The importance of using the association to connect the industry

Dec 15, 2025 | Industry Advice

SignUpdate Nov Dec 2025 1 The importance of using the association to connect the industry

Making the use of networking associations (credit: Shutterstock)

With the few chances there are to trade experiences, knowledge and skills, president David Allen of the BSGA explains the importance of the association and being social.

It was while listening to the radio that I came across a program that set me thinking. Back in 1918, to use the words of the time, a group of likeminded gentlemen got together to form what would be become the Master Sign Makers Association.

Connecting the industry

The intention was not only to share best practice, but also I suspect to meet and discuss issues of the day that were affecting them and their businesses. It can be a lonely furrow sometimes, but this small get together of four individuals laid the foundations of today’s trade association.

It is not that being a sign maker is somehow different to every other business, but at least if you meet others there’s some form of collective understanding of some of the unique pressures we all face.

There are currently very few opportunities to get together in the same space and share and discuss both challenges and successes. There are just two dedicated events that are open to the public, the chances of meeting up are few and far between at the moment.

I didn’t make this year’s print show, but from talking to colleagues who did I got a real sense of the value of simply being able to meet up and chat that the show brings. It is something I feel we should not be afraid of.

Certainly, I’m sure that we’d all learn something from each other, it could be operational matters, or maybe using different methods or materials who
knows? I do know our forebears had the same idea.

It’s interesting to think that all those years ago the same feelings of isolation were just as prevalent as they are today and their answer was to club together to create a movement that would represent the views and interests of all concerned.

Last year we as an association identified the 5Cs ‘Champion Collaborate Communicate Community Compliance’ these came from talks with our members. It’s interesting but not surprising that four of the five are in essence community initiatives, the fifth one being more duty than community.

Making use of the association

As we try to make today’s trade association more relevant and worth the fee it seems to me that this forum is more useful than ever in today’s high-pressure world.

A metaphorical shed at the bottom of the garden to meet, maybe chat over a pint or a coffee to discuss the issues of the day in a ‘safe
space’ seems quite appealing.

While we are not quite there with the ‘pint’ being ‘there’ is one thing we can do, whether it’s through social media, emails, or the phone, having a trade association is one guarantee that you’re never alone.

I would really like to create that metaphorical shed, that safe space. It will benefit the whole industry to talk, maybe we could improve the trading
environment for us all and in so doing raise the whole industry up what better than to know that you’re not going to end up quoting against someone who have very little idea what they are doing.

What is better than to have like-minded professionals at your side if you are at all unsure, no one likes to be that person who asks what they perceive to be a silly question when its anything but.

But that is where the trade association comes in and it’s what Messrs. Sandland, Harris, Torode and Pearce had in mind when they formed the association. They were going to face some headwinds within a few short years, but the fact that the association weathered them is a testament
to the value of community.

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