Institute of directors

[Dr Jekyll]

Their facilities seem potentially useful if you spend time in London, not to say impressive. I know someone who is nominally a 'managing director' but effectively a sole trader/contractor and managed to join as an associate member with access to all the benefits.

How rigid are they about membership criteria? Are the services really worth the subscription if you just run a small business?

[jamesuk28]

Was a member back in 2001, apart from a poncy free filofax I did not see much in the way of benefits.

[touching cloth]

If you can use the benefits of accessing the premises in London, i.e. you aren't based in the smoke but are up there quite a lot, then it can be a good thing - I joined a while ago thinking it might come in handy but just didn't use it so let it lapse. Everything else about membership was of little to no use to me. As for membership criteria I was a sole trader when I joined and certainly can't remember having to prove anything, pretty sure if you want to pay them the money then they will take it and give you the basic membership.

[muppetdave]

touching cloth said:

If you can use the benefits of accessing the premises in London, i.e. you aren't based in the smoke but are up there quite a lot, then it can be a good thing - I joined a while ago thinking it might come in handy but just didn't use it so let it lapse. Everything else about membership was of little to no use to me. As for membership criteria I was a sole trader when I joined and certainly can't remember having to prove anything, pretty sure if you want to pay them the money then they will take it and give you the basic membership.

Exactly what we use it for. Although we have permanent sites in London, my boss has a membership and we use it for the facilities. We all go to our sites if we just need somewhere to get our head down for an hour or two, but it does lend itself for more formal meetings.

[JonX2C]

Have you ever considered the CBI, usually rgarded as a much beeter organisation to join, much more old school and they do get a lot more coverage in the press.

However there are strick rules to join up to be a member of the CBI.


www.cbi.org.uk

[JonX2C]

Oh and the reason I mention the CBI more is that they have regional offices which can help you better that the IOD can.