February 17, 2009
PMA Accredited
Digital Pix has a membership in an organization called the Photo Marketing Association, or PMA. I have been active in PMA since 2000, when it became clear that the analog photo industry was threatened and soon to become obsolete. While the best path to the digital world was obscured, the need to make the transition was absolutely clear. Most companies failed to find a successful path. Digital Pix was one of the lucky companies that did. And much of the success is attributable to the availability of great industry resources and good timing. PMA and its offshoot organizations provided those resources and guided the timing.
Digital Pix has memberships in several related organizations, namely DIMA (Digital Imaging Marketing Association), PSPA (Professional School Photographers Association), and AIE (Association of Imaging Executives). No school photography company can survive without an active knowledge of the information provided through these valuable associations. Associations provide information in a number of ways; conventions, publications, conferences and periodic newsletters.
Digital Pix attends the annual US PMA convention and attends all educational sessions that directly apply to our company niche. We participate in roundtable discussions and are active participants in surveys conducted industry-wide. We receive and read periodic newsletters from all of these organizations.
We have also attended AIE sponsored functions in Minneapolis, MN and Monterey, CA. The latter conference was organized and hosted by a company called 6Sight, which is devoted to keeping abreast of technology advancements. Its mission is to keep us aware of changing technologies in advance of their introduction into the marketplace. With technology changing so rapidly, as soon as a purchase of hardware or software is made, it is already obsolete.
Lastly, we have taken every opportunity to mingle with other industry executives. Most often, the best information comes from others who are affected by same market pressures that your company faces. Being in the right place at the right time is not a matter of luck; rather it is a result of just being in a many places as you can.