This Fall, the RBFF leadership team has had several opportunities to interact and educate different stakeholder groups about its programs and initiatives at numerous networking events.
This Fall, the RBFF leadership team has had several opportunities to interact and educate different stakeholder groups about its programs and initiatives at numerous networking events.
In August, at a special online board meeting of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), the team shared information about its history and mission, governance structure, strategic plan, and programs. The team gave a similar presentation to the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) board a week later, diving deep into why we’re targeting younger and more diverse groups.
On the state side, Sr. State Marketing Manager, Joanne Martonik, attended the States Organization for Boating Access Annual Symposium in Tacoma, Washington, where she gave attendees an update on RBFF programs and resources. While in Washington, Joanne was also able to attend a Federal Partner with a Payer event happening nearby.
Staff attended multiple events in September, educating stakeholders on its efforts to increase participation and exploring R3 partnership opportunities. First up, RBFF participated in a joint meeting of the Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) and Conservation Business Managers Association (CBMA) in Lafayette, LA. The team also attended the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) meeting in Denver, CO, and the American Fly Fishing Trade Association’s (AFFTA) Confluence event in Salt Lake City, Utah.
RBFF’s President and CEO, Dave Chanda, Director of State and Federal Engagement, Stephanie Hussey and Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Stephanie Vatalaro, attended the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) Annual Conference in Calgary, where they had multiple touchpoints with state agency directors and staff. In addition, staff attended the International BoatBuilders' Exhibition & Conference (IBEX) where 900+ industry breakfast attendees heard about RBFF's efforts and the ASA Sportfishing Summit in Miramar Beach, FL where staff participated in important conversations around the recruitment, retention and reactivation of anglers.
Next on the agenda is Boating Industry’s Elevate Summit, where Rachel Auslander, Director of Partnerships and Development, is one of the event’s panelists and a 2023 Women Making Waves award winner.
