Is it beneficial to be a part of a Design Professional Association? Yes, there are many benefits that come along with being a part of an association for Design Professionals.
Continuing Education – Most associations offer continuing education credits at a discounted price or for free.
Association contracts – Some associations offer their standard contracts available to members of the Association. For Example, the AIA is probably the most used Association contract in the industry.
Current issues – Associations help your firm stay up to date on current issues, with presentations by experts in the industry and staying in touch with other Design Professionals.
Awards – Get recognition in your community from the Association you are involved with. Many of the associations have awards for all different types of projects.
Insurance – Many insurance carriers will offer discounts to Design Professional firms that are a member of an Association.
Advocacy – Many Associations are the advocate for its members on different issues that come up in the community.
Here are some links for a few of the Associations for Design Professionals:
American Institute of Architects (AIA) – http://www.aia.org/
National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) – https://www.nspe.org/
American Counsel of Engineering Companies (ACEC) – http://www.acec.org/
American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) – https://www.asid.org/
American Society of Landscape Architects (LSDA) – https://www.asla.org/
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) – http://www.asce.org/
As always please feel free to call or email your PUI agent to ask about the associations.