Welcome to a new era for the DCA

– more knowledge
sharing, more benefits and more involvement

Following on from our rebranding as the DCA (Direct Commerce
Association) it’s now time to take the next vitally important steps. The first
and most important is to restructure the Association around elected Primary
Councils, each focused on key areas of how Members’ businesses reach and
service their customers. As a result Membership of the DCA will be more
valuable and more relevant than ever.

Here’s a reminder of the background to these changes, as presented
at the DCA Annual Summit in June. Through extensive surveys and feedback forums
with Members, we have a clear view of the most important areas of focus for the
DCA. In a nutshell, every business has a need for a broader base of knowledge
and expertise, covering all marketing channels and customer touch points. And through
increased participation of Members, that is what the DCA will provide.

Primary Councils will
drive the DCA forward

The move to Primary Councils is designed to give razor-sharp
focus to the key issues facing DCA Members. Each council will be led by two co-Chairs.
Both will be elected experts, one from a client side company, the other from a supplier
company. Initially there will be five
Councils, each covering one of the main routes to market used by Members,
namely:

• Catalogue and Print
• Digital Commerce
• Multichannel
• Store
• TV

DCA Members will be invited to vote for co-Chairs for each
Council by the DCA secretariat (Jane Revell-Higgins and her team) and the
closing date for candidates to put in their diaries is 24^th
September. These are exciting times for the DCA, and leading the Councils
provides a rare opportunity to take a key role in a flourishing organisation.
Make a note of that date!

Why stand for
election as a Council Co-Chair?

If you ask anyone on the current Advisory Board about taking
on a leadership role in the DCA, they will tell you that it’s time very well
spent. It provides a unique opportunity to see how other organisations operate,
and even if you’ve been involved in direct commerce for many years, you are
sure to learn. That’s a guaranteed benefit to your business and, of course, to
you personally.

You will also be supporting the direct commerce industry at
large. In these changing times direct commerce needs a voice on issues such as
EU data protection. The DCA has been one of the most vocal lobbyists for making
some of the EU’s draconian proposals more realistic. Through sharing of best
practices the DCA also fosters a better public perception of direct commerce,
including on environmental issues, and helps the sector perform to higher and
higher standards.

It is also hugely stimulating. The quality of discussion and
debate at the DCA has always been of the highest order, and as a co-Chair you
will find yourself at the heart of DCA issues and policies. What helps here is
that the DCA is based on the principle of knowledge sharing, and the spirit of
moving forward together is behind all of what we do. It also means that the DCA
is a pleasure to be part of – without diminishing the seriousness of being a
co-Chair, the role will be rather good fun.

What the Councils
will provide

The two co-Chairs for each of our Councils will be empowered
to devise strategy, determine what members need, and select other skilled
member executives to join the management of their Councils to assist in them.

The Councils will have the full support of the full-time DCA
secretariat team, as well as the DCA Executive Chairman and the Deputy
Chairman. Needless to say there will be plenty to be getting on with and the
activities to set in motion are broadly as follows:

• Insight, White Papers, articles and related news
  content for the new DCA website
• Best Practice guidelines
• Training courses and seminars
• Conference content
• Networking events
• Consideration of potential products or services for
  group buying schemes

What will be critical will be getting each Council to work
well as a team, with individual members providing material that is useful and
relevant to DCA Members. We envisage
that Councils will meet between four and six times a year either face-to-face
or through conference calls or video-conferencing, as well as at DCA networking
events.

Broadening the
expertise resource

Once the co-Chairs are in place, we will also look to them
to help scope ExpertiseGroups
within their Councils. The idea is that the DCA explores and covers the needs
of a full range of specialist direct commerce disciplines. Looking further
ahead, some of these Expertise Groups may evolve into Councils in their own
right, creating further opportunities for members to play active roles in the
leadership and evolution of the DCA.

So far we have received suggestions for Expertise Groups covering
B2B, Charity, Creative, Customer
Service, Data, International, Management, MIS/Technology, Mobile,
Operations. The aim is to deliver a
tailored package of meaningful, expert insight and resources for our colleagues
in all fields at every type of member company.

Don’t miss the chance
to be involved – it’s time to act now

First things first. We need to elect the two co-Chairs for
each Council. The requirement is that each co-Chair is truly expert in the
field of focus, and owners and employees of current DCA Member companies are
now invited to stand for election, with a closing date of 24^th
September 2014. Candidate forms have been sent out by the DCA secretariat but
if for any reason you haven’t received one please email jane@direct-commerce-association.com.

Next, electoral packs will be sent out to DCA Members on 29^th
September, with a closing date for voting of 22^nd October. We will
triple count the votes to make sure everything is in order, and announce the
co-Chairs shortly after the closing date. The term for the co-Chairs will last
for two years from 1^st January 2015 to 31^st December
2016.

In the meantime

The DCA will continue in its current form until 31^st
December 2014, and the Advisory Board has agreed to stay in place until that
time. In the near future you’ll receive an update on DCA events and training
opportunities, and we strongly recommend that you attend to get a real feel for
the energy and commitment that lies within the Association.

We are also getting close to announcing the launch of the
new DCA web site which will make a huge amount of knowledge and learning available
to Members in a much more approachable and easy-to-use form. We strongly
believe it will be a valuable resource to all Members from day one, and with
the launch of our Council structure it will become even better resourced and
relevant. Do please let us know what you think!

NB Candidates for Co-Chair
Elections must submit their applications by 24^th September at the
latest. This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of Direct
Commerce – don’t miss it!