As I plan for my next member visit to Wellington and surrounding towns, a key messages I will be delivering is the need to make the most of your membership, use it to its full potential – after all it only exists if the members are active. It surprises me on visits, when I hear that our e-news goes unread and therefore our members do not know what we offer, what we are developing and what is going in within their own industry.
It is also very Interesting to note that although we have best intentions of reaching out to all our members, we are a small industry association and we do our best to highlight industry conversations or topics that matter and are relevant. For example we know there is the need and requirement for regulation of our industry, for upskilling and training of which for many is becoming a requirement. We do communicate these updates via our social platforms, by the e-news and also face to face members visits. Over the past 5 years we have developed better benefits with business partners, we have a Health and Safety expert, a business insurance expert and our very own employment lawyer. Not only have we developed our own online systems for our accounts to run more seamlessly, but a website that holds a wealth of knowledge on all our offerings. We also provide and organize events – the perfect platforms for our suppliers and sign makers to come together and connect.
And with constant change all around us we do our best to communicate with our Associate members on topical issues such as sustainability, training and the advancement of new innovations, as we promote and share their good stories. But none of this matters if we don’t have the support the connection or acknowledgement from the industry our sign maker members. Don’t forget we work for you, we try to bring you what you are wanting and what we think is needed for the industry. So, for now and the future, I ask our members to make a real effort to keep upto date with what we can offer in benefits or training, what our vision and goals are, and if you want more let us know – we can’t help you unless you help us, so stay intouch – your membership entitles you to do so.