facilitate the industry-wide discussion. As a neutral professional
facilitation center with no stake in the outcome, the facilitators worked to ensure that all perspectives were
heard and that the discussions were focused and productive. Because the Summit was intended to ensure a
productive industry dialogue, NMMA and the FCRC Consensus Center developed the Summit agenda with
industry input. A pre-Summit survey, designed by the facilitation team, was used
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 3
to develop a foundation of shared information and build trust as context for the Summit dialogue and was
completed by almost 90 participants with representation from all industry sectors. The survey results,
distributed in advance, highlighted what participants viewed as the desired Summit outcomes, the principles
to guide the Summit dialogue, and the four key themes from the
participants’ vision of success. It also called out the critical
challenges facing the recreational boating community and
identified some actions that could address those challenges.
To achieve the Summit goal of establishing the foundation for a
joint action agenda that all industry segments can support the
Summit agenda was ambitious in scope. The Summit was
designed to ensure that the key challenges, the joint actions to
address those challenges, as well as concrete next steps were
thoroughly discussed and identified. At the end of the Summit,
commitments were made by industry leaders and Summit
participants to build on the agreements reached and detail the
implementation of joint actions.
The Foundation for Informed Action: To set the stage for the
LOOKING AHEAD—RECREATIONAL
Summit participants from the recreational boating community BOATING IN 2021- FOUR THEMES IN
received a presentation from Thom Dammrich, NMMA, on SEARCH OF A VISION OF SUCCESS
industry trends regarding boat sales and boating participation
1. Unified Industry Cross Sector
(down) and age (up), and a demographic presentation from Dr. Collaboration Brings Results—
Steve Murdock, former director of the U.S. Census Bureau and Boating Now Preferred Recreation
Choice. (8 Challenges)
currently director of the Hobby Center at Rice University. Dr.
Murdock’s presentation charted the population growth in the 2. Boating Participation Soars—New
U.S. from the past to the present to the future, graphically Generation, Highly Diverse, Family-
Friendly Lifestyle & Consumer
depicting the dramatic rise in racial and ethnic diversity, the aging Friendly. (7 Challenges)
of the population and the implications of these changes for
3. Expanded Access to the Water and
economic growth and the boating industry. Finally Summit the Lifestyle Has Been Achieved.
participants heard presentations on lessons learned regarding (9 Challenges)
industry collaboration including a review of the “Discover
4. Smarter & Fewer Regulations, and
Boating” initiative, and reflected on lessons learned including the Better Boating Education Results in
need for strong leadership, involvement and ownership of the Safe, Affordable and Enjoyable
message in every segment of the industry, that change is a process Boating. (8 Challenges)
not an event and the importance of research data to track progress and rally around.
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 4
The Collective Accomplishments: The Summit participants accepted an overarching 2021 vision of success
for recreational boating that was drawn from the results of the pre-Summit survey that nearly two-thirds of
the participants completed in advance. That vision was expressed
SUMMIT PARTICIPANT
through four themes highlighted above. Participants also REFLECTIONS ON NEXT STEPS
reviewed and prioritized by urgency 33 key challenges that must
be addressed to achieve the vision. The most pressing challenges “Our industry has been fragmented far too
included: how can the industry best unify around a shared growth much and far too long. There is a crying need
identified here at this Summit for our
agenda that brings results; how can we expand the boating industry to cooperate, coordinate and
consumer base by recruiting a more diverse boating community; communicate.”
how can we work together to make boating more affordable and “Specific ‘next steps’ must be identified
accessible to the general public; and how can we strengthen the quickly and a team assembled to spearhead
Industry’s collective voice on legislative issues that impact this – with a timeline.”
recreational boating stakeholders at the federal and state levels. “We need to understand and appreciate just
Finally, after identifying nearly 90 joint actions the participants how much & how fast our world is changing.
This Summit was a big step in catching up –
evaluated and consensus ranked the most acceptable joint actions and maybe getting ahead of that curve.”
to achieve the vision of success themes.
“NMMA did a great job starting the
process, now a representative cross-industry
The Next Steps: The Summit concluded with a panel of team needs to get together and summarize,
industry leaders and the Summit participants themselves offering find common ground, & circulate
both reflections on the outcomes and commitments to working recommended actions to all the stakeholders.”
together to implement joint actions that can advance the growth “Continue to work together, that is the
agenda going forward. Many participants offered support in message of the Summit.”
concept for the formation of a representative stakeholder group “We do need to focus on our agreed upon
to evaluate and develop a strategy for implementing the challenges that we all are in this relatively
small community (boating) and together we
consensus joint actions for an industry growth agenda. At the can succeed.”
conclusion of the Summit, the President of the NNMA noted,
“Great Summit, process worked to get
“From my point of view, on behalf of the NMMA, we would conclusions, systematic and organized.”
commit to maintaining a completely transparent agenda and
putting the resources both internally and externally in the boards and in the staff to make sure this effort
continues.” Echoing these remarks, Mr. Thom Dammrich offered, “As I have said and others have said, the
issues that we face are too big for anyone to grow the industry by themselves. But I do believe that
collectively we can make a difference. If you believe you can or if you believe you can’t you are right. I believe
we can and I believe we will and I’m committed to do whatever I need to do and committed to work with the
NMMA board of directors for their support.”
Leadership Panel on Implementing Summit Consensus Joint Actions
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 5
STRATEGIC VISIONING
• Effective planning begins with a shared vision of the successful destination.
• A strategic vision can establish the common ground upon which to build a plan for the future
• A vision shows where you want to go—it provides strategic direction, targets and a focus
• A plan explains how you get there
“The longest distance between two points is a shortcut.”
WHAT?
Who? Where?
Roles, Players
RECREATIONAL
RECREATIONAL
BOATING
BOATING
STAKEHOLDERS,
STAKEHOLDERS,
2011 How do we get 2021
there?
2021
VISION
THEMES o VISION THEME #1: UNIFIED INDUSTRY—
9 Challenges 20 Joint Actions
o VISION THEME #2: BOATING
PARTICIPATION SOARS—9 Challenges
24 Joint Actions
o VISION THEME #3: ACCESS TO BOATING—
7 Challenges 26 Joint Actions
o VISION THEME #4: FEWER REGULATIONS,
BETTER EDUCATION—8 Challenges
19 Joint Actions
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 6
HIGHEST RANKED JOINT ACTIONS ACROSS ALL VISION THEMES AND CHALLENGES
RANK AVG. HIGHEST RANKED ACTIONS IN TERMS OF ACCEPTABILITY
1 3.77 All consensus joint actions developed during the Summit (and in any future initiatives) should have clear
assignments/responsibilities and timelines associated with the joint actions to ensure implementation across
stakeholder sectors. The joint actions should have milestones to evaluate and measure results/progress
(metrics), and adjustments should be made as needed to ensure successful implementation of the joint
actions. (Vision Theme I- Unify Industry, Challenge #1- Developing a Shared Growth Agenda)
2 3.71 Encourage boaters to invite friends, neighbors and family boating and share stories online. (Vision Theme II-
Boating Participation Soars, Challenge #3 -Engaging Current Boaters to Bring New Boaters into the Lifestyle)
3 3.69 Industry leaders from all stakeholder sectors should commit to delivering the message regarding the
consensus joint actions for collaborating on a growth agenda (developed during the Summit) to their
respective groups, associations and affiliations. Vision Theme I- Unify Industry, Challenge #1- Developing a Shared
Growth Agenda)
4 3.68 Encourage the universal adoption and support of the “Discover Boating” and “Welcome to the Water”
campaign as a joint strategy to focus resources across stakeholder sectors on a consistent marketing
message regarding the boating lifestyle for the benefit of all stakeholder sectors. Identify a sustainable
revenue source to support the program. (Vision Theme I- Unify Industry
Challenge- Consistent, Positive Messages about Boating Lifestyle)
5 3.65 Work with boat shows to help deliver basic boating education to help new boating consumers get started.
(Vision Theme IV- Smarter Regulations, Better Boating Education. Challenge 1- Improve Quality and Availability of
Boating Education)
6 3.64 Need to focus recreational boating recruitment efforts more on kids – summer camp programs, school
programs and more kids events. (Vision Theme II- Boating Participation Soars, Challenge 2-Appeal to Young People
and Families)
7 3.61 Engage all likeminded boating industry and community constituents to speak with one voice and better
leverage resources and influence that we already have. (Vision Theme IV- Smarter Regulations, Better Boating
Education. Challenge 1- Strengthen Industry Collective Voice on Legislation/ Regulation)
8 3.60 Form and strengthen partnerships between all industry groups at the state, local, national levels (e.g. SOBA;
national associations; MTAs and others) and build a coordinated network of these groups so they can
address common access issues with a single voice and a consistent message, provide information and
connections with organizations who can aid in battles over local level regulations, challenges, funding
restraints of access to the water. (Vision Theme III- Access to the Water and Boating Lifestyle Achieved! Challenge 2-
Increase Boating Facilities and Access to Water)
9 3.58 We need to learn as an industry to sell the boating lifestyle to different generations. (Vision Theme II- Boating
Participation Soars, Challenge 2 -Appeal to Young People and Families)
10 3.57 Develop and implement a joint industry marketing strategy to grow boating as an industry across
stakeholder segments/sectors. (Vision Theme I- Unify Industry Challenge #1- Developing a Shared Growth Agenda)
10 3.57 Expand ABC to all boating segments beyond manufacturers and get support and attendance from all areas.
If ALL industry players, associations, dealers, came together Congress will listen. (Vision Theme III- Access to
the Water and Boating Lifestyle Achieved! Challenge 2- Increase Boating Facilities and Access to Water)
HIGHEST RANKED JOINT ACTION DESIGNED TO IMPLEMENT CONSENSUS JOINT ACTION AGENDA
19 3.50 Create a national (industry-wide) committee/task force/entity/coalition of representative recreational
boating industry stakeholders to evaluate and develop implementation strategies for the consensus joint
actions developed during the Summit and beyond (e.g., identify growth agenda opportunities). The action
agenda should be designed to benefit all industry stakeholders. The strategy should have defined goals, and
clear action plans each year to work toward increasing the boating lifestyle, expose more people to boating,
with a program that is supported on a national level. (Vision Theme I- Unify Industry, Challenge #1- Developing a
Shared Growth Agenda)
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 7
RECREATIONAL BOATING STAKEHOLDERS GROWTH SUMMIT
KEY CHALLENGES (33) PRIORITIZATION RANKING RESULTS
17 Table Rounds with 124 Summit Participants
December 11, 2011
Ranking Scale: 4=Highest Level of Priority. 3= High Level of Priority. 2= Moderate Level of Priority. 1= Low Level of Priority
VISION THEME I:
UNIFIED INDUSTRY COLLABORATION BRINGS RESULTS
Challenges Rank 4 3 2 1 Score
Challenge A: How can the boating industry best unify around a shared growth
1 99 15 3 0 3.82
agenda to bring results?
Challenge B: How can the boating industry develop and invest in consistent
messaging that promotes the positive and affordable boating lifestyle and 2 54 51 13 1 3.33
increases market share?
Challenge E: How can boating industry stakeholders work as partners to make
3 58 40 13 4 3.32
boating the preferred recreational choice?
Challenge I: How do we get the people who left boating BACK into boating?
4 51 44 18 4 3.21
(I.D. why they left and incorporate those influences in the marketing campaign)
Challenge H: How can the industry work together with other industries and
government entities, such as tourism to making boating the preferred recreation 5 39 39 35 4 2.97
choice?
Challenge D: How can the boating industry work to improve quality customer
6 27 59 24 6 2.92
relationships?
Challenge G: How can the industry work together to create higher levels of
7 20 43 50 4 2.68
standards to ensure quality in every sector of the industry?
Challenge C: How can the boating industry work to improve and sustain a skilled
8 12 33 46 27 2.25
labor marine industry workforce?
Challenge F: How can the boating industry enable small and large distributors to
9 7 18 52 39 1.94
work together to stimulate growth and achieve results?
VISION THEME II:
BOATING PARTICIPATION SOARS
Challenges Rank 4 3 2 1 Score
Challenge A: How do we best go about expanding the boating community’s
consumer base by bringing greater diversity in terms of background/ culture/ 1 92 18 6 1 3.72
race/ethnicity/gender/age?
Challenge B: How do we best appeal to younger people (singles, young families)
2 81 31 4 1 3.64
to consider boating as a lifestyle choice?
Challenge F: How can we engage current boating consumers to bring others into
3 48 45 19 5 3.16
the outdoor boating lifestyle?
Challenge G: How can we best increase the use of communication technology
4 44 50 20 3 3.15
and social media to attract greater boating participation?
Challenge C: How can we improve the boating experience to enhance boater
5 43 47 26 1 3.13
retention?
Challenge E: How can we improve the quality of customer service to ensure
6 20 52 37 8 2.72
loyalty and profits?
Challenge D: How can the boating industry attract environmentally savvy
7 1 23 64 29 1.97
consumers in terms of “green” policies and practices?
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 8
VISION THEME III:
EXPANDED ACCESS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED!
Challenges Rank 4 3 2 1 Score
Challenge F: How can we work together to make boating more affordable and
1 95 21 8 0 3.70
accessible (i.e., easy to enter and adopt as a lifestyle choice) to the general public?
Challenge A: How can we work together to maintain and increase boating facilities
2 45 55 22 2 3.15
and access to the water?
Challenge C: How can we work together and with states, local governments and
landowners to address the challenges and best practices of the continuing loss of 3 27 59 31 7 2.85
waterfront, privatization of waterways and public access to boating?
Challenge E: How can we work together and with federal, state and local
governments and landowners to increase opportunities for access to recreational 4 21 58 41 4 2.77
lakes.
Challenge I: How can we work together to ensure fish habitat is protected and
5 19 52 35 11 2.68
available for recreational use?
Challenge H: How can the boating industry help to provide affordable financing
6 24 42 45 10 2.66
for consumers with reasonable credit requirements to support growth?
Challenge D: How can we work together and with federal, state and local
governments to address the challenges of funding the upkeep of inter-coastal 7 18 39 52 15 2.48
waterways?
Challenge G: How can we work together to address the high cost of maintaining a
8 18 37 52 17 2.45
boat?
Challenge B: How can we work together to address the challenges and best
9 1 26 64 33 1.96
practices for transporting/towing boats to water?
VISION THEME IV:
SMARTER AND FEWER REGULATIONS, BETTER BOATER
EDUCATION
Challenges Rank 4 3 2 1 Score
Challenge B: How can we strengthen the Industry’s collective voice on legislative
1 83 41 6 1 3.57
issues that impact recreational boating stakeholders at the federal and state levels?
Challenge H: How can the boating industry work to improve quality and
2 58 41 27 6 3.14
availability of boating education for new and existing boaters?
Challenge D: How can we work together to promote tax regulations and policies
3 33 55 39 4 2.89
that will help support the boating industry?
Challenge A: How can we work together to increase boating safety while reducing
4 37 48 38 8 2.87
the costs of regulations?
Challenge C: How can we work together to address the challenges surrounding
environmental, wildlife, fishing and habitat laws and regulations that impact 5 24 58 42 7 2.76
boating?
Challenge G: How can we work together to address the challenges with
inconsistent boating laws, manufacturing regulations, tariffs and customs duties 6 13 34 62 22 2.29
affecting exports?
Challenge F: How can we work together to address the challenges with consistent
7 5 18 86 21 2.05
and fair enforcement and greater compliance with appropriate boating regulation?
Challenge E: How can we work together to address the challenges of improving
8 2 11 62 55 1.69
state trucking laws for boat haulers?
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 9I NTRODUCTION
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT 2011—THE PARTICIPANTS AND THE PROCESS
The driving force behind the strong participation at the 2011 ”Whatever it is we need to do collectively to
Recreational Boating Growth Summit was the desire among all move this industry forward so that we can
participants to chart a course over the short and longer term with look back 10 years from not in 2021 and
a shared growth agenda that can effectively meet today’s say wow, we did make a difference and the
recreational boating challenges. The critical components of the industry is healthier and we’re all glad that
Summit’s success were the design of the interactive Summit we put forth the effort that we did, not only
process including a pre-Summit survey coupled with a diverse today, but over the next 10 years, to get to
set of industry participants representing all segments whose that point, to that better place.“ -- Thom
Dammrich
NUMBER OF SUMMIT ATTENDEES BY STAKEHOLDER GROUP
REPRESENTATION NUMBER OF STAKEHOLDER
AFFILIATIONS
Dealers 23
Boat Manufacturers 19
Accessory Manufacturers 17
Trade Associations 17
Consumer Organizations 14
Marinas and Boatyards 11
Engine Manufacturers 10
Financial (Lenders and Insurance) 9
Publishers 7
Distributors 4
Yacht Brokers 4
Fishing Industry 3
Government Agency 3
Marine Representatives 2
Discover Boating 2
Safety 2 “I have been in the marine industry for 39
Big Box Retailers 1 years and this is the first event that I think
Other 3 has been proposed to bring the industry
together.”- Summit Participant
TOTAL 151*
* The total number of stakeholder affiliations is greater than the number of participants “It’s my opinion that we need to develop
since some participants affiliated with more than a single stakeholder group. across all stakeholders a common vision and
a commitment from all stakeholders to move
concerns and hopes for the industry compelled them to come this forward.”- Mike Keller, Keller
together and contribute to setting a course, shaping the outcomes Marine
and joint actions to achieve the 2021 vision of success for the
Industry.
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 10THE PARTICIPANTS AND THE FRAMING OF AN INDUSTRY DIALOGUE
The approximately 150 participants (listed in Appendix A) from all industry segments sent a powerful message
about the timeliness and importance of the Summit to developing a growth agenda and addressing the critical
issues facing the recreational boating community.
SAMPLING OF DESIRED SUMMIT
The Need for a Dialogue: The shared concerns that brought OUTCOMES
the Summit participants together are articulated in the summary
of the pre-Summit survey. The online survey was designed to In a pre-Summit survey, respondents identified
their desired Summit outcomes. The top 5 are
provide a body of shared information on which to ground the
listed below based on frequency of citing:
Summit discussions. Respondents expressed a desire to
engage in an honest exchange on key challenges and barriers to 1. A roadmap plan and framework for
developing a comprehensive strategy for recreational boating sustainable growth over the coming
years.
that is targeted towards ensuring sustainable growth.
2. Consensus agreement on direction,
shared goals, strategies and actions.
Over half of the Summit participants responded to the survey 3. A shared recreational boating vision.
and a survey summary was distributed to participants in 4. Broad and diverse participation and
commitment to actions for
advance of the Summit. Their comments relate to the topics implementing the plan.
that follow below. 5. Build on opportunities and
resources for unifying to work
The Desired Summit Outcomes– Survey participants were asked to together and with partners.
define what, from their perspective, would be a successful
outcome from the Summit. Summarized to the right, the
outcomes were used to help define the Summit objectives and 10 KEY CHALLENGES FACING
structure and focus the presentations and sessions. RECREATIONAL BOATING
In a pre-Summit survey, respondents identified
Looking Back: Events, People and Milestones – Recognizing that the top three challenges for recreational boating.
values, techniques, and practices of recreational boating have Responses centered around ten main areas listed
below in order of frequency cited:
evolved over its long and rich history, survey participants were
asked to look back at the factors that have influenced 1. Recreational Boating Affordability
2. Government Regulation and
recreational boating and people, leaders and companies who
Restrictions
have made a difference. 3. Competing Leisure/Lifestyle
Activity Time/Choices
Looking Around: Tailwinds, Headwinds and Trends– Participants 4. Expanding the Boating Consumer
Base
were asked to look at the various factors influencing
5. Economic Considerations
recreational boating. The positive supporting factors were 6. Recreational Boating Access
called tailwinds, while headwinds indicated challenging and 7. Unified Boating Industry
constraining factors. The top three tailwinds identified were: 8. Finance and Credit
9. Industry Economics
better products and technology; boating as a family friendly 10. Marketing
recreational choice; and improving access to the water. The top
three headwinds were: affordability and costs for recreational boating; regulation and legislation adversely
affecting access to the boating lifestyle; and the weak economy.
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 11Addressing Issues– Survey participants were asked to identify those issues they believed the industry was
addressing well and those issues that were not being addressed well or at all. The top three issues being
addressed well included: messaging and promoting a positive boating lifestyle; industry efforts on reducing
regulatory constraints; and technological and engineering improvements in quality. The top three issues not
being addressed well included: not reaching out to bring in new boaters; lack of coordinated investment in
marine industry marketing; and affordability.
Looking Ahead: Vision of Success 2021– Survey participants were PICTURING THE SUMMIT:
asked to think of recreational boating in the year 2021 and THE ORDER OF DISCUSSION
describe what an undesirable future (a picture of failure) and a Day One
desirable future (a vision of success) would look like. The vision Setting the Summit context: welcome and
of success was characterized by four vision themes, described in introductions
this report under the heading: Bringing It All Together: Participants’
Informational presentations on:
Shared Vision of Success.
• Key industry trends
Key Challenges– Survey participants were asked to identify what • Demographic changes
• Industry collaboration-lessons learned
they believed were the three greatest challenges facing • Overview of Pre-Summit Survey results
recreational boating. The top issues that emerged (see box on the • Discover Boating
on previous page) provided the starting point for the Summit
Table-round participant interactive
discussion. discussions of lessons learned, vision of
success themes and most critical challenges,
and potential recommended actions to
The survey was designed and analyzed by the FCRC Consensus address the challenges.
Center, the Summit facilitator. The full results of the survey can
be viewed at http://consensus.fsu.edu/Boat- Day Two
Summit/surveys.html. Table-round participant interactive
discussions of potential joint actions and
individual rankings of the actions and
THE SUMMIT PROCESS presentation of results, consideration of
implementation opportunities and
challenges.
In order to achieve the desired outcomes called for in the pre-
Summit survey responses, the Summit process was designed to Leadership panel and Summit participants’
reflections on implementation and next
facilitate an open dialogue and develop stronger working steps.
relationships among representatives of industry segments. As
highlighted below, the Summit structure, professional neutral Wrap-up and concluding observations.
facilitation, and guiding principles were important to achieving
successful outcomes.
The Summit Structure: The Summit agenda (Appendix B) focused on establishing a collaborative foundation for
joint industry action to implement a growth agenda. In order to create a base of shared knowledge, the
morning of day one included presentations on industry trends, demographic changes ahead, lessons learned
from industry collaboration, an overview of the Pre-Summit survey responses and Discover Boating.
To encourage discussion of specific topical issues, participants divided into 17 table round groupings on both
days of the Summit. The composition of each group was intended to provide a balance of perspectives and
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 12industry segments. Participants were asked to start with an open mind, listen carefully to all perspectives, focus on the issues, and participate in the discussions. On day one, each table round reviewed and prioritized 33 challenges across the four vision themes identified in the pre-Summit survey responses. Each table then worked on the challenges associated with each of the four vision themes. For their respective assigned theme, participants discussed and developed a set of potential future joint actions to address each challenge. On day two, the table round participants ranked the acceptability of potential future joint actions for each of the four vision themes and identified implementation opportunities and challenges. This was followed by an industry leaders panel and a plenary discussion of reflections, commitments and next steps. To gauge the acceptability of joint action options, facilitators asked participants to individually rank ideas, using a four point scale of 4 = acceptable, I agree; 3 = acceptable, I agree with minor reservations; 2 = not acceptable unless major reservations are addressed; and 1 = not acceptable. Summit Facilitators: To ensure that all voices were heard and all views were respected and considered as part of a productive dialogue, NMMA turned to the FCRC Consensus Center to help plan and facilitate the Summit. The Center developed the pre-Summit survey, incorporated the survey responses into the agenda design, and prepared the Summit report. The Center is an independent organization that specializes in facilitating planning and other initiatives designed to build consensus on actions and implement collaborative solutions. It is based in Florida at Florida State University in Tallahassee and the University of Central Florida in Orlando. The Principles to Guide the Summit Discussion and Implementation of Joint Actions: Respondents to the pre-Summit survey reviewed and refined 9 principles to guide the Summit discussion. The principles, set forth on the following page highlighted the respondents’ hopes for the Summit. They called attention to the importance of listening and learning from a diversity of industry segment perspectives, a sense of shared responsibility and long term vision of success, the importance of setting out a sustainable growth agenda for recreational boating with support joint actions, and to developing common ground and trust among all interests. RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 13
RECREATIONAL BOATING STAKEHOLDERS GROWTH SUMMIT GUIDING PRINCIPLES
1. Acknowledge the diversity of values, goals and history in developing recommended actions
at the Summit.
2. Seek to identify a shared and realistic strategic vision of success to guide the diverse Summit
participants in their efforts to build common ground for actions that can enhance the
sustainable growth of the Recreational Boating Industry.
3. Develop and agree to shared short and long term goals and measureable actions and
timelines to achieve the vision of success.
4. Consider both trends and expected changes in the Recreational Boating Industry over the
coming years and identify the challenges to growing boating, both those specific to boating
activities as well as those impacting sports and outdoor activities in general, and short and
long-term implications when developing recommended actions.
5. Enhance and build on the Recreational Boating Industry’s assets, strengths and resources
while acknowledging and seeking to bridge differences.
6. Recognize there is an abundance of business opportunity for all in the Recreational Boating
Industry and that we share responsibility for the success of our collective future in the
Industry.
7. Recognize that we share responsibility for training and educating the next generation for
entry into the industry, and for developing a passion for enjoying the total on-water
experience.
8. Focus on building and supporting partnerships to establish communication and
accountability to achieve the shared vision and complementary goals, and address issues and
recommended actions.
9. Listen and speak with an open mind (“leave your biases at the door”), be honest, fair and
respectful and be willing to learn from the diversity of views and interests that will be
involved in shaping a positive growth mode for the Industry’s future.
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 14THE FOUNDATION FOR A COMPELLING VISION AND
INFORMED ACTIONS
TRENDS, DEMOGRAPHICS AND INDUSTRY COLLABORATION LESSONS LEARNED
Foundation for a Compelling Vision and Informed Action: To set the stage for the Summit, participants
from the recreational boating community received a presentation from Thom Dammrich on industry trends
and lessons learned from industry collaboration, a demographic presentation from Dr. Steve Murdock,
former director of the U.S. Census Bureau and currently director of the Hobby Center for the Study of Texas
at Rice University in Houston on overall demographic trends and their potential impact on the boating
community, and from Carl Blackwell on the industry’s “Discover Boating” initiative.
Thom Dammrich (President, NMMA): Mr. Dammrich
presented current data on industry trends (see, http://bit.ly/w4LNy9
for the complete PowerPoint presentation) demontrating that:
• New boat sales are at historic lows;
• Boats in use have started to decline after a 15 year up
cycle;
• Powerboat owner’s average age is increasing;
• Age of boats is increasing;
• The primary boater demographic is shrinking as a
percentage of population;
• Slow growth is projected for the next 2-4 years;
• However, boating participation is up and growing
presenting the industry with an opportunity to convert
150 million people to boating participation.
He noted that both boats and boaters have gotten older. In 1997
the average boat was 15 years old. Today the average boat is
more than 20 years old and getting older. Today there are fewer
owners in the 30s and more in their 50s and 60s. In reviewing
boat owner demographics he pointed out that in 2010 less than 10% of the owners are currently members of
ethnic and racial groups other than white.
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 15In reviewing reasons why past participants have not boated in the past 12 months, over 50% noted reasons that are non-monetary including loss of a boating partner, change in work circumstances, not knowing anyone who owns a boat and time constraints. For those who do not consider boating, Mr. Dammrich noted that over 75% of the reasons are non-monetary including health reasons, time constraints and they did not boat as a child. Boating participation is strongly influenced by childhood boating experience, with the data showing that exposure to boating as a child drives adult participation. He concluded his presentation noting, “If you think you can or you think that you can’t, you’re right! This Summit is to explore how we can work together to grow participation and welcome more people to the recreational boating lifestyle.” Dr. Steve Murdock (Director of the Hobby Center, Rice University, and former director of the U.S. Census Bureau): Mr. Murdock’s presentation (see, http://bit.ly/w4LNy9 for the complete PowerPoint presentation) charted the population growth in the U.S. in the past and the projections for the next 40 years. He noted the continuing dramatic rise in racial and ethnic diversity and challenged the boating community to think about the implications of not recruiting more diverse consumers. He also pointed to the aging of the population and the implications of these changes for both economic growth and the boating industry. RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 16
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 17
Thom Dammrich (President, NMMA):
To kick off a table round discussion of lessons learned from
industry collaboration, Mr. Dammrich presented reflections on
lessons from several industry initiatives including: MAATS,
IMBC, MFSDC, IBEX seminar program and Discover Boating.
He suggested strong leadership and involvement and ownership
in every segment is critical to success. Finally he offered that the
change process needed to achieve a growth agenda for boating is
not an event but a process that should focus on consensus
actions moving forward.
Carl Blackwell (President, Discover
Boating, NMMA): Mr. Blackwell provided
an overview of the timeline and
accomplishments of the Discover Boating
(DB) Campaign initiated in 2003. He
outlined the campaign objectives as:
“leveraging experiences of current boat
owners to draw in prospects, inspiring
potential new boat owners to participate and
putting the FUN back into boating!” Mr.
Blackwell noted some DB results through
2011 including: 23,000 plus boats purchased
through DB leads, with 2/3s of these from
new boaters; 800,000 website referrals to
manufacturers; and boating participation
rising every year except 2009. He highlighted
the DB social media (twitter & facebook)
sites, mobile web and other messaging and
communication efforts and showed a video
production on the boating lifestyle.
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 18Bringing It All Together: Participants’ Visions of Success
Prior to identifying proposed joint actions, implementation strategies and follow-up actions, Summit
participants took time to refocus on the 2021 vision of success
themes, and to review and prioritize the most urgent challenges 2021 VISION OF SUCCESS HEADLINES
Pre-Summit Survey Respondents described how a
that need to be addressed in order achieve the vision of success. vision of success would be described:
INDUSTRY COLLABORATION WITH RESULTS
VISION OF SUCCESS THEMES • Finally got it right!
• Hand in Hand: Industry Joins
The vision of success themes were developed from pre-Summit to Create Success.
BOATING PARTICIPATION SOARS
survey questions that asked respondents to both describe a • Boating Participation
Experiences Phenomenal Growth.
potential nightmare picture of failure, and envision recreational • The 10-Year Boating Boom
boating in 2021 with the view that everything had gone right. The •
Continues!
Recreational Boating Boom-
results of the 2021 vision of success responses to the open ended increases over the past decade
top 50%!
questions were then organized around four overarching themes A NEW GENERATION
• Recreational Boating- the
that characterized the vision for recreational boating in 2021. Over Chosen After Hours Lifestyle
the two days of the Summit, participants reviewed, added to and •
of the Young
New generation of boaters,
prioritized 33 challenges and identified and prioritized 89 potential welcome aboard!
• Talking about our Generations.
joint actions to address those challenges. SAFETY AND SMART REGULATIONS
• Safety Up, Costs Down in
Recreational Boating.
The 2021 recreational boating vision of success themes included • Affordable Boating and Smart
Regulations.
the following areas of accomplishment: RECREATIONAL BOATING ACCESS EXPANDS
• Marinas can’t keep up with
Boater Demand.
Unified Industry Cross Sector Collaboration Brings • Access to Boating Expands
RECREATIONAL BOATING LIFESTYLE
Results—Boating Now Preferred Recreation Choice. • Boating Lifestyle = Quality
Relationships.
• Not Just a Boat, but a
Boating Participation Soars—New Generation, Lifestyle that Can’t be
Highly Diverse, Family Friendly Lifestyle, Affordable Missed.
and Consumer Friendly.
Expanded Access To the Water, On the Water and A NIGHTMARE PICTURE OF FAILURE
Pre-Summit Survey Respondents described what
To the Lifestyle. the picture of an Undesirable Future in 2021
would look like with the Boating industry is
Smarter and Fewer Regulations, and Better Boater facing collapse due to many interrelated causes,
Education Resulting in Safe, Affordable and including:
• Over-regulation has raised costs and
Enjoyable Boating. lowered access without increasing safety
while increasing dealer, manufacturer and
distributor rancor has stymied a
TOP CHALLENGES TO ACHIEVING THE VISION OF coordinated industry response.
SUCCESS • A Shrinking Boating market is testament to
the failure over the past decade to bring a
new generation into the boating lifestyle.
The Top Challenges: In advance of the Summit and over the two • Soaring costs of boats and boating, the lack
of credit and the plummeting quality of
days of the Summit, participants had opportunities to identify, products have soured the customer
discuss, and evaluate the priority challenges for each of the four experience.
• There are fewer marinas and slips and less
vision themes. The challenges were reviewed, added to and access to the water.
• Families still face economic uncertainty and
prioritized in the table rounds on day one. (All of the challenges are their leisure time is at a premium, if
set out in Appendix I.) Providing a mirror image of the vision available at all.
• Boating is now enjoyed only by the
affluent.
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 19themes, the challenges stress the need for working together as a unified industry to make implementation of a
sustainable growth agenda a reality, for retaining existing and bringing new boaters from diverse backgrounds
and ages onto the water, for greater affordability and access, and for better education and smarter regulations.
The following lists of challenges are sorted by the vision themes and are in the order of the participant
rankings, with the most urgent challenge at the top of each list.
2021 VISION THEME I: UNIFIED INDUSTRY CROSS SECTOR COLLABORATION BRINGS
RESULTS—BOATING NOW PREFERRED RECREATION CHOICE
# Avg. Highest Ranked Challenges in Terms of Urgency
1 3.82 Challenge A: How can the boating industry best unify around a shared growth agenda to bring
results?
2 3.33 Challenge B: How can the boating industry develop and invest in consistent messaging that
promotes the positive and affordable boating lifestyle and increases market share?
3 3.32 Challenge E: How can boating industry stakeholders work as partners to make boating the
preferred recreational choice?
4 3.21 Challenge I: How do we get the people who left boating BACK into boating? (identify why they
left and incorporate those influences in the marketing campaign)
2020 VISION THEME II: BOATING PARTICIPATION SOARS—NEW GENERATION, HIGHLY
DIVERSE, FAMILY FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE, AFFORDABLE AND
CONSUMER FRIENDLY
# Avg. Highest Ranked Challenges in Terms of Urgency
1 3.72 Challenge A: How do we best go about expanding the boating community’s consumer base by
bringing greater diversity in terms of background/culture/race/ethnicity/gender/age?
2 3.64 Challenge B: How do we best appeal to younger people (singles, young families) to consider
boating as a lifestyle choice?
3 3.16 Challenge F: How can we engage current boating consumers to bring others into the outdoor
boating lifestyle?
4 3.15 Challenge G: How can we best increase the use of communication technology and social media
to attract greater boating participation?
5 3.13 Challenge C: How can we improve the boating experience to enhance boater retention?
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 202020 VISION THEME III: EXPANDED ACCESS TO THE WATER, ON THE WATER AND TO THE
LIFESTYLE
# Avg. Highest Ranked Challenges in Terms of Urgency
1 3.70 Challenge F: How can we work together to make boating more affordable and accessible
(i.e., easy to enter and adopt as a lifestyle choice) to the general public?
2 3.15 Challenge A: How can we work together to maintain and increase boating facilities and access to the
water?
3 2.85 Challenge C: How can we work together and with states, local governments and landowners to
address the challenges and best practices of the continuing loss of waterfront, privatization of
waterways and public access to boating?
2020 VISION THEME IV: SMARTER AND FEWER REGULATIONS, AND BETTER BOATER
EDUCATION RESULTING IN SAFE, AFFORDABLE AND ENJOYABLE
BOATING
# Avg. Highest Ranked Challenges in Terms of Urgency
1 3.57 Challenge B: How can we strengthen the Industry’s collective voice on legislative issues that
impact recreational boating stakeholders at the federal and state levels?
2 3.14 Challenge H: How can the boating industry work to improve quality and availability of boating
education for new and existing boaters?
3 2.89 Challenge D: How can we work together to promote tax regulations and policies that will help
support the boating industry?
4 2.87 Challenge A: How can we work together to increase boating safety while reducing the costs of
regulations?
5 2.76 Challenge C: How can we work together to address the challenges surrounding environmental,
wildlife, fishing and habitat laws and regulations that impact boating?
Ranking key challenges during Table Round #2
RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 21Moving Forward: Joint Actions for a Successful Future and Next Steps After offering a range of proposed joint actions, Summit participants applied what they had learned during the two days to evaluate and individually rank a list of potential joint actions to address the challenges for achieving the shared vision of success. In the closing Summit session, participants heard industry leaders offer their reactions to the Summit’s process and output, and then discussed the challenges and opportunities for implementing joint actions to achieve the 10-year vision of success. A RANKED LIST OF CONSENSUS JOINT ACTIONS TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES The summit participants identified, refined, discussed, and prioritized the potential joint actions relative to each of the key challenges that will be necessary to address in order to realize and achieve the vision of success in 2021 for recreational boating. The following describes the process they used and the resulting list of highest priority joint actions. The Process to Identify the Potential Future Joint Actions: Summit participants identified and discussed potential future joint actions that could be undertaken to overcome priority challenges and achieve the 2021 vision of success. On the first day, participants ranked the 33 challenges drawn from the Pre-Summit survey and offered by Summit participants. The ranked challenges are included in Appendix I. On the second day, participants used their morning table round groups to review and rank the 89 draft joint actions using a four-point acceptability scale identified on the first day for each vision theme in terms of urgency. The Priority Joint Actions: Displayed below are the top ranked 10 joint actions across all vision themes. Following the top ten joint actions are the highest ranked joint actions to address the key challenges for the four 2021 vision of success themes. The list will be reviewed and used by an industry team as guidance for deciding upon specific post-Summit follow-up joint actions. The priority joint actions emphasize the shared recognition that the industry segments must come to the table to work together to bring forth actions that can facilitate a growth agenda for the recreational boating industry. These joint actions include an industry-wide agreed upon marketing message, engaging younger generations on the boating lifestyle and expanding the consumer base, improving boater education and promoting positive legislation and reducing needless regulations through supporting an industry PAC, and working with independent university research centers to develop consistent economic models and identifying and addressing knowledge gaps. RECREATIONAL BOATING SUMMIT SUMMARY REPORT 22
TOP 10 RANKED ACTIONS ACROSS ALL THEMES AND CHALLENGES
Rank Avg. Rank Order of Highest Ranked Actions in Terms of Acceptability
1 3.77 All consensus joint actions developed during the Summit (and in any future initiatives) should
have clear assignments/responsibilities and timelines associated with the joint actions to ensure
implementation across stakeholder sectors. The joint actions should have milestones to evaluate
and measure results/progress (metrics), and adjustments should be made as needed to ensure
successful implementation of the joint actions. (Vision Theme I- Unify Industry, Challenge #1- Developing a
Shared Growth Agenda)
2 3.71 Encourage boaters to invite friends, neighbors and family boating and share stories online. (Vision
Theme II- Boating Participation Soars, Challenge #3 -Engaging Current Boaters to Bring New Boaters into the Lifestyle)
3 3.69 Industry leaders from all stakeholder sectors should commit to delivering the message regarding
the consensus joint actions for collaborating on a growth agenda (developed during the Summit)
to their respective groups, associations and affiliations.
(Vision Theme I- Unify Industry, Challenge #1-
Developing a Shared Growth Agenda)
4 3.68 Encourage the universal adoption and support of the “Discover Boating” and “Welcome to the
Water” campaign as a joint strategy to focus resources across stakeholder sectors on a consistent
marketing message regarding the boating lifestyle for the benefit of all stakeholder sectors.
Identify a sustainable revenue source to support the program. (Vision Theme I- Unify Industry
Challenge- Consistent, Positive Messages about Boating Lifestyle)
5 3.65 Work with boat shows to help deliver basic boating education to help new boating consumers get
started.
(Vision Theme IV- Smarter Regulations, Better Boating Education. Challenge 1- Improve Quality and
Availability of Boating Education)
6 3.64 Need to focus recreational boating recruitment efforts more on kids – summer camp programs,
school programs and more kids events. (Vision Theme II- Boating Participation Soars, Challenge 2-Appeal to
Young People and Families)
7 3.61 Engage all likeminded boating industry and community constituents to speak with one voice and
better leverage resources and influence that we already have.
(Vision Theme IV- Smarter Regulations,
Better Boating Education. Challenge 1- Strengthen Industry Collective Voice on Legislation/ Regulation)
8 3.60 Form and strengthen partnerships between all industry groups at the state, local, national levels
(e.g. SOBA; national associations; MTAs and others) and build a coordinated network of these
groups so they can address common access issues with a single voice and a consistent message,
provide information and connections with organizations who can aid in battles over local level
regulations, challenges, funding restraints of access to the water.
(Vision Theme III- Access to the Water
and Boating Lifestyle Achieved! Challenge 2- Increase Boating Facilities and Access to Water)
9 3.58 We need to learn as an industry to sell the boating lifestyle to different generations. (Vision Theme
II- Boating Participation Soars, Challenge 2 -Appeal to Young People and Families)
10 3.57 Develop and implement a joint industry marketing strategy to grow boating as an industry across
stakeholder segments/sectors. (Vision Theme I- Unify Industry Challenge #1- Developing a Shared Growth
Agenda)
10 3.57 Expand ABC to all boating segments beyond manufacturers and get support and attendance from
all areas. If ALL industry players, associations, dealers, came together Congress will listen. (Vision
Theme III- Access to the Water and Boating Lifestyle Achieved! Challenge 2- Increase Boating Facilities and Access to
Water)
HIGHEST RANKED ACTIONS ORGANIZED BY VISION THEME
2021 VISION THEME I: UNIFIED INDUSTRY CROSS SECTOR COLLABORATION BRINGS
RESULTS—BOATING NOW PREFERRED RECREATION CHOICE
Rank Avg. Rank Order of Highest Ranked Actions in Terms of Acceptability
1 3.77 All consensus joint actions developed during the Summit (and in any future initiatives) should
have clear assignments/responsibilities and timelines associated with the joint actions to ensure
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