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Membership Matters
the RBA has needed to consolidate its activities, and build on its offering to members. We bridal business owners – and that includes the volunteer Executive Council (EC) members – are forever reinventing ourselves; we have to in order to stay one step ahead at all times. We recognise that it is vital if we are to compete in the retail industry in this day and age, and to further encourage and stimulate growth and improvement in our sector. The past 18 months have proved that we never know what’s coming next, and that we need to be ready to move with times. Like everyone else, the RBA have had to adapt to a new way of working. It has actually been amazing – not at all easy, though – but out of adversity comes innovation, opportunity and strength, and that’s just for starters.
Time well spent We have used the past year and a half to set up new training programmes, new events, new discounts, new discussions, new ways of communication, new marketing, and many more new ways to support our members. It’s all on our new website. One of the things I have appreciated most was our once a month members’ Zoom meeting. My businesses are in Scotland and it has kept me in touch with the rest of the industry around Britain. It was great to actually hear this from some more of our members during the Harrogate Bridal Show Rob and Andrew Pearce from Creatiques, have been members of the RBA for the past seven years. They k, so the Retail Bridalwear Association (RBA) has been said: “As a long-standing bridal business, around for a long time – 26 we have felt the RBA support – from years to be precise. I think we are the longest-serving bridal retail the advice from the legal team, to discussions with fellow bridal shop association out there. owners. I am, however, delighted to report “Through this past year we have all that we have consistently moved experienced the highs and lows of our on from those early years… just as industry, but with our regular Zoom the industry itself has completely changed, so has the Association. And meetings and support calls from other members, we have the knowledge today more than ever, with all of our that the RBA has our business businesses constantly changing, so
Being part of a long-standing industry body has a huge number of advantages, and solid support is core to the proposition. Sharon McPherson talks RBA business
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