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INDUSTRY NEWS www.BoatingIndustry.com July 2017 | Boating Industry | 13 product development. Valsoft CEO Ouissam "Sam" Youssef said his company is looking forward to a long- term partnership with MyTaskit. "We approached Mr. Hutchinson about a partnership between our two companies to bring back the DockMaster brand and invest in the marine industry software leader," he said. "We will carry on Kevin and his team's legacy of 100 percent customer success. We will continue to work closely with Kevin, Cam and the entire MyTaskit and DockMas- ter team to make sure our customers have all the tools they need to compete in today's technology era." Valsoft and MyTaskit have addition- ally formed a co-marketing relationship for MyTaskit Pro's coordination product, a task coordination software solution for marine service companies. This agreement will support the continued data integration between DockMaster and MyTaskit Pro, and both companies expect future software integrations and product enhancements to follow. Hutchinson said that with the help of Valsoft, MyTaskit would be getting more aggressive with acquisitions in the marine technology market, with the aim of folding those products into the DockMaster suite of solutions. The company has already added products like Worldpay, Elavon, BoatCloud, Dealer Spike, teamMarine and others to its solutions. MDCE dealer registration off to a record start Dealer registration for the 2017 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo launched with great momentum in April, setting a new opening-month registration record for the December event. With 193 total dealer registrations during the April Earliest Bird savings period, MDCE attracted a more than 15 percent increase in registrations compared to the same period in 2016, and momentum has continued since with dealer registrations already eclipsing the 200 mark. See who has registered. The event, which will be held Dec. 10-13 in Orlando, features industry-leading insights on trends, strategies and best practices designed to in- crease dealer success. "With most dealers being busier than they have been in a decade, we're abso- lutely thrilled that they continue to turn to the MDCE in record numbers to help them strengthen their businesses," said Liz Walz, vice president and director of education for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. "We believe that we've improved our educational lineup each year, encourag- ing more dealers to engage with the MDCE content, and 2017 will continue that trend." At the 2017 MDCE, not only will the educational lineup feature all-new Pre-Con- ference Workshops, keynotes and track ses- sions, but it will also include an expanded lineup of Dealer-to-Dealer Roundtables, the most highly praised new offering of the 2016 event. These roundtable discussions, which put dealers face-to-face with other dealers to discuss challenges, opportunities and corre- sponding solutions for success, will be offered three times throughout the 2017 MDCE. In 2016, 167 dealers registered for the MDCE during the month of April, and the event drew a record 640 marine dealers to the three-day event. The MDCE, which is co-produced by the MRAA and Boating Industry magazine, still offers $115 off of stan- dard registration — that's $75 off for MRAA members and a $40 early bird rate, good through Sept. 22, in honor of MRAA's 40th anniversary of educational programming. "It's a great demonstration of the trust that we've built with the dealer body to see so many dealers register prior to the MDCE educational programming being introduced," said Jonathan Sweet, Boating Industry editor-in-chief. "We've proven that we can not only respond to the needs of to- day's dealers with outstanding courses, but also that we can share with them critical in- sights into the trends they need to know for success tomorrow." Paolo Vitelli receives "Carlo Riva" award Paolo Vitelli, founder and president of Az- imut Benetti Group, has been presented with the "Carlo Riva" award, named in memory of the boat industry icon who died April 10. The recognition, which celebrates Paolo Vitelli's contribution to the international boat industry and the prestige of the group he founded, was presented during Ver- silia Yachting Rendez-Vous, a new event that focuses on the high end of the boat industry, held in Viareggio, Tuscany from May 11 to 14. The ceremony was hosted by Natasha Stefanenko, with Lia and Pia Riva, NAUTICA ITALIANA president Lamberto Tacoli, Fondazione Altagamma president Andrea Illy, and Ferretti Group CEO Alberto Galassi. "Being chosen by my fellow business- men makes me particularly proud," said an emotional Vitelli during the ceremony. "Life is a challenge that needs to be approached with gusto, passion and, if possible, fun. I'd therefore like to invite young people to seize this challenge with courage, invest- ment and, nowadays, a touch of healthy craziness too. I'm sure that they'll enjoy the satisfaction of living a life of building and creating, for themselves and for Italy. And that they'll have fun." The Carlo Riva Award, presented for the first time this year, will be given annually to a leading figure who has made an important contribution over the years to the interna- tional boat industry. Paolo Vitelli at the "Carlo Riva" award ceremony in Viareggio.