Kick off Elevate with Dr. Elliot Eisenberg’s fast-paced, highly visual tour of the economy as we enter 2026. From interest rates and consumer confidence to tariffs, housing starts, inventory pressures, and shifting buyer behavior, Elliot connects the macro trends to the micro realities facing dealers, manufacturers, and the broader marine ecosystem. Expect clarity, context, and a data-driven look at what will move the boating industry—forward or sideways—in the year ahead.

Representatives from the marine and powersports industry will participate in this moderated discussion about the latest trends. 

After a six-year hiatus from selling his dealership — and spending those years as a Garage Composites consultant and trainer — Max Materne returned to his old store with one mission: turn it around in 90 days. What followed was a brutally honest test of everything he’d been teaching the industry.

In this candid, fast-paced session, Max shares what worked, what failed, and what he learned while rebuilding a struggling dealership from the inside out. If you’ve ever faced chaos in your store and wondered if true transformation is possible, this is the session you can’t miss.

Join ABYC’s president John Adey in a discussion on the current state of the marine workforce, steps being taken to improve the situation and practical things you can do to be part of the solution. Come prepared with questions and an open mind!

Building a dealership takes grit, vision, and resilience. Many of you have weathered economic cycles, shifting consumer demands, and long hours to create thriving businesses that support your families, employees, and communities. What many owners don't always realize is just how much of their wealth is concentrated in that business. In fact, research from the Exit Planning Institute shows that 80-90 percent of a small business owner's net worth is tied up in their business and real estate. Yet, most dealers don't gain a clear understanding of the value until they're approaching a transition point, when time and options are limited.
 
In this session, we will walk through how to uncover the true value of your dealership, strategies to maximize that value, and how to create an intelligent plan for your eventual exit or transition, whether that means passing your business on to family, to key management, or preparing for a successful sale to a third party.
 

Boating Industry contributor David Gee will sit down with 2025 Mover & Shaker of the Year Keith Yunger from Sea Ray for an in-depth discussion his career in boating and the challenges and opportunities facing the marine industry. 

What if there was a recipe dealers could follow that would drive incremental sales and increase customer loyalty? There is - it’s called Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI).

As A.I. becomes embedded in retail sales and service processes, Pied Piper’s measurement tools ensure those processes actually work as intended. Using the proven PSI methodology, Pied Piper tests how A.I. and humans perform together across customer interactions revealing where digital hand-offs fail, where A.I. reaches its limits, and where seamless transfer to a human is essential. Too often, staff assume A.I. will “take care of it,” leaving them unprepared when customers are handed off.

Ekho enables OEMs, dealerships, and marketplaces to offer a seamless online checkout experience —completing all aspects of the vehicle transaction digitally, from financing and insurance to tax remittance and registration. In this session, you'll hear from both Ekho and one of their dealers about how e-commerce can increase sales, improve customer satisfaction and broaden a dealer's customer base. 

The finance panel will dig into the real-world issues that will shape dealership performance in 2026 — from market indicators and shifting buyer demographics to segment resilience and how interest rates are influencing credit approvals and affordability. Panelists will explore the biggest friction points in F&I, the role of OEM-subvented rates, and current trends in defaults, while also addressing inventory-turn expectations, floorplan credit conditions, and the impact of OEM production on cash flow. The discussion will highlight where dealerships can unlock new profit — whether in sales, service, PG&A, or through smarter KPIs — along with strategies to weather a soft first half if rates stay high. The session also covers risk management, financing options for expansion, and evolving consumer payment behaviors, including payment shock and emerging models such as BNPL and subscriptions.

Clarity is a weapon. Speed is a strategy. And the dealers who adopt AI first will out-sell, out-serve, and out-scale everyone else. AI is already at your desk — ready to multiply output, sharpen decisions, and eliminate the daily drag slowing your business down.

At Elevate 2026, Mark Overbye delivers a fast, practical session showing marine dealers how to turn AI into a competitive edge. You’ll see where AI creates real results and how to use it immediately.

What’s covered:
•    The 7 dealership systems AI transforms
•    Sales readiness, objection roleplay, and follow-up optimization
•    Inventory triage and demand-driven marketing
•    Experience-led showroom journeys
•    CSI recovery, service efficiency, and recruiting upgrades
•    Morning executive briefings that restore clarity

This isn’t about technology — it’s about advantage.
 

Ever wonder how some industries always seem to have the right products at the right time, why certain items “naturally” pair well together, or how brands know exactly when to introduce something new? In grocery, that’s the power of category management — the behind the scenes strategy that shapes what ends up on the shelf and why. And while it may seem far removed from the powersports world, the principles are surprisingly relevant.
 
In this session, we’ll introduce the fundamentals of category management and show how data, customer behavior, and strategic planning come together to influence purchasing decisions. You’ll discover how these same tools can help powersports distributors and dealers optimize assortments, strengthen relationships, and uncover new growth opportunities.  
 
Expect an engaging, practical discussion that draws inspiration from the grocery industry’s relentless focus on growth — and sparks ideas for how you can apply similar thinking to your own business.
 

Network with fellow marine and powersports colleagues during this cocktail reception prior to our Boating Industry Top 100 and Powersports Business Honors galas. 

Honoring the Powersports Business Best in Class Dealers, 40 Under 40 and Women with Spark. 

Honoring the Boating Industry Top Dealers, 40 Under 40, Women Making Waves and Movers & Shakers. 

You won’t want to miss this dynamic session presented by top women executives representing different segments of the power trades! 

Be prepared for a lively, fast-paced and forward-facing session featuring timely and relevant topics, expert insights and proven tactics you can apply to your career and business…and take to the bank.

As the closing keynote speaker, former Boating Industry editor-in-chief turned keynote speaker David Gee will deliver a fast-paced, interactive, high-impact session on thriving in today’s attention economy - where speed, story, and connection define success. Drawing on insights from across boating, powersports and outdoor power equipment, David will explore how shifting consumer behaviors, economic uncertainty, and digital acceleration are reshaping the way we market, sell, and serve. Attendees will walk away with practical tools to reset their messaging, refocus their strategy, and reimagine customer engagement using his proven 3 Second Selling™ framework - built on clarity, emotion, speed, and story - to win attention and earn loyalty.

Hear from some of the top marine dealers from across the U.S. and Canada in this wide-ranging discussion. 

Winners from last night's PSB Honors will take the stage to share best practices and answer questions from the audience.

Join fellow power equipment dealers and suppliers at this roundtable discussion about the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the industry. Moderated by OPE+ Editor Brian Ethridge, this session will also include the presentation of the 2026 OPE+ Under40 awards.

Interested in joining the advisory board? Email bethridge@epgacceleration.com for more information.