PSB announces Accelerate ’25 agenda

Kicking off the conferences in Charlotte, North Carolina, will be the opening night reception of Boating Industry Elevate, Powersports Business Accelerate and Outdoor Power Equipment Power Forum at 5:30 pm on January 20th, where attendees will all be together to take over the third and fourth floors of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, known as Inside NASCAR and Heritage Speedway.

Conference attendees can explore NASCAR history while engaging with interactive content. All of the attendees will have access to exhibits, including the Pit Crew Challenge. And you can also put yourself in the driver’s seat with the NASCAR Racing Simulators. And don’t worry, you don’t need to be a hardcore NASCAR fan to enjoy it.

To embrace the reception-style event, there will be a space with high-top tables and soft seating to eat, drink, play and repeat at your own pace. It will surely be a high-octane way to ignite your conference experience and connect with others from the outdoor recreation space.

On Tuesday, January 21, things get started with the opening keynote in the Carolina Ballroom ABC at 8:30 am at the Sheraton Charlotte.

International bestselling author Jay Samit will present Managing – and Making – Disruption. Samit is a dynamic entrepreneur and speaker widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on disruption and innovation. Chairman of a transformative Artificial Intelligence company, Samit was once described by Wired magazine as “having the coolest job in the industry.” Samit gets people passionate about innovation and overcoming obstacles and teaches them to think bigger. Designed to be as entertaining and inspiring as it is informative, Samit delivers a speech that stays with the audience long after the conference has ended.

In the Mecklenburg Ballroom 3 at 10 am will be a session on Strategies for Wealth Enhancement. In this presentation, Morgan Stanley (Stanek-Haack) will share strategies for transferring wealth for powersports dealers, including tips from Performance Brokerage Services on buy and sell strategies for dealers seeking to acquire a new store or sell a current one.

At 11 am in the Mecklenburg Ballroom 3 is a session on Finding Hidden Profit in Dealership Data.
Max Materne, CEO and co-founder of OCD Solutions, will dive into the metrics of dealership sales data and trends to find hidden opportunities for additional sales and increased customer loyalty. Max will outline actionable strategies to shift focus from constantly acquiring new customers to nurturing existing ones, highlighting how improving the customer experience at each lifecycle stage can drive significant growth. This session will empower dealerships to deepen customer relationships, enhance satisfaction, and achieve sustained profitability by investing in the experience and value of every customer.

At 1:30 pm, Rob Greenwald, president of Powersport Solutions, will be hosting a session titled: You Have Got to Have a Plan B! This seminar will discuss the importance of your people and technologies, such as AI, and how a good balance helps dealers maximize their business – as well as the pitfalls and problems – by tilting the scales of these key factors.

At 2:15 pm, Josh Arrendondo from Podium will be speaking about Artificial Intelligence and how dealers can harness the power of this great new platform. More details to come soon.

At 3:15 in the Carolina Ballroom is a panel on the State of the Power Trade Industry, featuring panelists from the boating industry, outdoor power and powersports to discuss pertinent topics affecting dealers today and how to navigate challenges for the coming year.

Closing out Tuesday’s schedule at 5 pm will be PSB’s Ignition of Ideas cocktail reception featuring new products from our Nifty 50 awards, where attendees will get a sneak peek at the products to be featured in the February edition.

Then, at 6:30 pm, we will be hosting the PSB Honors Reception for the winners of our 40 Under 40, Women With Spark, and Best In Class awards.

Kicking things off on Wednesday, January 22, at 8:30 am is a keynote titled: Resurgence – or Return to Normal? What’s Ahead for the Economy in 2025. Entertaining and economist aren’t often used in the same sentence. Still, Elliot Eisenberg, Ph.D., an internationally acclaimed economist and public speaker, specializes in making the arcana and minutia of economics fun, relevant, and educational. Dr. Eisenberg is the Chief Economist for GraphsandLaughs, LLC, a Miami-based economic consulting firm that serves a variety of clients across the United States. He frequently speaks about economic forecasts, interest rates, inflation, supply chains, strategic business development, and other current economic issues. He has a B.A. in economics with first-class honors from McGill University in Montreal, as well as a Master’s and Ph.D. from Syracuse University.

Eisenberg is the author of more than 85 articles and is a regular consultant to professional associations and investment advisory groups. He has spoken to thousands of business groups and associations. He authors a daily commentary on the economy delivered to more than 30,000 inboxes.

10 am in the Mecklenburg Ballroom – Women in the Power Trades Panel, featuring prominent women leaders in the powersports, boating and outdoor power industries.

11:15 am in the Carolina Ballroom is the closing session – Dealership Evolution and Generational Transfer Panel. Rob Greenwald and PSB Editor Brendan Baker will moderate a panel discussion that will attack the differences between old-school and modern mentalities, as well as the hurdles stores face today. We will address the passing of the torch from the older generation to their younger counterparts. A power-packed panel of guests and audience interaction will discuss these pressing topics to help your business reach the next level.

At noon is the Exhibitors’ Lunch – Breakdown & Networking.

We look forward to seeing everyone in Charlotte!