Dear BIMA Member,

I’d like to start by thanking the Executive who voted for me to become this year’s BIMA Chair. I take the role very seriously, and this letter to you sets out my vision of what our Association should set out to achieve, and how I think we should go about it.

We say good bye to BIMA’s long-standing Chair, Liz Citron. During her three years at the helm of BIMA she laid a solid foundation for a dynamic and focused trade body. Her insight and contribution to BIMA has been immense, and thankfully, Liz has agreed to stay as an advisor during the 12 months of my term in office.

One Voice for a Diverse Membership

BIMA was founded as “the” trade association for the British Interactive Media industry for publishers, agencies, freelancers, students and anyone with a stake in the digital, online and interactive world. I intend to re-establish and strengthen this position, so that BIMA can continue to bring commercial value to its members.

Interactive media, especially digital content accessed over the net, is at the heart of BIMA. It doesn’t matter if it’s done through a desktop, through interactive TV, via PDAs or on the go using a mobile phone. Technology is moving very fast and it is a challenge to keep up; but BIMA and its members are always at the forefront, nurturing and encouraging creative development in the interactive world.

As a non-profit association, we fund ourselves with revenue generated by networking events, keynote dinners, dialogues and membership fees. That means we’re not tied to the big boys in the industry. BIMA prides itself on its independent stance, its impartial support and the fact that we can create a unified voice for our members in an increasingly cut-throat new media market.

We consider ourselves fortunate that BIMA members represent such a fantastic cross-section of the interactive industry, crossing a number of industry sectors into academia and government. I hope that our collective voice will grow louder, and I am certain that the revitalised and tireless working groups of the Executive Committee will give me their full support in achieving this.

The Future for BIMA

I want everyone in our industry to feel that joining BIMA is essential to their business.

This year, I want BIMA to focus on three main areas:

• Stimulating commercial growth for our members,
• Creating and driving industry standards for the new media world,
• Providing valuable tools and networks for members.

So let’s start with commercial growth. We have always provided support to and encouraged our members, but this year the focus is on the practical, and we will be developing best practice guidelines to share valuable insight and know-how within our network.

The BIMA website will become an industry reference point where members can review best practice guidelines, white papers and thought pieces, or ask an expert for advice. If someone wants to know how to build an accessible, commercially driven website using Web 2.0 technology, we’ll have a best practice guide for them. And we’ll know which BIMA member or affiliate can help them.

Through setting industry standards and best practices, BIMA can build solid and lasting relationships with industry recognised standards bodies and associations and help members meet legal and corporate governance requirements. I am sure I am not the only one who can see that the industry is screaming out for this at the moment.

A number of you have highlighted the value of networking and that has been an area in which BIMA has excelled in previous years. For example, the BIMA networking dinners are constantly booked well in advance by both members and non-members (note that members get a substantial discount on this and other events). To keep networking as core to our membership offering, we have a fantastic line-up of keynote speakers this year, with overseas speakers adding an international flavour tour event programme.

Looking more specifically to issues in our industry, 2006 is the year that BIMA will focus on tomorrow’s people and tomorrow’s technologies. It is important that the UK retains its reputation for creativity in the fast moving digital world, and today’s undergraduates are pivotal to that. BIMA will be taking a proactive role with academia in helping students to understand what the future interactive industry might demand from them and encouraging student placements with our members.

Similarly for tomorrow’s technologies, I find the most compelling yet most difficult channel to get right, is mobile. It opens up a whole vista of opportunities for interactive on the move, at any time or place. I want BIMA to bring creativity to mobile, and become the recognised association for this industry. One that understands how to deliver compelling content consumers will pay for. We can use our strategy towards mobile as a springboard for other emerging channels such as interactive TV.

Conclusion

So I leave you with a final word. If you are not already actively engaged in your membership, this is the year to make your voice heard, contribute to the debate, give us your expert advice and guidance and help BIMA remain the unified voice of the independent interactive network. We are listening.

Paul Walsh
Chair of BIMA 2006-2007