President’s letter – March 22, 2011: Getting Your
Money’s Worth
March 22, 2011 | Many trade associations have what
we call “checkbook members” – members that pay their
dues but rarely show up for meetings or take advantage of other member
benefits. TIA is no different from other associations in this
respect, but in our competitive industry it is particularly regrettable
that not all of our members take advantage of their opportunities to
leverage TIA to help protect and grow their business.
The members who get full value from their dues investment are ones
that attend the meetings and participate on committees. These
activities are where valuable information is exchanged, lessons are
learned, ideas are hatched, missteps are avoided and opportunities are
identified. In February, the TIA Board approved an entire set of
new TIA committee charters to open up opportunities for participation to
a larger number and scope of members. Shortly, TIA members will be
receiving solicitations of interest in committee membership, and I hope
many will respond.
In addition, our newly renamed “PlayCon,” TIA’s
International Conference of Play Professionals, will convene on May 4 at
the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort at Gainey Ranch. The program
has a stunning roster of speakers and presenters, but without question
the primary value of the event is the opportunity to network with other
TIA member companies. If you are a member of TIA, you should be
there.
Also, for the first time this year we will be hosting a special
Sacramento “Fly-in” event June 7-8 as a way for California
toy companies to become acquainted with their State Legislative
Representatives and tell them about how hard we work to keep children
safe. If you are a TIA member in California, you should be
there.
A final example of the benefits of being a TIA member is an
opportunity we recently identified for members in the State of New
York. NY has $30 million in funds available to help companies that
produce products in the state export them to foreign markets. We
have been vigorously canvassing our NY members to see who
qualifies.
We hope any of you that have been checkbook members in the past will
become active members in the future. It is the best way for you to
get your money’s worth.
Warm regards to all,
Carter Keithley
ckeithley@toyassociation.org
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