If you missed this year’s virtual AGM, never fear, we recorded it for you!
And if you, like many of us, simply cannot sit through another zoom call right now, here’s the abridged written version.
Our Board of Directors:
We did reduce our board size by 1 member this year, and elected to maintain a smaller BoD rather than add in new members at this time. If you are interested in joining our board in the future, please get in touch and we will discuss what that might look like.
Budget and Financial Year End:
With well over half of our members typically renewing between March-June, COVID hit our financial year end particularly hard. We were mindful that many people were, and still are, making tough decisions about their businesses, and refrained from our usual membership renewal appeals. In the spring we had the foresight to tighten up the budget as much as possible. This included reducing staff hours and look for any other additional cost cutting measures without compromising on the services we provide. We are continuing with this strategy into 2021 which has also guided our strategic plans for the coming year.
Membership:
Current membership numbers have certainly taken a hit. And at the same time, we have continued to see new companies join us, which is always exciting. We are thrilled to welcome new members from the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and New Zealand, to name only a few places. One of the challenges is connecting to the rising number of e-commerce sellers on the market right now, which is an ongoing endeavor. One of our priorities in 2021 will be introducing ourselves to newcomers to the industry. We forget sometimes that even though the BCIA is 10 years old this year, what we do is still new to many people.
2021 Priorities:
-Continued work on the standards including ASTM Sling, Soft Carrier and Frame Carriers, EN-13209-3 Sling standard, and assistance with the newly formed international ISO Childcare Articles standard.
-Creation of a widespread ‘Facts vs Myths/Hip Health’ public awareness campaign and development of sharable resources.
-Continuation and expansion of our current service offerings, including our Product Registration Service, Compliance Assistance Programs, and Monthly Roundtable Discussions.
-Outreach to members in new markets (e-commerce sellers, South America and Asian markets) while maintaining support for current members.