Discover Boating Marketing Leadership Summit Brings NMMA, MRAA Members Together to Fuel Growth

The 2025 Discover Boating Marketing Leadership Summit, held Monday, just ahead of IBEX’s opening in Tampa brought together more than 80 senior-level marketers and decision-makers from NMMA manufacturer members and MRAA dealer members. With a robust speaker line-up, it was a high-impact, full-day event focused on learning and collaboration on marketing strategies to help expand the boating market.

Highlights Included:

• A discussion with members of the Market Expansion Advisory Group addressing Discover Boating’s role in helping to drive industry-wide growth
• A keynote on the power and potential of AI in marketing from Dan Chuparkoff
• First-look preview of new consumer research findings from Ipsos
• A forward-looking panel on attracting mass affluent, experience-driven consumers, moderated by Brunswick's vice president of marketing, Krissy Radek 
• Insights from former McDonald’s chief marketing and digital customer experience officer Tariq Hassan on building cultural relevance

Why It Matters

As consumer expectations evolve and market dynamics shift, the marine industry is uniting to advance its marketing strategies and stay ahead of the curve. Through data-driven insights, peer collaboration, and expert perspectives, attendees explored the central question: How do we reach the next generation of boaters—and expand the market before it's too late? The Summit brought together the industry’s marketing leaders to challenge old assumptions and explore bold new strategies for growth.

What’s Next

Building on the momentum from the Summit and insights from the Market Expansion Advisory Group, NMMA and MRAA will continue sharing key learnings and go-forward strategies to help position the industry for growth. In the months ahead, watch for a range of resources designed to keep the conversation going and put insights into action — including key takeaways in Currents, on-demand video sessions, interactive webinars and tools to apply the findings, plus social media recaps and highlights that capture the most impactful moments. Visit the Discover Boating Industry Resource Center for more information. 

For questions or continued conversations, the NMMA and MRAA teams are here to support you at [email protected].