Business View Oceania | Volume 3, Issue 8

81 82 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7 AUSTRALAS I AN T IMBER FLOOR ING ASSOC I AT ION our introduction to the industry, the level of workmanship has improved greatly.” The Australasian Timber Flooring Association has a small number of full-time staff made up of senior representatives and a technical manager, membership manager, and communications coordinator. Together the team supports 900+ member businesses including contractors, manufacturers, suppliers and retailers, which equates to over 6,400 separate enterprises Australasia-wide. Membership is split across eight purchase tiers, ranging in price from $415.00 per annum for Contractor Member to $11,000.00 per annum for Platinum Industry Partner. Benefits for members are continuing to be developed over time, Flierman explains. “We are always doing a lot of planning and strategising as far as our organisation and the industry is concerned. We are currently reviewing our communications and membership operations to see how we can improve them, and publication downloads, discounts for ATFA training, workshops, events, social days, trade night exhibitions and inspections, market data, annual report status recognition, Contractor and Industry Partner certificates, display plaques, and promotional videos. These benefits generate direct and potential business, increased market exposure, company recognition and skills development, and provide informational updates that help members remain aware of and meet compliance requirements. Every member of the Australasian Timber Flooring Association is benefited with a common voice to government, regulators and the community. Supporting so many members in such a specific industry presents a variety of challenges for the Australasian Timber Flooring Association. Lack of national licensing schemes for timber flooring organisations, ever-changing regulations, and liaising with multiple jurisdictions and their industry interpretations across Australia and New Zealand are continuous challenges for the that will continue on until we are confident we have achieved all that we need to.” Benefits of membership with ATFA increase with each tier. They include the ATFA Membership Kit, which provides over 90 information sheets, technical publications and industry standards information, a member certificate, ATFA stickers, website membership and e-bulletin access, and the membership magazine. Other benefits include Industry Standards manuals and eBooks, electronic member cards loaded with onsite accessible information, use of the ATFA logo on company literature and promotional materials, Find a Member listings on the ATFA and Floorchoices websites, Pro-forma documents, weekly electronic industry updates, access to member-exclusive events, social media, training and accreditation, industry insurance, fuel cards, partner benefits including Caltex and Medibank, legal and industrial relations support, hotline technical assistance, consumer brochures, association. Innovations in member assistance, product and process knowledge distributions and member education and training programs have been implemented to combat these. Another significant challenge for the Australasian Timber Flooring Association has been the COVID-19 pandemic. In a story similar to those reported by many others around the world, the timber flooring industry has experienced difficulties acquiring and maintaining supply lines, attending and supplying training events, and implementing working procedures that match pandemic restrictions. For ATFA, the provision of education and training initiatives to members has been particularly difficult. Formal conferences, workshops and training events have until recently been conducted face-to-face; given that the development of COVID-19 has made that effectively impossible, the association has had to transfer activities online. Social events and contests have also been shifted to an online