There are currently seven member countries: Germany, Spain, France, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and USA. The chairmanship of the organisation rotates every two years with Ireland currently holding the position. The BTMA was a member previously for many years until the early 2000s.
“An approach was made to me last Autumn by the German association to see if the BTMA would be once again be interested in becoming members of SID,” explained BTMA president Phil Smith. “I travelled to Dusseldorf in December for talks and was told that SID would be very happy if we were to rejoin. This was further discussed at our officers meeting in January.
“We were then invited to attend a Steering Committee meeting in Barcelona in May to further investigate rejoining. Three members of the executive committee attended the meeting and were made very welcome by all other countries. It became very clear that the BTMA has missed out of being part of this organisation – particularly with regard to education and recruitment within our industry.
He continued: “In these times of change for our country, it was great to see that competitors from around the world can sit together as colleagues, discuss common issues and look for solutions. The issues we have in the UK are not exclusive to us and it’s good to see how they are resolved in other countries. The update was proposed to the BTMA membership at our general meeting in June and it was decided we should rejoin SID and once again enjoy the benefits with our international colleagues.”
SID hosts a congress every two years – the last took place in Germany in 2016 and the next will be held in Limerick, Ireland from 10-14 June 2018. The BTMA will be promoting the event to its members over the coming months.
BTMA www.btma.org
SID www.s-i-d.org
