The Marina Industries Association (MIA) is the peak industry body for the marina industries in Australia, Asia and the Pacific regions. MIA is dedicated to the needs of marina owners and operators of berthing, mooring, storage and slipway/workshop facilities connected to sailing, cruising and general boating.
MIA also services the needs of vendor businesses that supply goods and services to marinas. MIA has members in many countries and has a growing influence in the marina industries across the wider Asian region.
Marina Industries Association (MIA)
MIA’s mission is to support the sustainable development of the marina industries through education, research and accreditation programs. MIA has an active Board and associated committees across 11 areas of activity.
In 2013 the MIA in partnership with the Boating Industries Alliance Australia (BIAA) delivered another successful International Conference and Exhibition under the banner of Marine13. MIA is providing a well-established and internationally recognised career training pathway for the marina industries and is a founding member of the Global Marina Institute (GMI).
GMI ensures a high and internationally consistent standard of training is delivered across the globe by its partners MIA and the British Marine Federation (BMF). In the 18 months to June 2013 MIA has delivered 21 training courses in seven countries plus a joint venture Intermediate Marina Management course with the BMF held in the UAE.
MIA has had a long standing research partnership with the Recreational Marine Research Centre based at Michigan State University. As a result of this partnership MIA published the ground breaking 2011 Health of the Australian Marina Industry Survey that reported on the economic, social and environmental performance of marinas in Australia. The survey identified for example that excluding contractors, there are 15,900 people employed at Australia’s 256 marinas. These marinas offer storage for around 75,000 boats. This and other survey data is available within this web site. An updated survey will be released late 2013/early 2014.
In conjunction with the Boating Industries Alliance (BIAA), MIA has recently launched the Australian Boater Survey – the most ambitious survey ever undertaken by the marina industry which aims to quantify the economic scale of recreational boating and to better understand the characteristics, habits and behaviours of recreational boaters. This is an opportunity for all industry businesses plus groups, clubs and associations to promote participation in the survey and we urge you to encourage your boat owners to register at www.australiaboatingsurvey.com.
MIA has two accreditation programs; the MIA International Clean Marina Program and the International Gold Anchor Rating Scheme for marinas. It also offers a non-rated or general Gold Anchor scheme. Clean Marinas sets high compliance standards for marinas that meet or exceed government environmental regulatory requirements. A list of Clean marinas can be found within this website. Likewise the Gold Anchor scheme provides a thorough customer service focused assessment framework for the rating of marinas according to their level of service and facilities. Gold Anchor Marinas are all committed to customer service. The schemes rating provides a guide for boat and marina users as to level of service and facilities they may expect from the marina
With the invaluable support of our members, 2013/14 is developing as another productive year for the Association. The new industry professional development certification (Certified Marina Professional) has been launched and marina education courses including Intermediate and Advanced Marina Management courses are to be held in the back end of 2013. The acclaimed Waterline publication and e-News are keeping members and the wider marina community up to date with the latest industry and Association news. MIA welcomes new members and sponsors who see value in joining.