We are a community of Small independent Agencies that form a community. As a group, we are able to achieve so much more than we can as individual organisations.
We are able to promote a unified voice which has enabled us to negotiate enhanced terms and conditions with suppliers, as well as increased commission rates.
The Alliance have delivered professional training for our members as well as specialist legal and financial support, something that individual organisations may find out of their reach.
We operate a closed Facebook group as well as our own slack channel where members frequently provide ‘inside information’ on prospective venues (both good and ‘buyer beware’).
The community is very active and frequently one member will helps solve another members individual issues or challenges.
We should also mention that along with our annual Christmas Charity event where we provide a brilliant party and presents for underprivileged kids, we have two major events each year that members join for free.
The most important asset we have as small independent agents is our individuality and personalities, it’s the bedrock of our businesses. The aim of the Alliance is to allow us to continue to work in our individual ways but have the benefit of a strong support network and resource that we can tap into as and when we need it.
Phil Jackson
Many of us already have fellow agents we talk to on a regular basis to bounce ideas off or perhaps seek advice. The Alliance provides you access to a much larger number of agents both regionally and nationally.
As individual agents we have a great deal of knowledge and expertise we have gained over the years. However, we have all had an experience where you come across something new and you ask yourself the question “someone must have come across this before?” and you are almost certainly correct. Another agent would have already solved the problem and could help you save some time and money.
Personal experience and knowledge is invaluable when selecting suppliers – either a venue or support service. Our members constantly support each other’s purchasing decisions by providing a personal insight or experience into suppliers. A recent experience is often a good deal more when making a decision than a few paragraphs developed by a marketing team.
We frequently discuss legal and contractual issues as a group with members offering support and advice from experience to each other.
As smaller companies the one problem we all face from time to time is resource, an extra pair of helping hands. This may be to work onsite or just help with some research. Wouldn’t it be great to know that you have a pool of people you could call on that share the same values you do.
Commissions are vital to our business but we must not take them for granted. Many of our suppliers value what we do but there are some that would rather see the commission model disappear altogether. As an Alliance we generate a large proportion of the MICE revenue and believe that our views and concerns should also be heard. As an Alliance we have a significantly better chance of achieving this.
We’ve all been to venue workshops with mixed experiences, some good, some not so good. Membership of the Alliance enables you to attend an unlimited number of workshops that are relevant to you and your business. With topics such as commissions, Tax, TOMs, compliance, liabilities, employment law all on the agenda, the Alliance will appoint external experts to deliver small, friendly, educational and engaging workshops that inform members and encourage discussion.
Individual agents are aware of the ever changing business environment but can’t always justify the investment cost to find out more. Action Groups can be an effective way of gaining more information with the cost being funded or shared by the membership. Industry and corporate compliance is a good example of this and is something we will all be affected by, so the Alliance is making this one of its core areas of focus.
Individuality is our strongest asset but a simple guide listing all the things our businesses do well is another key benefit of Membership and helps share ideas and skill sets. It also helps demonstrate the ethos of our companies to any supplier or client that may be interested in working with us. This is not a set of rules, but a unique platform which will be shaped and shared by members.
Membership is for Independent privately owned agencies where the owners are directly involved in the business. (min 2 years trading and maximum 20 employees)
The MD/Owner must complete the membership application and be directly involved with the Alliance.
Once an agency has become a member, each employee may have access to the AIEA website.
The full membership criteria details are available on the application form.
Membership costs are determined by the size of your organisation.
1 employees £100 (+VAT)
2 to 10 employees £200 (+VAT)
11 to 20 employees £300 (+VAT)