SVI Magazine

It was a sad day in our industry on 31st December 2010, when the British Federation of Audio (BFA) decided to call it a day and close its doors for the last time. Since the 1980s the BFA, and its predecessor the FBA, had been championing the cause for manufacturers of Hi-Fi equipment in the UK. It provided a meeting ground for companies working in the world of Hi-Fi manufacturing, so that they could share ideas, collaborate on projects and receive government funding to visit overseas trade fairs.

But times change, markets shift, companies merge or close, government priorities change and so it was that the BFA took its hard decision. But to coin a phrase, “The king is dead, long live the king”.

BADA, the British Audio-Visual Dealers Association, is still very much alive and kicking and perfectly placed to fill the void left by our friends at the BFA. With a manufacturer membership consisting of around 25 of the industry’s leading producers, in addition to retail members, magazines and PRs, the Association already fulfils many of the activities carried out by the BFA, including regular meetings for discussion, twice-yearly GfK market performance presentations and a discounted corporate health care scheme. Plus, BADA offers extensive training, complimentary Retra membership, a customer-focused website designed to drive traffic to its members and a whole host of other financially advantageous member benefits.

But at the moment BADA is, by the very nature of its original Articles of Association and name, a retailer association, that has in recent years opened up its membership to others within the industry. Manufacturers are currently classified as Associate Members and pay a different rate of membership subscription. This arrangement was fine while the BFA was fulfilling the role of the manufacturers’ trade association, but now things have changed and so must BADA.

We are at a pivotal point as an industry. The end of physical media is in sight, networking skills are now required in order to make systems work, single-brand outlets are beginning to appear (and not just those run by manufacturers – some independents are going single-brand too), internet shopping is here to stay and the overall size of the market is diminishing. Does BADA stand still and continue its work as a retail association, pushing ahead with its standards-based training programmes and supporting its members with a range of benefits? Does it revert to being a small-scale networking club where like-minded people can meet for an informal chat and a social? Or does it look to the future, recognise the changes that are taking place in the home entertainment world and make itself relevant to the industry, as it is now and will be tomorrow?

moving forward
At the recent Annual General Meeting, the chairman of BADA, Simon Byles, outlined his vision for the future of the Association. This followed a presentation made at the summer 2010 meeting, in which we unveiled a road map for BADA’s development. At this point some of the ideas on the plan were purely discussion points, but the demise of the BFA has pushed some of them to the fore and the time is now right to act on them. In his keynote address to the meeting, Simon said “Whilst the closure of the BFA is undoubtedly a sad event for our industry, BADA will be using the next 12 months to reinforce its credentials and to ensure its offering is suitably tailored and appropriate for all sectors of the Hi-Fi and home cinema industry in the UK. We have come a long way in the past few years, successfully casting off many of the preconceptions about what BADA is, and have demonstrated to the industry that we are serious about raising and maintaining standards across the network of independent retailers. It is now time for us to move enthusiastically forwards to the next stage of our development, by turning BADA into the industry’s association with representation for all parties.”

There have been mutterings by some that BADA is a dinosaur, an old men’s drinking club, a clique of old-style Hi-Fi dealers. This couldn’t be further from the truth – the board has worked hard to reposition the Association over the past few years and make it more relevant to the industry. It has a strong and clearly defined purpose to raise and maintain the highest standards across Hi-Fi retail. Testament to this can be seen in the number of high profile manufacturers that have decided to join, because they see the worth in what we are doing. It is these manufacturers who are working hard behind the scenes to assist BADA in its task by helping to develop, host and deliver the acclaimed training programme. Should the Association not therefore recognise this and change its constitution to give equal membership status to all parties within the industry? In fact, should it not revisit its membership criteria in its entirety and examine which sectors of the industry are under-represented and could benefit from membership of a strong, industry-wide trade association?

Coupled with an examination of the key activities and focus of the Association, this is precisely the road upon which we have embarked. BADA will be using the next 12 months to consult and work with the various interested parties to that ensure the Association emerges as a body that fits the requirements of the whole industry. We would welcome your thoughts on what you would want from a trade association - please drop me a line at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).


Phil Hansen is Operations and Marketing Manager for BADA, the British Audio-Visual Dealers Association, and also runs Red Sheep, a successful marketing and PR consultancy operating within and outside the Hi-Fi industry.

Contact: +44 (0)20 8150 6741 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)