Providing services for members, making available the best guidance in a crisis, helping members to run profitable businesses – these are among the top reasons why you need the CFA.
CFA membership is all about helping businesses in our sector run more efficiently and more profitably. In short, CFA membership feeds directly into the bottom line and help businesses make more money. CFA members already account for a significant proportion of the turnover of the contract flooring sector – these members can tell you how they have benefited from their membership.
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis the CFA has been working flat out to support all flooring contractor and manufacturing members with answers to queries. The CFA runs a centralised resource on its website where COVID-related information and guidance for the contract flooring industry can be found. This includes detail on Government support for the sector – such as how to make a claim for the various grants and loans. It also includes specific guidance on how businesses should remain on the right side of the law, with regard to regulations on our changed ways of working, such as social distancing and requirements for PPE.
The provision of up-to-date information on how to deal with Brexit has formed a further strand of work for the CFA. For more than 40 years, members have found that their membership is critical to the success of their businesses - even when there isn’t an industry-wide crisis. CFA membership is important in both good times and bad. That is because the aim of the CFA has always been to promote the highest standards of professionalism, safety and training in our industry, in addition to providing business services, legal guidance and other management information to ensure the profitability and quality of work carried out by member businesses.
The breadth of the work that the CFA carries out on behalf of its members is a key pillar of its strength. Lobbying, member services, training, technical support, marketing, and promoting the high-quality work of members – these are some of the ways in which companies in the contract flooring sector benefit from being members of the CFA.
The CFA also encourages its members to get involved and help shape the future of the flooring sector. The CFA is headed by an elected Council and there are also Committees, representing different business interests and sectors within the flooring market. All the Committees meet several times a year. Their work includes updating Standards and discussing technical matters, so they provide a real way in which to influence the future direction of the flooring industry.
The many specific benefits available to members include the following:
• Use of the CFA logo, conveying the key quality message to customers.
• Marketing promotion - all members are entitled to a feature on the CFA website to promote their business, as well as advertising and PR.
• Involvement on a CFA Committee.
• Lobbying Government - help shape the future of the sector via CFA membership of Build UK and the Construction Products Association.
• Events - enter the annual CFJ/CFA Awards, and take part in other events.
• Benefit from exclusive member news and information.
• Training - there are many ways in which members can get involved in training through the CFA training arm, FITA.
• Technical Support, including the CFA Guide to Contract Flooring and other technical documents.
• Business Services covering legal matters, insurance, taxation, health and safety, HR, credit checks, dispute resolution and more.
The CFA is a 21st century trade association, fully open and transparent in its operations. It provides an exceptional range of services and benefits to its members, and represents the entire sector - flooring contractors, distributors and manufacturers - in its dealings with industry bodies and the Government. The CFA, perhaps rather humbly, positions itself as an ‘important cog in the flooring supply chain’ – there seems little reason why any company operating in the sector, who meets the criteria, would not wish to join.
For an introductory chat with the friendly team about CFA membership, please contact on 0115 941 1126 or email info@cfa.org.uk.
