Effective Forum Task Force Meets to Advance Membership Growth

Earlier in October, the NFPA Board of Directors met over a series of virtual meetings to review progress on NFPA’s strategic objectives so far this fiscal year, which runs July 2021-June 2022. This series of meetings included a targeted session for the Effective Forum Task Force, a group that focuses on improving the programs that support NFPA’s objective to provide “an effective fluid power forum where NFPA members, OEMs, and related technology partners connect and advance our collective interests.”

This year’s priorities in this area include:

1. To work with Board members to recruit targeted manufacturer and distributor prospects into membership.
2. To engage leadership in identifying international companies whose inclusion in NFPA membership would bring added value to U.S.-based members.
3. To grow the number of OEM and allied technology partners that attend and contribute to Quarterly Conferences, Regional Events or other multi-technology forums.

Progress to date shows strong baseline membership renewals amongst manufacturers and distributors. NFPA Board members and staff are already reaching out to targets, including targeted international companies. Further research and targeting will focus on Mexico, an area that has been identified as especially valuable for NFPA members. Engagement with other organizations began last year with the coordinated effort on the 2021 Technology Roadmap document, and continued cooperation has begun on joint Quarterly Conferences with AMT and PMMI in March and June 2022.

What this means for you

These priorities will help ensure strong and balanced representation within NFPA’s membership and event attendance, which means better networking and connection opportunities for all members.

You can get involved and reap the benefits in this area in a number of ways in the next few months:

1. Attend (and Help Spread the Word About) Future Events
   Ranging from members-only conferences to smaller events that are open to the entire supply chain, there are a number of ways for NFPA members to make the right connections and help bring others into the fold. The next opportunity open to all is the December Quarterly Conference, taking place virtually December 2, 2021. Learn more and sign up here.
2. Participate in or Share the Call for Presentations
   We recently put out a call for presentations for the planned joint Quarterly Conference with PMMI next June. If you or someone you know have a project regarding “smart” pneumatics for packaging machines that you would like to share, please submit the proposal to Joe Zwier at jzwier@nfpa.com. Read the full call for proposals here.
3. Refer a Company to NFPA Membership
   Know of a fluid power company that would benefit from NFPA programs but is not yet a member? You can refer them to us for membership. Contact Denise Husenica at dhusenica@nfpa.com to get started.

Many thanks to taskforce participants