The importance of associations

Sep 4, 2026 | Industry Advice

Firefly Gemini Flash make 300dpi 867871 The importance of associationsLike many great leaders, their terms come to an end, but usually not without a time to reminisce. That is the case with David Allen, owner of Allen Signs and president of the BSGA, as he uses his section of the BSGA corner to discuss his time in office and its importance to the industry.

As I type this, I’m halfway through my second term as president with the finishing line in sight.

Not that I’m desperate for it to finish, I might add, but one key objective I’d had was to make the BSGA relevant to the trade and be of use. Well, I’m not going to judge whether I’ve been successful; I’ll leave that to others, but we’ve had some notable successes, I think.
There is an ebb and flow of members, of course, but I’m grateful to those of you who are members. Even if you pay the fee and play no active part, your contribution is just as valid as a company that lends us a member of staff to help us drive through change.

The benefits

I know some companies, large and small, will question why they would spend money on membership, because they can’t see what a trade body actually does, or maybe they believe there’s nothing the association does that adds anything to their business.

I beg to differ. Without a point of contact, our voice won’t be heard. In a non-regulated industry, no one has to join, but wouldn’t it be nice if, with our own code of practice, standards could be assured, and workmanship across the trade would be equal. So, when you spend valuable time quoting, there’s a better chance you’re competing on a level playing field.

We’ve tended to look to our larger member companies to provide input to the various committees on the basis that they are more likely to experience changes before smaller companies similar to mine.

Not all are willing to share information and skills, of course, but those that do, I believe, gain more than they lose. The association can only seek to influence if we have enough members, those who manufacture signs and those who supply us with materials.

I’m glad to say that overall, our numbers have remained steady, but we could do so much more if we had more members. For example, we could seek to influence organisations like the CITB, even maybe government departments.

The crux of it all

So, where’s this going? Well. Rather than those who say the association adds no value, I would say it’s more what can you do for your association.
All too often we sit around bemoaning the state of the trade or lack of consistency in pricing and are not prepared to come up to the plate.

Rather than seeing the fee, which is not a huge amount now, as a cost, see it as an asset.
We should all rally around the badge because we’re working hard to increase our sphere of influence.

So, what have we achieved so far? Well, we now have a selection of technical bulletins that we continue to develop. Our technical chair has led the BSI working group to develop the maintenance element of BS559, which is now out for comment. We now have a route to obtain a recognised CSCS card through an alliance with the National Association of Shopfitters, to name a few.

The best is yet to come in my view and to enable us to be driving the trade forward from the front rather than being a passenger on someone else’s train. In testing times, being together makes us all individually so much stronger.

So, to those of you who support our work and the efforts of our team, thank you; it doesn’t go unnoticed; we really do appreciate it.
To those who haven’t yet joined or are thinking of leaving, I’d ask you to reconsider.

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