Members’ Area

From receiving expert help and guidance to benchmarking your business’ performance, the Members’ Area is a gateway to resources, services and support specifically developed for those working in the field of design.

Some sections are exclusively accessible to DBA members, connecting you to the extensive range of benefits your membership provides.

DBA membership extends to everyone working within your business – all members of your team can register for their own password – ensuring the whole team benefits.

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DBA Members’ Forum

The DBA Members’ Forum is the essential monthly meeting for senior leaders at DBA member businesses, offering exclusive access to insights and discussions that will impact you and the way you run your business. 

Exchange ideas and insights with your peers across the industry, hear the latest thinking from DBA Experts and industry-leading speakers, stay informed on critical industry issues, shape the DBA agenda, and, most importantly, be an active part of your design community.

One inclusive and friendly hour a month to engage with your industry at a level you won’t get access to anywhere else. 

Save the date for our next Forum | Monday 3 February | 4pm GMT | Online

Our next Members’ Forum is on Monday 3 February, online at 4pm GMT. Invites will be sent out shortly and details of how to join can be found below. In the meantime, catch up on the conversation highlights from our January Members’ Forum, when we focused on selling expertise and were joined by Blair Enns. 

Join us for our March Members' Forum | Monday 3 March | 4pm GMT | Online

 

We’re delighted that author, speaker and consultant, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang will be joining us for the March Members’ Forum to challenge the ways that we think about productivity that are leading us astray. 

 

Alex’s articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, the South China Morning Post, amongst many other publications, and he is the author of ‘Work Less Do More: Designing the Four Day Week’; ‘Shorter: How smart companies work less, embrace flexibility and boost productivity’; ‘Rest: why you get more done when you work less’; and ‘The Distraction Addiction’. 

 

In the member-exclusive hour, Alex will explore the concept of productivity and why it’s a ‘black-hole’ for creative businesses. He’ll help us reframe our thinking so that we start using the term ‘productivity’ in ways that don’t turn it into an unreachable ideal, to ultimately help us find ways to do better work and lead better lives.

 

Join us online on Monday 3 March at 4pm GMT. Details of how to join can be found below. 

How do you attend?

Led by DBA Chief Executive Deborah Dawton, the Forums are held online from 4pm on the first Monday of each month and are exclusive to DBA members. 

Invitations to participate will be sent from Deborah. If you do not receive an invitation but feel that you should have, please contact Adam Fennelow to get added to the invite list. Reminders for the meeting will be sent 2 weeks before, followed by a reminder on the day of the meeting.

If you are not yet a DBA member but would like to participate in the Forums, get in touch with Adam to find out how to join the DBA and access the many benefits of membership. 

What can you expect?

Each one-hour meeting dives into a particular topic or issue affecting your business, your team or the industry as a whole. By taking part, you’ll have an unparalleled opportunity to:

  • Engage in conversations on global, national, and local issues impacting your business and the wider design industry, from policy shifts to emerging trends. 
  • Gain perspectives from high-profile speakers across various sectors to broaden your perspectives on current issues. 
  • Stay informed on the DBA’s conversations with government and contribute your feedback to deliver the change you need. 
  • Receive concise summaries and highlights from major industry events, helping you stay up-to-date. 
  • Connect with senior-level peers, sharing ideas and solutions that will change your business practices. 
  • Raise pertinent issues with the DBA senior team, ensuring your voice shapes the industry’s future. 

The meetings are conducted under Chatham House Rule and anonymised summaries of each Forum are shared the day after each meeting – browse the back catalogue. 

What have we covered?

In our January DBA Members’ Forum, we were joined by Blair Enns as we focused on selling expertise. Here’s a summary of the conversation.

In recent Forums we’ve discussed and shared resources to support DBA members in benchmarking financial performance, developing new business, what clients really want from agencies and the skills agencies desire most in their team, amongst a range of other topics. 

Guests who’ve contributed to the discussions include Richard Seymour, Co-Founder of Seymourpowell, Blair Enns, Founder of Win Without Pitching, Laura Newbold Breen, CEO of ACID, Garen Kouyoumjian, Associate Partner at McKinsey, John Gleason, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of A Better View Strategic Consulting, High-Stakes Leadership Mentor Sally Henderson, Executive Coach Laura Bartlett, and Head of Global Retail Environments at PUMA, Sigrid Brewka-Steeves, and American consultant David C. Baker amongst many others.