Awards and Recognition Association - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Awards and Recognition Association, commonly referred to as ARA, is a trade association

Trade association

A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...

whose membership consists of retailers and suppliers of award

Award

An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...

s, trophies

Trophy

A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics...

, plaque

Commemorative plaque

A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...

s or components of those items. The organization was established to promote the general welfare of the awards industry, the improvement of business methods within the industry, good fellowship and friendly relationships within the industry; and to establish educational services to its members. The association also seeks to promote the use and benefits of quality recognition products to the general public. ARA is a non-profit mutual benefit corporation organized under the Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Corporation Law of the State of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

Membership in the association is open to retailers, branches of retail members, suppliers, branches of supplier members, and affiliates of the awards and recognition industry subject to the membership policies laid out in the association’s bylaws. Applicants may also apply for honorary membership.

History

The Awards and Recognition Association (ARA), known as the Trophy Dealers and Manufacturers Association (TDMA) until 1993, has its roots in two separate associations: the Trophy Dealers of America (TDA) and American Awards Manufacturers Association (AAMA).

The Trophy Dealers of America was incorporated on April 26, 1967 in California. The organization originally brought together 12 dealers and one supplier; each contributing $100 toward organizational costs. Membership was centered on the West coast of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. On March 1–3, 1974, it organized the industries’ first "trophies only” trade show in San Diego, CA. The American Awards Manufacturers Association (AAMA) was started in 1977, by a group of awards manufacturers with its membership centered in the Midwestern portion of the United States. On January 5, 1980, TDA was merged with AAMA to become the Trophy Dealers and Manufacturers Association (TDMA). The merger was the first step in establishing a national association for the awards industry with equal representation on the board for dealers and manufacturers.

Three major trade shows were held during the association’s first year: the Sixth Annual Western Conference and Exhibit in San Jose, California

San Jose, California

San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

; and the first Eastern and Midwestern Shows in Cherry Hill, NJ

Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, representing an increase of 1,080 from the 69,965 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census...

, and in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

. During the 1980s, a number of TDMA programs and member benefits were established including: a Buyer's Guide of supplier member products, an agreement to provide a subscription to The Engravers Journal to all members, the Dun and Bradstreet Commercial Collections service, a Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance

Insurance

In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...

plan and an awards program to recognize leaders in the industry. In 1983, the association’s annual winter trade show was moved to Las Vegas

Las Vegas metropolitan area

The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...

, Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

. From 1982 to 1983, TDMA more than doubled its membership to encompass more than 1,250 active members and by 1988, membership grew to 3,640 businesses. In 1993, TDMA moved its headquarters to Chicago and announced its new name: the Awards and Recognition Association.

Governance

The Awards and Recognition Association is run by a Board of directors elected by the association’s membership. The election

Election

An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...

process begins by a selection of nominees by the ARA nominating committee

Nominating committee

A nominating committee is a group formed usually from inside the membership of an organization for the purpose of nominating candidates for office within the organization...

. After the Board approves the nominees, they are voted on by members in good standing

Good standing

A person or organisation in good standing is regarded as having complied with all his or its explicit obligations and having unabated powers to conduct his or its activities.-Businesses in the USA:...

. Committees, whose members are appointed by the Board of Directors, also assist in the operations of the association.

The International Awards Market

The International Awards Market is the association’s biggest annual event, typically drawing up to 5,000 people from almost 2,000 retail companies. The trade show has been held annually in Las Vegas since 1983. It is designed for awards, engraving, and sublimation

Sublimation

Sublimation may refer to:* Sublimation , the change from solid to gas without entering liquid phase* Sublimation , the transformation of emotions* Sublimation , a music album by Canvas Solaris-See also:...

specialists but also attracts buyers from several other industries, including the signage, rubber stamp, marking, and gift industries. Suppliers and manufacturers use this opportunity to showcase their newest products and meet face to face with buyers. All attendees are carefully screened to ensure they are qualified awards retail buyers. In addition, the association offers a number of general business and industry specific education sessions during the show. It is generally held in February.

Recognition Review Magazine

Recognition Review is the association’s monthly publication. It seeks to provide ongoing industry

Industry

Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...

and business education

Business education

Business education involves teaching students the fundamentals, theories, and processes of business. Education in this field occurs at several levels, including secondary education and higher education or university education. Approximately 38% of student enroll in one or more business courses...

to its readers. It also spotlights industry trends and showcases industry products. Each month it publishes technical advice related to the awards and recognition industry and general business.

Member Benefits

In addition to promoting the welfare of the awards industry, ARA offers a variety of benefits to its members. Benefits to retail members include: free admission to ARA shows, a Recognition Review subscription, reduced educational session fees, access to the membership directory

Trade directory

A trade directory is a collection of suppliers and manufacturers. This directory includes the businesses name, address, phone number and contact name of key people within the organization...

, access to a comprehensive online Buyer’s Guide of supplier member products, access to special discounts offered by supplier members, access to a panel of industry experts that assist product location and access to industry information through the association website. It also offers members access to a number of business services such as shipping

Shipping

Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...

, health insurance

Health insurance

Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...

and payroll

Payroll

In a company, payroll is the sum of all financial records of salaries for an employee, wages, bonuses and deductions. In accounting, payroll refers to the amount paid to employees for services they provided during a certain period of time. Payroll plays a major role in a company for several reasons...

services through affiliated national suppliers. Benefits to supplier members include discounts on exhibiting at ARA shows, free admission to ARA shows, discounts on advertising through the association, a Recognition Review subscription, access to the membership directory and a Buyer’s Guide listing and use of the product locater service.

The Association also does awards of its own. The 2011 Website of the Year distinction was given to Trophies2go.com.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.