PLASA
Investing in the Industry

BP: Business Premier; BS: Business Standard; I: Individual;
EM: Educational Member; CA: Corporate Affiliate;
IA: Individual Affiliate; S: Students

Take advantage of free advice and guidance on a broad range of business issues - including current and forthcoming legislation, employment law, health & safety, debt recovery, credit management and company and contract law. You can speak to a team of highly qualified accountants, employment law specialists and solicitors who will give clear, concise guidance.

Members can also get tailored advice on personnel issues from an HR specialist. This confidential service provides specialist support on all employment issues - covering recruitment, contracts, pay reviews and disciplinary procedures. Members can have a free initial consultation and can then, if needed, opt for professional support on the development of documents and procedures at a special member rate.

PLASA also runs a free Intellectual Property hotline offering advice on copyright, patents, trade marks and counterfeiting. Provided by an award-winning firm of solicitors, the service not only provides an initial consultation by phone, but can also offer a range of tailored solutions to protect products, designs and ideas.

PLASA has a team of specialists - amongst them technicians, consultants, engineers and Health & Safety advisers - who filter through all the relevant legislation to provide members with updates on the regulatory and technical developments likely to affect their businesses. Our team also provides one-to-one support on all related issues and works closely with members to help put key procedures in place. This advisory service is supported by a range of guidance notes, factsheets and template documents for members to download.

Business Members can take advantage of unique specialist support on technical and health & safety matters. A qualified member of the PLASA team will undertake site visits to analyse the needs of the business and will work closely with the member to put key procedures and supporting documentation in place.

Registration to professional WEEE Compliance Schemes ensuring that all producers supplying business-to-business products meet the requirements of the WEEE Directive.

PLASA has a team of friendly people who work with members to source whatever they need. The team can provide briefing notes on current and forthcoming legislation, updates on industry initiatives, information on events, companies and services in the sector, guidance on training and education and tailored information sheets on a wide range of issues. Through this service members can also request Business Reports and credit checks on UK companies, giving them valuable client information.

All members are listed in the online Member Directory, designed to help clients and specifiers quickly find relevant suppliers or business contacts.

PLASA Members can request a detailed Business Report on any UK company, giving them invaluable information on a company's financial status, credit rating, payment record and board of directors.

PLASA has formed a partnership with VAT Alliance who will assist members in reclaiming VAT on key expenses incurred during international travel, including exhibition costs, conference costs, hotel costs, food and entertainment, car hire, public transport and more. The service is completely admin free and charged on a contingency basis only.

PLASA sends all members a monthly e-newsletter which provides intelligent analysis of changes to legislation and developments within the industry, together with concise technical and standards reports, business product reviews, updates on recent PLASA initiatives and an in-depth focus on a specific member service. The e-newsletter also carries industry event listings and information on conferences and seminars.

PLASA provides members with an easy-to-use online advice and support centre, packed with business, technical, financial and health & safety information, together with a range of business tools and template documents which members can download and adapt for their own use. The range of templates includes employment contracts, employee handbooks, appraisal guidelines, a range of policy and procedures documents from IT to equal opportunities, distribution agreements, standard Terms & Conditions and briefing notes on key issues such as the Working Time Regulations. We are adding new templates all the time and if we don't have what a member needs, we will do the research and create a new template.

All Business Members are encouraged to actively participate in shaping the strategic direction of the Association. Companies within this category can nominate a representative for a place on the Executive Committee, which meets four times a year in London.

All Business Members have a say in the Governance of the Association. In addition to companies being able to nominate representatives for a place on the Executive Committee, Business Members can also attend the Association's Annual General Meeting and vote on official PLASA business.

PLASA runs a number of events for members, including forums, seminars and networking events. Currently these take place on an occasional basis, but in 2010 we plan to launch a regular programme of seminars and regional events.

All Members receive discounted rates on the range of seminars and workshops run by PLASA. The full programme for 2010 will be announced shortly.

Members are entitled to discounts on the £100 registration fee required for the PLASA National Rigging Certificate - an award that allows riggers to demonstrate that they've attained a professional standard within their chosen rigging discipline. Further details on the NRC, together with the full fee structure, can be found in the Professional Development area.

The PLASA Show (www.plasashow.com) is one of the leading exhibitions for the sector, occupying Earls Court 1 and 2 each September and attracting 300 exhibitors and 13,000 buyers. Members get substantial discounts on stand space and can also take advantage of the Members Lounge on the PLASA stand.

*To qualify for the special rates on PLASA 2010, applicants must be fully approved for membership before the 31 May and the membership must be valid up to, and including, the last day of the show.

2010 will see the second presentation of PLASA Focus (www.plasafocus.com/leeds) the only entertainment and installation technology show in the North of England. Over 100 manufacturers from all over the world will be on show and the free Education and Learning Programme is being expanded this year with technical advice, an insight into high profile productions and masterclasses on the future of pro-audio, lighting, AV and stage technologies.

Lighting&Sound International (www.lsionline.co.uk) and Lighting&Sound America (www.lightingandsoundamerica.com) are industry-leading magazines providing coverage of industry news, projects, technologies and people. Both publications also run online news services. Members get significant discounts on media space - both print and online.

A range of competitively-priced design and print services, offered through PLASA's production team, including advert design, corporate rebranding, brochure design & layout and print management.

Members get discounts on a wide range of technical titles, covering industry technologies and safety and standards information, together with a range of business and marketing books addressing key business issues.

Members can talk to leading specialists in the insurance sector who work closely with PLASA to develop industry-relevant insurance schemes so they can help protect businesses and reduce risks. Members can also talk to credit insurance specialists about protecting their businesses, minimising the risks involved in trading with particular customers, implementing effective credit control systems and enabling more informed decision-making.

Members have unique access to an international debt collection service providing credit control and debt collection on a no-success, no-fee basis. If we can collect the debt, we charge a small commission on the following bands (up to £5k: 15% commission; £5k-£10k: 12.5% commission; £10k plus: level of commission is negotiable dependent on scale of debt).

Other services include tracing, investigation, serving of legal documents and handling of court procedures.

Members get highly favourable terms for the processing of debit and credit card payments. The member rates vary depending on the transaction amount and the card turnover, but usually range from 1.86 down to 1.26.

Business, Educational, Individual and Affiliate Members can buy in to an award-winning, cost-effective health plan which in return for a small payment each month, refunds employees costs on dental, optical, physiotherapy, osteopathy treatments and more.

Members joining the scheme can also now offer their staff the Fitness and Well-Being module for free which includes worldwide telephone access, 24/7, to a qualified GP (the GP will call back even if the member is overseas at the time), an online A-Z Health Guide and special rates for gym membership. There is also an optional module covering 60 different surgical procedures.

Benefits are available to members from the day of joining and all pre-existing medical conditions are covered.

All members benefit from PLASA working continuously to gain recognition for its members, to raise their profile in world markets and to ensure their interests are protected. We run high-profile lobbying and PR campaigns and employ a political & parliamentary consultancy to ensure our position is understood and to allow us to seek clarification on issues that affect our members.

We also work closely with the main Sector Skills Councils and sit on the board of various skills-related organisations, including the National Skills Academy, underlining our aim to ensure that the skills needs of the industry are fully addressed.