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Communication with the membership and the industry at large.
The Association is in daily contact with a large number of its members and currently takes in excess of 300 telephone telephone calls per week, plus faxes and an increasing number of e-mails.
Experience has shown that many of our members work long hours and only have time to communicate with the administration out of normal hours, therefore our office in Newport is open to members from 8.00am until 5.00pm five days a week, with a dedicated ex-directory members line being answered in preference to the public lines, which are only answered between 9am - 5pm.
Global communication with the membership is undertaken by a periodic newsletter and by a monthly glossy magazine known as "Upholsterer & Soft Furnisher", published in house by the Association. Monthly 1,600 of these are circulated with this number being boosted to 7,300 every quarter. The advantages of this increased circulation are many fold; it raises our profile as a bona-fide association, informs the trade at large of issues central and essential to its survival and promotes a professional image.
Regional meetings are another means of communication where issues can be debated. Matters of policy are referred back to branches by the Board, where appropriate (and where time permits) for an opinion.
An annual Conferencehas been held every year since the Association's formation in 1947. This is combined with the Annual General Meeting, a trade exhibition and lectures specific to the trade.
The Association enjoys exceptional social activity with numerous functions being staged annually. These have been found to be an excellent means of networking and communication.
We also participate in a number of major trade shows; The Furniture Show and ASFI all of which assist the Association in promoting its cause.
Co-operation.
We have adopted a policy of openness and co-operation with our sister associations, BFM and the BCFA. This has proved to be extremely valuable when tackling issues of mutual importance to all sectors within the industry and has enabled us to speak as one voice.
European Co-operation.
The Upholstery and Soft Furnishings industry is keen to develop much closer links with our European partners. We view "Europe" as a competitor in a global market and we must be part of that market.
Recent discussions with trade associations in Europe and the USA would suggest that standards of training in certain parts of Europe are falling and the shortage of skilled craft workers is becoming a serious problem both in the EC, and interestingly in the USA, where we are reliably informed the shortage of fully skilled upholsterers is very serious indeed.
We are therefore seeking the co-operation of our counterparts in the furniture craft sector throughout Europe to co-operate and communicate more. Initially via E-mail . This has already led to a delegation from the UK visiting the Swedish association earlier this year and has resulted in a placement programme for graduates of the Karl Malmstens Skola in Stockholm seeking work experience in the UK. We are hoping to develop this process over the next few years. A co-operation arrangement also exists with the French Furniture Colleges.
The future 2000 and beyond.
Central to our core activity in the next millennium will be the raising of our profile in the public sector. We believe the public fail to identify real quality. We intend to address this by informing the public and promoting good quality furniture.
This has been an overview of how we were founded, how we have developed, our current management structure, plans and aspirations for the future. We believe in running a small yet effective trade association capable of exploiting the huge benefits and advances in Information technology.
We have concluded that education and training are central to the survival of industry at large. It must start in the schools and be progressed through colleges. We must strive for a good standard of basic education and a much improved system of vocational training.
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