The World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry has won new members through the announcement of various new programs and initiatives such as intellectual property protection, labelling and e-commerce.
One of the key words is “best practice." It will be used by a new Federations Committee chaired by Tom Cove, president of the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) in the USA, which will allow similar national bodies to exchange information on industry trends, market research and problem-solving. A Trade Committee chaired by Brad Figel, global director of government and public affairs at Nike, will focus on international trade issues. A Manufacturers Committee may be enthroned in 2009.
Steered by a new chairman, John Larsen, and a new secretary general, Robbert De Kock, the general assembly of WFSGI just before the ISPO show in Munich mustered record attendance figures, pulling 80 of its 120 members.
The members of WFSGI agreed to raise its budget by 20 percent this year, and more in 2009, to help finance new services and new activities. Some of these services will generate money helping to restore profitability after a reduced loss of 202,000 Swiss francs €125,000-$186,000) recorded by the association in 2007.
A further increase in the budget is expected in 2009 through a change in the membership fees, which will be calculated based on the turnover of the member and the scope of activities required from the association. The minimum fee will apply to companies with a turnover of less than €10 million a year.
