Your questions and answers around Bristol Media, paid membership fees and our transition over the next few months.

How do you become a Bristol Media member and what does membership include?

We introduced paid membership for the first time in October 2009. Click here for Membership Benefits and information about how to become a paid member.

Why are you charging membership fees?

Historically BM has been funded by SWRDA. We have received £40k from SWRDA for each of the last six years to run a small cluster to help and support companies in the creative sector. Over the years the network has grown with new focus and energy which has resulted in the organisation expanding. This has also coincided with the RDA announcing a change in the way they fund networks which means the core funding we have received up until now has stopped. Hence the need to charge membership fees so that we can continue our activity and continue to grow.

How have you decided on the level of membership and what to charge?

We did a lot of research benchmarking against national and regional industry and trade organisations. We looked at the types of projects and initiatives we have undertaken over the last 2 years and worked out how much it would cost us to not only continue that level of activity but considerably increase it, moving forward. We feel we have come up with several packages based around the needs of different businesses which are extremely competitive which offer all members great value for money. The extra support from Bristol City Council has also enabled us to reduce these fees even further to make it as cost effective as possible, especially for the smaller companies that value being a member buy who may struggle to find the money to pay for membership.

I understand BM will receive funding from SWRDA for a talent retention scheme. What is it?

Bristol Media will be managing a project called ‘Talent Retention’ over the coming three years. We will receive £100k from a project pot of £1.6million over the three years. The project will require significant investment in staff time to manage it. This funding does not support the day to day activity of Bristol Media.

Is Bristol Media open to anyone?

The network is specifically set up to support Bristol companies but we would never turn away those based outside the city. So yes, anyone can join Bristol Media!

Why do you support the sectors you do?

Bristol Media was formed out of BRIC (Bristol Interactive Cluster) which focused mostly on TV and Digital Interactive companies. We felt there was a need to broaden the constituency as we were receiving requests from people from different sectors who wanted to get involved. This came at the same time as the Creative Britain report which identified a number of key creative sectors. We are excited now to be able to expand these sectors to include Event Management, Photography and other creative sectors.

How many people work for Bristol Media?

Paul Appleby, our Chairman is currently working one day a week at Bristol Media and Caroline Marshall continues to work 4 days a week. Caroline is ably assisted by Maddie Southorn and Lynda Davies who work part time across the whole week. They are supported by a voluntary board who meet at least once a month to review progress and discuss new initiatives.

How can I get more involved with Bristol Media?

The more you talk to us about what you want in terms of training and events, the more involved you will be. There are always opportunities to help with projects and we have several specific sector groups which you are welcome to join. If you’d like to be involved, please let us know.

Post membership we will be organising regular sub group meetings and invite members to working groups that will focuss specifically on our future activity.

How do you decide on the package of events you offer?

Sometimes members suggest workshops and training that they would like us to put on. Our Preferred Suppliers also work closely with us to provide business related workshops. Our Board Directors each represent a specific sector and often make suggestions of industry relevant events. We are also approached by other public bodies such as Skillset and South West Screen to put on events in association with them.

Why have you developed Partnerships with other industry bodies?

There are several industry networks in the region and we felt that by joining forces we could focus better on specific industry needs and share resources. It means we can sometimes jointly organise events, such as The Marketing Forum and promote each other’s events which are of interest to our members. We are always on the look-out for new relationships so if you know of another Association which you think might be interested in becoming a partner, let us know.

I’m an exisitng member, so what happends if I decide not to renew my membership?

If you do not sign up, at the end of 2010 your exisitng profile will become a free company directory listing of 1 sentence and your full company profile will be removed from the site. You will only be able to access certain parts of the website from that point on too. Unfortunately if you haven’t signed up by the end of November you will be unable to post jobs, news items, or on the noticeboard. Certain events from November onwards will also only be open to Bristol Media members and you’ll be unable to take advantage of any of our discounts, preferred partnership agreements or further offers.

What are the criteria for Preferred Suppliers?

Preferred Suppliers are organisations who support the Creative industry or who want to get more involved in the sector. On the whole, they approach us and are invited to come and meet us to discuss benefits they may offer members. Sometimes members recommend organisations to us. Preferred Suppliers pay an annual fee to have their logo on the resources page and to have the opportunity to network with the members. These relationships come up for renewal every twelve months. If you are interested in becoming a Preferred Supplier please do contact us.

Bristol Media has helped lots of businesses, big and small, across the South West – about how we’ve helped them and what they had to say.

Click here to find out more information about joining Bristol Media.