DRTV Best Practices Primer: Maximizing Trade Organization Opportunities
1 Sep, 2003 By: Rick Petry ResponseBecoming involved with a trade group can be as easy as attending a show and meeting new industry players.
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At first blush, it would appear that if one joined and attended every trade organization event that surrounds the direct-to-consumer marketplace, they would have no time left to do anything else. How then does one decide which organizations to join, which shows to attend, and how to get the most out of them? The following offers a brief overview of the major organizations and some suggestions on how to maximize the opportunities they present.
Alphabet Soup
The Electronic Retailing Association's (ERA) vision is to be the preeminent trade association serving as the most authoritative voice for and the primary source of information on electronic retailing. The hub of the ERA continues to be DRTV, although there are many spokes that branch out from this center, including radio, Internet, print, catalog and traditional brick-and-mortar retail, among others. The ERA has approximately 350 members from a host of countries and holds several trade shows and meetings each year.The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) bills itself as the largest trade association for businesses interested in direct, database and interactive global marketing, with about 4,700 member companies from the United States and 53 foreign nations on six continents. Historically, the DMA has been more focused on direct mail and print advertising; however, a concerted effort to shed light on the opportunities within DR broadcast is afoot, with a pavilion dedicated to the discipline occurring at its annual conference and exhibition in Orlando, Fla., this October.
Both the ERA and DMA have member-driven councils that give participants the opportunity to involve themselves in various areas of emphasis, including government affairs, broadcast, communications and political action committees. Each organization also has an awards show that gives recognition to the best in direct marketing.
In addition to these international organizations, there are two groups that flank the east and west coast: the Electronic Media and Marketing Association (EMMA) in the east and the Direct Marketing Advertising Community (DMAC) out west. EMMA was formed in 1992 by DR television professionals and is self-described as dedicated to growing the industry through the sharing of knowledge, ideas and opportunities within the electronic marketplace. EMMA strives to keep its members current with the latest news and technology in the television, Internet and radio industries. EMMA meets several times a year at the Yale Club in New York.
DMAC, the latest group to form, is committed to uniting the west coast direct response community by bringing direct marketers, agencies and networks together to increase commerce and provide a forum to exchange ideas. DMAC recently held its second event and is planning more networking opportunities in the near future.
Finally, the Interactive Television Alliance (ITA) is an independent trade association representing the broad interests of the entire interactive television (ITV) industry. As focus on ITV continues to burgeon, the ITA seeks to create opportunities for networking and education related to emerging ITV technologies.
10 Tenets
No matter which organization or group you believe is right for you, they all offer the chance for networking and conducting business. Here are 10 guidelines that can help you make of the opportunities they afford.1. Look before you leap. If you're not sure whether a trade organization is right for you, attend a trade show or meeting before you join to get sense of what it's about and whether it fits your particular needs. The ERA and DMA annual shows held each fall are the biggest and most comprehensive venues that will help you to figure this out. Since EMMA and DMAC are more informal, any of their various gatherings can help you decide whether they are right for you.
2. Don't be a deadbeat. If you are coming to a trade show, don't draft off the show and hang out on the fringes of the organized event. To get the full benefits of any meeting, you need to pay to register so you can get full access to the proceedings. Certainly there is a cost involved - and sometimes it can be significant. But a great deal of effort goes into organizing such events, and it's simply the right thing to do.
3. Schedule meetings in advance. One of the benefits of registering is that you can obtain a list of attendees and determine in advance whom you want to meet with. Scheduling meetings in advance, as opposed to showing up and hoping for the best, is crucial to maximizing opportunity at any trade event. Who hasn't shown up at a booth hoping to meet with someone only to find out they left the day before? However, as you build your schedule, allow for pockets of time where you can schedule meetings on the fly, because you are going to meet new people who may not be able to spontaneously stop to chat with you.
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