NADJ Updates - Week 18

[Mark Davies]

NADJ Membership & £10 million PLI for £75

The new membership and PLI package came into being as of 01/05/2010 and there has been an unprecedented number of new registrations and interest in the organisation. There are a few individuals out there that are miss-informed about the legality of dual insurance and below is a direct quotation from the NADJ insurers to dispel that myth.

“There is no legal bar to having more than one Public Liability policy in place at any one time and the existence of the NADJ policy will not prejudice the other policy. In some instances, where the NADJ policy does not cover all the activities the member undertakes (such as members who are also event organisers/proposer’s) the member will require an additional Public Liability Insurance. We are happy to discuss members' individual circumstances with them.
If the member no longer wishes to continue with their existing Public Liability policy then they should speak to their existing insurance advisor/provider to check whether the policy can be cancelled mid-term and a proportional refund allowed. Not all policies will allow this.

In the event of a claim needing to be made, this can be reported to either insurer, although the existence of the other policy will need to be notified to the insurer whilst doing so. In most cases this will lead to one insurer settling the claim whilst obtaining a contribution to the settlement from the other insurer."

This is one of best policies available to DJs through a recognised Association and it comes from a reputable insurance provider. It also represents outstanding value.

Membership Consultation

The decision to implement the policy was taken Committee-wide after many hours of deliberation. Any member of the NADJ has the right to stand for a Committee position making it truly democratic organisation. If you feel you have the skills and the time to bring something to the table then please contact support@nadjonline.com.

As with any governing body, policies are implemented and acted on. The introduction of the new PLI policy did not require an amendment to the constitution then consultation of the membership was not required. Bills are passed in Parliament all the time and the people making those decisions were placed there by voters. To ask them for a referendum every time they needed to implement a policy would be impractical.

The Policy

The policy itself is very robust and negotiable to be able to accommodate quirks within each members needs. The NADJ only permits individual membership and as such members are usually single operators and that is where the initial policy is aimed. Additions, over time, can be negotiated into the policy but some may incur an additional charge.

Once you have received your PLI documents, NADJ members can also contact the insurance company (Hencilla Canworth) to ask them for a quote for their specific insurance needs, such as equipment insurance. You may find that they are cheaper than your existing insurer. The PLI policies are currently being rolled out via e-mail. The NADJ Committee decided to individually number and tailor each certificate with the details of the member. It was decided that it would be too easy to doctor a standard document with a generic statement that said that all full NADJ members are covered by £10m of PLI cover.

The NADJ has received some dubious looking PAT and PLI documents from new applicants and when further questions have been raised about the validity of the certificates, the applicant has failed to respond. In these instances the application for membership was put on-hold or deleted.

The Additional Cost of Membership

The NADJ would need to be regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to sell an insurance policy so therefore the only way this can be implemented is to add it as a members benefit. This is the same approach that other organisations like the MU and Equity have brought in, but at a much higher subscription rate. By adding this as benefit of membership, it negates the need to check individual PLI polices and it also removes any issues with potential fraud.

We have had requests from a tiny minority for membership excluding PLI but this would incur additional administration, however, this will be discussed as a matter of priority.

If the scheme was introduced it is unlikely that the fee would be at the old rate of £50 per year as it would create a two-tier administration process and the introduction of a more stringent PLI validation service. Initial estimates put this at circa £15 for a thorough check which almost makes its introduction questionable.

I Can Get PLI Cheaper Elsewhere

The NADJ is not here to make money, it is here to represent and act as a voice for the working DJ. If a cheaper package with PLI included is all you are looking for then there are alternatives. If you are looking to be part of a professional not-for-profit organisation then the NADJ is the place for you.

Any surplus funds at the end of each financial year will be used for promoting the organisation, expanding the growing list of benefits and fulfilling the aims and objectives of the Association.

The Churn Rate

The NADJ committee has a responsibility to its membership to spend its subscriptions responsibly. We appreciate the introduction of this new membership deal will not be popular with everyone but the new sign-ups and interest shown in the new membership package is already extremely positive.

This ‘churn rate’ was calculated into the decision to implement the policy as our responsibility is to create ‘best value’ for our members. There are additions to be added to the overall NADJ membership package which will add strength to the benefits of membership and these will be announced in due course.

One of these benefits is a FREE CD from CD Pool for all brand new Full Members of the NADJ. CD Pool has a wide selection of monthly releases and new NADJ members can apply for a FREE CD once their application for membership has been fully processed. This benefit could save DJs up to almost £22!

One of the questions posed at the recent NADJ AGM came from a member who asked what the Committee were doing to increase members. For us to increase our membership, we need a good package of incentives and the introduction of the PLI cover with (full) membership of the NADJ was deemed to be a good way of attracting new and old members back to the Association. We also need to spend time and money on promoting the organisation throughout the country and steps are already being taken to address that issue.

We also need to be seen to be acting as the voice for hard working DJs throughout the UK. We can only achieve that with more pro-active and supporting members. For example several NADJ members volunteered their time at the recent AGM & Tradeshow. One such proud supporter was Kevin Blair who was a vital and invaluable member of the event team. The NADJ Committee would like to thank all Mr Blair and all of the other helpers for their assistance – your efforts haven’t gone un-noticed.

As a Committee we do listen and as with any democratic process we need to take on-board the practical ideas and suggestions that come in. However, as a volunteer-based organisation our time needs to be prioritised.

Spam

All recipients of the NADJ e-mail updates have the option to cancel their subscription at the bottom of this message.

The NADJ has been accused of not keeping members up-to-date with what is going on within the organisation. It is for this very reason that we started a weekly e-mail update outlining many of the developments within the Association, especially on the run up to the NADJ AGM & Tradeshow. We have now received a complaint stating that the weekly e-mails are ‘spam.’

Since the beginning of the year, there have been some major developments within the NADJ and the e-mail option was the best and most cost effective way of getting that information out. It was never the intention to continue the updates on a weekly basis and the updates will now be sent out every two weeks.

Our apologies if you feel that we are spamming you.

If you have any questions, please get in touch via the General Enquiries Contact Form on the NADJ website.

[ProJock]

A very concise post Mark with some good developments by the looks of things.

Well worth considering re-joining.

One thing I do feel the NADJ needs (to help build profile, etc.) is a well known figurehead, not a committee member as such, but say an 'Honoury President' to provide a focal point for Joe Public

[DJJ]

I think the figurehead suggestion is a very good idea.

The big question is, who would you you have as an honorary President of the NADJ?

I have one person in mind, but I started laughing for a moment and then realised that my suggestion may actually be serious. I won't divulge the details of that personality, but Mark Davies is aware of my initial thoughts.

[ProJock]

I think the figurehead suggestion is a very good idea.

The big question is, who would you you have as an honorary President of the NADJ?

I have one person in mind, but I started laughing for a moment and then realised that my suggestion may actually be serious. I won't divulge the details of that personality, but Mark Davies is aware of my initial thoughts.

I think you need a Steve Wright/Jimmy Saville/Neil Fox type figure

[Mark Davies]

I think you need a Steve Wright/Jimmy Saville/Neil Fox type figure

You wouldn’t believe how close you are

[DJJ]

Hmmmmm, it looks like some of us are on the same wavelength.

[Mike Moore]

Technically NADJ has a president....has Rob resigned???


Tony Blackburn....Well thats absolutely poptastic.