Boating Industry

Back in action: American Boating Congress 2022

For the last two years, the American Boating Congress (ABC) has looked a little different, playing out over the virtual space created by zoom windows and shared screens. Now, May 11-13, 2022, it returns to the familiarity of an in-person event – with a few new changes.The American Boating Congress is the premier advocacy summit for recreational boating stakeholders, organized and hosted by NMMA. ABC brings those in the boating industry together to meet with policymakers in Washington D.C. This is all in an effort to create a platform for issues in the marine industry to be heard by the administration.

Last year’s American Boating Congress was the second instance of an entirely virtual venue, but NMMA didn’t let that keep them from bringing industry issues to the forefront with policymakers. ABC 2021 had over 800 attendees from all over the recreational boating industry. Tariffs were a major focus throughout the event. Through their advocacy work, NMMA successfully combated the 25% retaliatory import tax on trade from the European Union. Another big win from last year was the bipartisan Infrastructure Bill that was eventually passed into law. The Infrastructure Bill provided much needed support to federal land developments such as public marinas.We spoke to Callie Hoyt, Director of Federal Government Relations, and John-Michael Donahue, Vice President of North American Public Affairs, about what to expect for ABC 2022 as we return to real life and leave zoom screens behind. “We’re definitely excited to be back in-person,” Donahue says. For NMMA, being back in-person means bringing policymakers face-to-face with the industry’s concerns.Beyond the showcase, ABC 2022 will be focusing on issues that deal with trade, infrastructure, and small businesses. Tariffs are back on the agenda as NMMA fights to get the industry excluded from the China Section-301 tariffs. “We’re going to use this opportunity to emphasize with the Biden administration that there are some trade issues that still linger for us,” Donahue comments.

Boating Industry is now accepting nominations for its 2022 Women Making Waves industry recognition program. The nomination process will close on May 18, 2022.The 2022 Women Making Waves will be featured in the June/July issue of Boating Industry, as well as honored at the Boating Industry ELEVATE SUMMIT, November 14-16, 2022 in Orlando, Florida.Women Making Waves is Boating Industry’s effort to honor the multitude of women in the industry who have made - and continue to make - great contributions to its success, propel its growth and lead their organizations and peers into the future.Women Making Waves nominees can be from any company or organization that does business in the recreational boating industry. There is no limit to how many times a woman can be nominated, but they can only be named to the list once.

source:superyachtnews.com