BJA Membership - Opinions?

[agent_44]

Hi

I was just looking into BJA membership and wondered if was a current or past member and had any information they could share; do you think it's worth it, have you gotten much in return for your fee, etc etc.

Thanks :)

[MuranoSilver]

I'm a member - I mainly am a member because I can then display all the signs in my shop
AND because of thier design depost scheme....

Here are a few of the benefits in an easy format :)

Website Links
They add your company profile and products to the BJA website and promote you.
They do "Direct Sales" links and "Commissions" so you can be listed on the relevant pages of the BJA website.

Press Point
As an extra route to promoting your products the BJA website has a Press Point section.
This can be used by members at any time to submit their press releases. Your stories are
then available for consideration by a number journalists who are registered with them.

They also create feature stories based around a theme, at the moment the themes are Xmas Sparkle,
Unusual Neckware, Surface Texture. Related press releases are promo'd.

Design Deposit (my favourite)
The Design Deposit Scheme allows you to send the BJA your drawings / photos and a short description of your design,
this gets logged in a hand written register and can be produced should you need it. You will receive a certificate for each
design logged. You are allowed 25 designs a year for free, a collection can be classed as one design.

Hope that helps
Nic x

[agent_44]

Thanks Nic.

That does look rather good, I have to say, seems like it's worth the money then. There's plenty of other stuff I found on their site too. Are those available to the Designer Jeweller memberships or for Full Memberships only?

[MuranoSilver]

Available to DJMembers :)

[agent_44]

Even better :D The only thing I can see so far that is only available to Full members is the discounts for trade events, which I guess if needed you could always upgrade your membership for.

Thanks Nic, I think this is going on my list :)

[geti-titanium]

I was a member a few years ago and found the whole experience to be of no benefit to me at all. You do get a discount for trade events, but I found that I saved more money by not being a member.

Traffic from the weblink was negligable and I'm not certain enough surfers recognise the BJA logo on a site for that to be worthwhile either.

I never had any of my press point articles published and when I used to read them it seemed that a lot of them were just glorified self promotion adverts.(It may be different now).

All in all, for me at least, :N:

[agent_44]

OK thanks, nice to see both sides of the coin, I have been reading through the benefits and I'm trying to decide if they're realistically going to benefit me. I won't be joining for a while, if I do at all.

[pauljoels]

Design Deposit (my favourite)
The Design Deposit Scheme allows you to send the BJA your drawings / photos and a short description of your design,
this gets logged in a hand written register and can be produced should you need it. You will receive a certificate for each
design logged. You are allowed 25 designs a year for free, a collection can be classed as one design.

Hope that helps
Nic x

Is that like registering your design with them for copyright type issues? If so do you know where it stands legally? I only ask because it sounds very much like the Intellectual Property Office's Registered Designs - and that definitely has a legal status (Intellectual Property Office - Designs (http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/design.htm)).

[MuranoSilver]

It's more to assist you with taking a design issue to court (should you need to). I like it
because it's free with my membership and the IPO is £60 per design registered.
One of the BJA letters proving the designs origination would be enough to put most "smaller copycats" off.

nic x

[EmmaRose]

I have been put off my price. They are good for legal advice. But am not convinced you really get much extra trade as Geti said....so I think its too expensive for what it is. That said I guess membership may be tax deductible..
Em

[agent_44]

Really? I thought the price looked pretty good (for Designer Jewellery status at least), there's an awful long list of stuf you can get for your money, wether or not it's useful is a different story however!