By Kathy Gundle, Executive Assistant and Director of Events at the Indiana Manufacturers Association. Contact Kathy at kgundle@indianamfg.com
One of the best ways to maximize the benefits of your Indiana Manufacturers Association (IMA) membership is to participate in our events and training opportunities via attendance or sponsorship. The IMA offers many opportunities to network, promote your company, offer your employees valuable training/certification, all while supporting the IMA in continuing our work to create a positive business climate for Hoosier manufacturers.
Sponsorships One way to actively participate in IMA events is through event sponsorship. By sponsoring an event, you not only support the work the IMA does, but you receive numerous tangible benefits you can use to highlight your company. Many of our sponsorships provide you with tickets to attend the event, advertise in our publications and include recognition before, during and after the event.
Host an Event Another way to participate is to host an event. Our regional manufacturing summits are very popular events that allow people to network, learn the most up-to-date Indiana manufacturing news, and enjoy a facility tour. By hosting a regional manufacturing summit, you offer a rare opportunity for other manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, educators and community leaders to see, in person, the great things your company is doing. These events can be attended by both IMA members and non-members.
IMA Exclusive Events
Annual Legislative Briefing & Reception One of the best ways to participate in our events is to attend them. Our Legislative Briefing and Reception offers members the opportunity to get an in-depth view of the important issues to be discussed in the upcoming legislative session. You’ll also get to meet and speak one-on-one with state legislators and government officials. This event includes sponsorship opportunities and is a great place to get your company name in front of a large group of industry leaders and elected officials. It is our largest event, and you must be an IMA member to sponsor or attend.
Annual Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon/Manufacturing Excellence Awards Another popular event is our annual Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon where we honor long-time IMA members and present the Manufacturing Excellence Awards. The luncheon also provides sponsorship opportunities and networking. Both IMA members and nonmembers may attend this important event.
Annual IMPAC Golf Outing Our annual golf outing, which supports our political action committee, is a fun way to support pro-business candidates in the election process and network with your peers. Sponsorships are available for this event and attendees are automatically entered in a raffle to win free prizes.
Training and Certification Courses We offer OSHA Recordkeeping and OSHA General Industry training throughout the year and members enjoy a reduced rate for these training sessions. This year, we also began offering a Healthy Business Certification course for employers who want to ensure that their business is up to date on the latest standards and regulations that OSHA, the CDC and the WHO have set in place to ensure all employees function in a healthy work environment.
Other Event Opportunities Additionally, the IMA offers a number of webinars and seminars focused on industry issues, legislation, tax, healthcare and other topics of importance to manufacturers. This year, we held webinars on vaccine mandates, the Pro Act, the American Rescue Plan Act, and held our first Manufacturing Suppliers Expo.
Whether your interest is in networking with other manufacturers, speaking with government officials and agency representatives, touring state-of-the-art manufacturing plants, or providing training and certification to your employees, there is an IMA event for you.