Blue Eyed Sun

Blue Eyed Sun - gorgeous greetings cards

What is the point of Trade Associations?

Why Trade Associations?Just what is the point of trade associations? I’ve been asking myself this question a lot of late, having just become the new Vice-Chairman of the Giftware Association (GA) as well as being Treasurer for the Greeting Card Association (GCA). Since getting more closely involved with these two trade groups over the last few years and helping to improve their offering and membership numbers it’s really got me thinking hard about what makes joining them a must rather than just a should.

Blue Eyed Sun has been a member of the GCA, the GA and the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) for over a decade now. We’ve also been approached by a number of others over the years including local enterprise groups and other specialist trade bodies like ACID. It’s quite easy to see the direct debits siphoning off your hard earned cash each year and wonder whether it’s all worth it. So what are the benefits of joining?

Financial Benefits

As supplier members, there are key financial benefits that each offer. In Blue Eyed Sun’s case we enjoy 5% off our stands at the Spring Fair and Autumn Fair trade shows through the GA and 10% off our stand at PG Live through the GCA.

We also get discounted rates from key suppliers through both organisations. Both leverage the numbers of their memberships to negotiate member deals with website designers, courier companies, insurers, credit controllers and credit checkers.

GA retailer members benefit from member to member trade show discounts, discounted hotel costs, cheaper Retail Week subscriptions, retail advice and legal insurance protection.

Each trade association also has free half hour calls to top legal experts dealing with key industry issues like brand protection, sales agents and copyright law.

Protection

The GA has a scheme set up called Copywatch which helps companies register and protect their designs as well as warding off plagiarists with their Copywatch logo on brochures and websites. They also have a credit discussion group to identify and help deal with customers who are slow to pay or in danger of defaulting.

The GCA has a really useful Range Name Register which Blue Eyed Sun checks every time we release a new range so that we don’t inadvertently market products with the same range name as another publisher. With so many companies and ranges out there this is easily done even after the usual Google and the IPO Trade Mark Register checks.

Marketing

Members of both the GCA and the GA have profile listings on their websites, which makes it easier for customers and suppliers to find them and help grow their businesses. More customers means more sales and better suppliers can mean cost savings and improved service for your customers. These listings also have strong SEO (search engine optimisation) benefits and are a good opportunity to show off what you do. The GA also offers competitive advertising opportunities on their website for those looking to enhance their industry profile.

GCA Associate members who supply publishers and retailers get listings in the supplier directory on the GCA site, free access to the GCA market report (worth £500) and exclusive access to members at GCA events and online.

Both organisations offer the opportunity to be featured in their newsletters or magazines. Progressive Greetings, the official journal of the GCA, has a section called Innovations which offers free editorial to members and newcomers to the card industry. The GA have an email newsletter called Giftwrap which goes out regularly to a large database of retailers and suppliers and is always looking to feature stories on it’s members. They also have a free weekly email called GA Reflect which includes relevant industry news.

Credibility

The GA and the GCA logos add credibility to your business. You can use them on our website, email signatures, letterheads, at your premises and in your brochure. We have their logos on our trade show stands as they add another level of reassurance to customers that we are a credible well established business with strong links to our industry community.

Events

Both associations put on regular events like seminars and networking gatherings. The GCA has some fantastic seminars on subjects like improving sales with sales agents and distributors. Recently they’ve also been adding video footage of their events to their website so you can see their latest seminar on licensing and distribution on their YouTube channel. These events give members a chance to keep up to date with legislative changes and ask questions from more experienced members.

Similarly the GA have had some excellent Business Boost days to help members drive sales and cut costs. They also organise Meet the Buyers days with retailers like John Lewis where suppliers get face time and invaluable feedback with leading retailers who in turn get to discover exciting new products for their stores.

Both trade associations have inspiring AGM / Members’ Day events that are well worth adding to your diary and attending. This recent GA Members day included keynotes specialising in customer service, branding and network thinking as well as informative talks on auto-enrolment pension changes, resale price maintenance compliance and HR recruitment.

Last year’s GCA AGM featured brilliant keynotes from the experienced card retailer Dominique Schurman (CEO of Clintons), rising publishing star Hannah Wrendale and inspirational comedian Sanderson Jones (founder of Sunday Assembley). If you missed them you can catch up on the GCA YouTube channel.

This year’s GCA AGM is on the Tuesday 8th November at the Royal Horseguards in London and promises another fantastic lineup.

No Trade Associations?

All of these benefits and more for both retailers and suppliers deal with the “what’s in it for me?” question most non-members ask before joining. Understandably, prospective members want to know the immediate return they get for their money.

There is a more important consideration though: What would we do if they didn’t exist?

For example, how would we respond to industry threats? Who would lobby government on our behalf to protect our interests when legislation changes or needs changing? Who would support new companies into our card and gift industries to keep our industry fresh and vibrant? Who would help us when we find ourselves in difficulty? Who would mediate and offer opportunities for competitors to come together and protect their industries? As busy business owners or companies, these are not tasks you or I might be able take on on our own and yet they are absolutely vital to all our livelihoods. It’s easy to forget that the real purpose of these organisations that is to make us stronger together as a group.

Both Chief Executives of the GCA  (Sharon Little) and the GA (Sarah Ward) have a wealth of experience, industry knowledge and a network of contacts that can help almost any member in a business situation they are having difficulty with. I find having these two experts on the end of the phone an invaluable benefit of our membership.

Community

When you sit on the committees at these organisations you join a group of passionate business men and women who see beyond their own businesses and recognise the importance of the bigger picture. It’s a great way of connecting with influencers and thought leaders and I have grown so much from spending time with such wonderfully inspiring industry peers. The organisations thrive on these hubs of passion and dedication to our industries. All are volunteers and most don’t even claim expenses for travel or their time attending multiple meetings in London and Birmingham each year.

Beyond the committees, the membership of these associations is a thriving community of businesses and entrepreneurs who all want the best for their industry’s future. After the recent EU referendum we are all aware of how important being a member of a group can be.

Those who set up the GA, the GCA and other trade bodies decades before us recognised the importance of contributing a small share to provide a focus for the well being of the industries in which they trade and we must continue to do the same.

Even if the benefits I’ve listed above are of little or no use to you, contributing to our community is something worth paying for. This is what makes membership a must rather than a should.

Join the Giftware Association

Join the Greeting Card Association

Are Trade Shows still worth it?