These days the trade association is in constant connection with its members and external target groups. A professional marketing and communication strategy is of major importance, in order to reach them in the various different stages of the ‘member journey’. By responding to the challenges and trends our industries and their members are familiar with, using relevant content and via the right channels. This includes themes such as sustainability, ageing, consolidation, innovation and digitisation.

There’s plenty involved where managing a trade association is concerned. As your association’s management team, you will regularly receive questions you won’t instantly know the answer to. Questions about laws and regulations, dealing with changes as a result of social, market and/or technology developments. There will undoubtedly be practical questions too, such as: ‘How can I investigate member satisfaction’, or ‘how do we approach the preparation of a policy plan’ are a couple of the common ones.

Representing its members’ interests is one of a trade association’s most important tasks. Monitoring political agendas, informing officials, politicians and other influencers, both in The Hague and in Brussels, about our members’ interests, also referred to as lobbying, is a specialist profession in itself! We have professionals at our disposal with a large network and with the right knowledge, who can exercise influence at the right time. We can influence new laws and regulations by informing, sharing industry knowledge and our industry partners’ future visions, which will often have a major impact on our industries.