When
Monday 29 June 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear member,

As we enter the next stage of lockdown easing, we hope you, your families, and colleagues are well and looking forward to this phase of the ‘new normal’.  As always at the ASBCI, we are here to support members and ask you to contact us if we can help at all.

As mentioned in my last update in May, the ASBCI has been working on a mutual survival strategy for Covid-19, which we hope will benefit our members as it does us. I can now outline these plans in more detail.

Subscriptions for 2020/21

Our membership year runs from May to April, but as you are already aware, we decided to defer fees to allow the worst of the impact of the virus to pass before we issue renewal invoices. To further ease the financial burden on members, I can announce that we will also discount the fees by one third for the 2020/21 membership year to give our valued members the best opportunity of retaining membership. This means members will only be billed for the remaining eight months of the year – just two thirds of the usual membership amount.

We will issue the discounted renewal invoices in August. This invoice will cover membership fees through to the end of April 2021.  We are constantly reviewing financial matters and we will contact you again with any further updates.  Prompt payment would be appreciated, to ensure the Association can continue to operate effectively.

Digital events

As with other organisations, the ASBCI’s events have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. However, where physical events have not been possible, we have been coordinating with members on a wide range of digital events and webinars, full details of which can be found on our website. And we are also organising a series of free garment costing webinars, exclusively for members, to celebrate the launch of the ASBCI Garment Costing handbook in ebook format.

While we would like to host a physical event before the end of the year, this is dependent on government guidelines and social distancing protocols. We will update the membership as soon as we know more.

Bringing the industry together

Throughout lockdown, the ASBCI has continued to deliver vital services to members, from helping to coordinate efforts to supply PPE to the NHS to offering recruitment support to members through CV reviews and advice in association with Planet Personnel. Now, more than ever, it is essential that we pull together as an industry and continue the knowledge sharing that has always been at the heart of the ASBCI’s mission. Our ability to connect the industry is invaluable, so please get in touch if you need support with any projects or events. 

On behalf of the entire ASBCI team, we send you our best wishes and we look forward to seeing you again when it is safe to do so.

Stay safe and healthy.

Dr Alistair Knox

Chairman


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