By Harmony Maraldo
Thank you to all our members who completed our second annual Member Survey! Below is a summary of this year’s results.
General Demographics
The National Upholstery Association consists of Professionals, Educators, Industry Partners, Students, and Retirees of the upholstery trade. Our current mix of member levels is as follows:
- 70% Professionals
- 8% Educators
- 5% Industry Partners
- 14% Students
- 3% Retirees
Compared to last year, we saw a small uptick in the educator category.
Our members overwhelmingly joined the NUA for educational and networking opportunities
We saw similar results last year, so this is no surprise. The National Upholstery Association is working hard to expand our educational and network offerings.
Some of our offerings include:
- Quarterly Newsletter – Stay abreast of NUA community and industry news
- Monthly Educational Webinars – On varying upholstery and business-related topics
- Community Meetings – Meet your peers, ask questions, and join the discussion
- Monthly Member Updates – New! Monthly update of upcoming NUA events and news
- NUA Blog – Read stories about fellow members and industry experts
- Annual Pricing Survey – see how your pricing matches up to other professionals in your area
- Fire Regs Resources & FAQ – learn about the new law and how it may affect your business
- Recommended Reading – book lists compiled by topic
- Trade Show Representation – come say hi to our volunteers and Board members at our booth at FME and CWC this year. Sign up to join us on a field trip to Colonial Williamsburg while attending CWC!
*Items marked in RED are available to members only
This year we are also working to expand our Educator Directory and enhance our Recommended Reading page. Stay tuned for updates!
The NUA receives high praise for our Webinars and Newsletters
Our webinars are top-notch and available only to members. Join the webinars live (we usually have a Q&A at the end!) or catch the replay on demand. A list of past webinars can be found on our website (Members – please access on-demand webinars here).
We love our Newsletters, too! Our curated content includes upcoming event updates, industry news, member spotlights, and more. Have some news about your business you want to share with the world? Read a great article you want to share? Send us an email to let us know and we’ll consider including it in our next publication!
Member Discounts (still) rate lowest among our membership perks
How embarrassing! We could cite a number of reasons why this benefit has been so difficult to implement, but instead of making excuses, we’re taking action. This year, we’re doubling-down on growing our relationships with our Industry Partners (IPs) – including vendors with whom our members do business. We’re working on expanding our IP benefits, and we’ll be exhibiting at the Furniture Manufacturing Expo this year – schmoozing and networking with vendors on behalf of our members.
We believe the NUA provides mutual benefit between our members and Industry Partners. We aim to highlight and promote our best partners, giving them an opportunity to market to a highly targeted audience. In return, we hope to snag exclusive offers for NUA members, not available anywhere else. If you are an Industry Partner and want a premium promotional spot on our website and on social media, please email us and we’ll gladly be in contact with you.
When asked about additional benefits, our members were most interested in access to a regular news feed highlighting industry news and research
Last year, we began including industry news in our Newsletters, and people liked that. We also joined LinkedIn, where we’ve begun sharing newsworthy articles from the upholstery industry. If you use LinkedIn, we welcome you to follow us to receive news to your feed!
Still, we know there is more work to do in this area. We’ll be looking at other ways to connect our members to industry news. If you have any specific suggestions, ideas, or want to volunteer to tackle this project, send us an email – we’d be happy to hear from you!
Our members overwhelmingly want to receive important information via email – not social media
We hear your feedback! The NUA has become more deliberate in our communication with members over the past year. While we still post event reminders to social media, we recently began sending Monthly Member Updates via email – a compilation of upcoming events and news from the NUA and the upholstery industry. We’ve also gotten better at sending individual emails for big news – such as the launch of our Fire Regs page and FAQ.
Members: Not receiving our member emails or newsletters? Log into your account, go to your Profile, choose the Edit Profile button, then click on the Email Subscriptions tab. Ensure your subscription boxes are checked!
Conclusion
The National Upholstery Association’s programs are made possible through your membership dues and the support of our dedicated volunteers. To all our members - thank you for your support and for being a part of our community.
If you want to get more involved, consider applying to become a volunteer. We are also recruiting for Committee Chairs, so if you’re a natural leader or looking to build experience leading a team, we want to hear from you!
Harmony Maraldo
President
