South Coast Design Forum
The SCDF is a non-profit organisation run for and by designers and creatives from all disciplines.
What is the SCDF?
Its aims are simple, but potentially far reaching:
- To provide support, awareness and network channels for the South Coast as an area rich in designers, architects and creatives of all kinds.
- To generate an authoritative and respected body whose skills are recognised and called upon by local authorities and business.
- To provide strong links with education establishments to further raise standards and help create jobs for graduates and students.
- To highlight these skills through the running of competitions and exhibitions.
- To generally raise the awareness and expectations of the South Coast, to turn it about to face the future, whilst acknowledging the historical context of time and place.
- To find local and regional solutions to improving the built environment, to incorporate new housing and businesses in a sustainable manner.
- To look at the wider implications of climate change and energy decline, to seek solutions that provide viable and sustainable methods of working and living.
Forum Directors report to Board at AGM 10th July 2009
Membership, since AGM October 2008, has risen from 250 to 300 individual members. The attrition rate is 15%. The network on our database has risen from 1,500 to 1,700.
Events of varying nature have continued to be held across the region and the pace of delivery is increasing.
Communication is principally through our website, which some still consider should be refreshed, together with our eNewsletter which is issued on a regular monthly basis to over 1,400 recipients. We continue to receive good publicity.
Branches are established in Chichester, Portsmouth, Brighton, Southampton and Coastal West Sussex.
Funding has been maintained from Chichester District Council, University of Chichester, University of Portsmouth, Arts Council and SEEDA. Further funding has been received from Universities of Brighton and Southampton. Proposals are still being developed to create revenue through our website and eNewsletter. Future projects under consideration may attract funding.
Current cash flow projections indicate we will have to scale down our activities at the end of 2010.
Partnerships continue to be developed with local, regional and national bodies in the design, built environment and economic development sectors. Our partnerships with education continue to bear fruit.
We have strengthened the board with the appointment of influential directors but we continue to seek others.
We have completed another successful period but there are key areas that need to be developed; the provision of member benefits, particularly regular events; and greater input is required from members; our financial position is stable.
Our long term goal
Our over arching goal is to establish the south coast as a 'design location'. We shall achieve this by delivering our aims as published above.
Our strategy to achieve this is:
- Increase membership through the activities of committee members within the branch network supported by the centre. Appoint a freelance sales person to head a recruitment drive.
- Meet the realistic expectations of members by increasing the delivery of member benefits including a programme of activities.
- Increase the level of partnership with other bodies in the design sector.
- Achieve financial independence and sustainability through the generation of revenue to cover core costs. Appoint freelance sales person to drive this forward.
- Seek funding to support specific projects.
- Refine our marketing strategy to underpin our activities.
- Seek stronger links with education and recruit more student members. We will improve our offer to FE and HE with the introduction of mentoring and internships and promote this to students via their tutors.
- Engage more strongly with the industrial design sector particularly bodies like Marine Southeast and the Innovation & Growth Teams and also support Incubator Units.
- Explore a perceived gap in the market to act both as a recruitment facilitator to support the sector and as a revenue generator for SCDF with the possibility of working in partnership with specialists and licensing the brand.
- Address the attrition rate of members by improving recruitment and renewal administration through the provision of direct debit and card payment facilities.
- Seek to develop revenue through SCDF Talks, an agency for providing our members to speak on appropriate design platforms.
- Explore the possibility of generating revenue through activities as a training facilitator to the sector.