A key facet of the relationship between a dealer and its central station is support; it’s important to know you have good people backing you up. That seems to be the focus at this year’s SentryNet dealer conference and cruise, being held on board the Carnival Elation, an 855-foot long behemoth of a cruise ship sailing from its home port in Mobile, Ala. to sunny Cozumel in Mexico.

That emphasis on support was apparent from the moment one stepped foot in Mobile’s Cruise Terminal. Donning blue SentryNet shirts that commemorate the event with the slogan: “What happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico,” SentryNet dealers stood out in the crowd and greeted other “blue shirts” like old friends. It was a nice illustration of the kind of network of dealers that SentryNet has built.

It was even more impressive seeing the great majority of the conference’s 203 attendees come together at the Cole Porter Club for a welcoming reception and a group photo.

SDM is the exclusive media sponsor of the 2011 SentryNet dealer conference. I will be reporting directly from… somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico and from Cozumel through the next three days. So look out for twitter updates, photos, videos and more blogs as SDM embarks with SentryNet on its first dealer cruise and we check out CEU classes, learn company news, chat with dealers and everyone enjoys one of Carnival’s aptly named “fun ships.”