It seeks to promote and safeguard the interests of its members, which range from large, well known, brands to small companies with only a few employees. The product range supplied by members is vast and covers all aspects of the interiors industry from bespoke bedding to furniture and fabrics and from ready-made curtains to bath mats.

BITA provides a wide range of services aimed at maximising business opportunities and strengthening the business environment in which members operate. Some of the key benefits of membership are:

• BITA is the voice of the industry and speaks on behalf of its members to a wide range of organisations and membership of BITA means that your views are heard!

• BITA is regularly consulted by the Government on the industry’s views on such issues as changes to the Furniture & Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations.

• BITA is also represented on all of the BSI committees that are responsible for interior textiles and again membership ensures that any new standards are developed to suit your needs.

• BITA also has a seat on the Advisory Board of ‘ShowRoom’ in order to make sure that the show remains focused on the needs of the industry.

• Through its membership of the British Apparel and Textile Confederation (BATC), BITA has a very strong lobbying voice both at home and abroad. A tangible and effective use of this lobbying role came in the ultimately successful fight against the anti-dumping case on grey cotton fabric. The lobbying power of BATC also covers such issues as the National Minimum Wage and the 48-hour working week.

• The BITA Directory is an invaluable tool in promoting members’ services at home and overseas. It is distributed to all UK Embassies and Consulates worldwide – as well as leading buyers in all markets and it is distributed at the leading trade exhibitions – so that as wide an audience as possible is aware of the range of high quality products available from BITA members.

• Entry in the Directory is free to members and carries not only your contact details – but also information on the products you supply.

• Last year we sent out nearly 5000 copies worldwide.

• This website receives a large number of visitors, particularly from overseas. The site not only provides a searchable database of members and their products, but also provides each member with their own page within the site. Listing on the site is free for all members.

• Issued quarterly, the Newsletter is full of information that is important to your business from changes in tariffs and quotas, details on technical specifications both here and abroad, to details of sales leads and exhibitions worldwide.

The scheme has been specially designed to cover areas such as Directors’ and Officers’ liability and Business Interruption which members will be able to add to their existing arrangements. The purchasing power of BITA means that members have received significant savings on their insurance costs – often more than 30% on their existing insurance premium.

Design copying has become an increasing problem throughout the industry and BITA members enjoy the benefits of joining Anti Copying in Design (ACID) at a discount. ACID looks after all aspects of design copyright – from offering practical steps to safeguarding designs to fighting legal cases on members’ behalf. So far, ACID has won every action it has brought.

BITA organises the Emerging Talent Award to recognise the wealth of design talent in the UK. The competition is open to all undergraduates, or those who have graduated in the past three years. Hundreds of entries are received each year and are judged by leading designers from the industry. The winning entry plus the runners up are displayed at ‘ShowRoom’, the trade exhibition held annually in Manchester.

BITA is present at all the leading UK interior textiles shows. Members have the opportunity to promote their products and services on the BITA stand free of charge.

The BITA State of Trade Survey is issued at least every quarter. The survey provides a very useful snap shot of the industry‘s recent performance as well as an indication of what the future trends are in terms of UK sales, exports and employment.

The BITA Secretariat is always on hand to answer any queries and if you wish to discuss the benefits of membership further:

Please contact Adam Mansell, BITA, 5 Portland Place, London, W1B 1PW. Tel: +44 (0)20 7636 7788

Fax: 020 7636 7515 E-mail: enquiries@interiortextiles.co.uk

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