On a bright May evening, more than a hundred guests dressed in vibrant tropical colours gathered to celebrate the Grand Opening of the magnificent new headquarters and service centre of Riviera representative R Marine Crawley at Runaway Bay Marina on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
The guests had come to inspect the stunning new reception, lounge, entertaining and educational spaces alongside the exceptional new engineering, electrical and shipwright service workshops, all now fully integrated to provide seamless support for their Riviera owners.
Glenn McConaghy was “taken aback” at the way the new facility is set up to welcome owners. “It is more a hospitality venue than a sales or service office,” he said. “It is truly welcoming. They even have a billiard table and coffee facilities! This new space is a powerful demonstration of the Crawley team’s commitment to Riviera owners. It is second-to-none.”
This new space is a powerful demonstration of the Crawley team’s commitment to Riviera owners. It is second-to-none. - Glen McConaghy
According to Dealer Principal Travis Edney, the new multimillion-dollar, purpose-built facility was designed to bring all of the dealership’s capabilities closer together: to maximise the teams’ skills and experience, share their combined knowledge, and improve communication across departments, and therefore the quality and efficiency in servicing clients’ motor yachts.
“The large service workshop is a major step forward. We have all the tools, equipment and materials the team needs along with a large store of spare parts.
“We are also highly focussed on providing a happy and effective workplace for all our team,” said Travis. “We have included a car lift in the service facility which helps us maintain our fleet of nine vehicles. It is also available for our team to use on weekends for their own vehicles.”
The large service workshop is a major step forward. We have all the tools, equipment and materials the team needs along with a large store of spare parts. - R Marine Crawley Principal Dealer, Travis Edney
Steve and Jakki Dutton were impressed by the extensive new facility which they described the spaces as “outstanding” and had a special perspective on the R Marine Crawley hospitality.
“The Crawley team made us feel welcome. We took delivery of our Riviera 5400 Sport Yacht at the end of March,” explained Jakki, “and I spent most of April living on board the yacht at an R Marine Crawley berth at Runaway Bay Marina, while Steve was travelling for work. It also gave me a great opportunity to learn as much as possible about our new Riviera. While they were all in the middle of completing the new facility, the team at R Marine Crawley constantly took time to ensure I was happy and safe.”
Steve commented: “I have never experienced an organisation so focussed on customers.”
While the event was organised to welcome Riviera owners to the new facility, the evening’s activities also included a fun-filled fundraising “Charity Dunking” of R Marine Crawley team members. Guests bid for the right to hit a big red button with a ball that would drop the “willing participant” from a perch above a large tank of water. Bidding, strongly encouraged by dealership owner and auctioneer Ben Crawley, was brisk and eventually raised more than $26,000 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Electronics manufacturer Garmin generously donated a specialised marine watch that was also auctioned during the event.
Chris and Sandy Haack joined in the fun.
The environment, the welcome by the team, the entertainment that was never overpowering, the food and drinks, the thoughtfulness that went into the production – all of the elements of the evening came together brilliantly! - Steve Dutton
“We dunked warranty manager Travis Cross who has done some great work for us,” said Chris. “The bidding was quite competitive, so he is obviously popular. We were very happy to contribute as all the funds raised went to such an important cause.
“We have been away from the Gold Coast for more than a year, cruising around Sydney waterways aboard our new Riviera 5400 Sport Yacht, so it was great to catch up and to connect with new people.
“The food was delicious, fresh and restaurant quality.” Steve Dutton summed up the evening. “The environment, the welcome by the team, the entertainment that was never overpowering, the food and drinks, the thoughtfulness that went into the production – all of the elements of the evening came together brilliantly!”
The evening’s festivities were followed the next day when R Marine Crawley hosted a heart-warming morning tea to welcome Ronald McDonald House Charities South East QLD Chairman Michael Power and CEO Emma Thompson to receive a cheque representing the generous $26,000 raised through the charity auction.
The donation will contribute to the charity’s mission of keeping families together during challenging medical treatment times for their children, providing them with a supportive environment when they need it the most.
For more information visit www.rivieraaustralia.com
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