Members of the Midwest Marina Association (MMA) will get a few extra perks following the organization’s new alliance with the national industry group, the Association of Marina Industries (AMI).

Through the partnership, MMA members will become full members of AMI and gain access to AMI’s services, products, and benefits—all in addition to those they receive now through MMA.

“Although several of our MMA members have been long-time members of AMI, this new affiliation gives all our members the opportunity to take advantage of everything AMI has to offer and at a reasonable cost. We are very excited about this new affiliation with AMI,” MMA President Rick Chapman said in a statement.

Dues members pay to MMA will also cover the membership fees for AMI, addressing the cost obstacle that kept many MMA members from joining both organizations.

“We’ve been trying for years to get all our members to become members of AMI just because we feel that that national connection is important,” Chapman said in an interview with Associations Now. The alliance now automatically makes its members part of AMI, bypassing costs or a reluctance to get involved that prevented people from considering dual membership.

MMA members will now gain that national industry connection and awareness as they begin benefitting from the agreement through networking events like AMI’s International Marina and Boatyard Conference, as well as learning and discounted training opportunities through AMI’s International Marina Institute. They will also have greater access to industry news and education scholarships. It’s “all those things coming together to give our members that national exposure,” Chapman said.

In addition, both associations will reap benefits from the partnership through extended reach. While MMA can introduce its members to more extensive opportunities, AMI will boost its revenue, and most importantly, its membership, Chapman explained.

“AMI has continuously had a healthy active relationship with its Midwest membership and is excited to extend its reach to an even larger Midwest marina audience,” AMI chairman Brad Gross said in the release.

For the last five years, AMI has focused on expanding its member base through relationships. MMA is joining those local and state marine trade groups such as the Tennessee Marina Association, the Marina Association of Texas, the Virginia Marine Trades Association, and Boating British Columbia that have already similarly partnered with the national organization.

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