THE DATA ADMINISTRATION NEWSLETTER – TDAN.com
ROBERT S. SEINER – PUBLISHER

Published in TDAN.com July 2003

DAMA International Vendor Alliance Relationships

What is a Vendor and Vendor Relationship?

A vendor is a type of an Alliance. Vendor relationships are a very critical and viable asset to DAMA International and it's members. Vendors are those entities that exist for profit generation through the sell of services, events and/or products. The relation ships are typically selected in terms of how the Vendor can benefit DAMA International's strategy and support it's tactics in being the premiere global Data Management Organization and benefit it’s members.

What does it mean to be Vendor Neutral, Yet Friendly?

DAMA International is considered a Vendor Neutral organization. That is to say, DAMA International does not show any preferences or favoritism of one Vendor over another. In addition, DAMA International is Vendor Friendly. Meaning, Vendors can be members of Chapters and/or DAMA International, as well as chosen as Speakers for various DAMA International events, without the hard selling of their product and/or services. For example, and as shared within this year's president's meeting, many chapters allow Vendors to show or demo their products following a DAMA International meeting to give attendees opportunity to stay or leave when the demo is shown. This is found to be a neutral option when some members would like to view the products for their particular Data Management role.

Vendor Relationship Benefits to Members

DAMA International strives to select Vendor services, events and (now being initiated for Q3, 2003) products within a program plan that will benefit the members. Such benefits include discounts for events, services and products. In addition, many Vendors are known to aid in the Sponsorship of DAMA at both Chapter and International levels.

Current Vendor Lists and Discounts

The current Vendor discounts are advertised on the DAMA International website. In addition and in many cases, the Vendor will also advertise the discount to better inform the member that it exists. Many times the member is not aware of the discount. If you are utilizing a service or tool that is within the realm of Data Management, and are wondering if there is a discount, please check online to access current Vendor Discounts for Products, Events and other Service at www.dama.org under the selection of Vendor Discounts. If it is not present, please feel free to express a need. It can be explored, if it can and will benefit the DAMA International members.

Future Expectations

In the future these Vendor discounts and benefits will be shown and seen by members only. Once the membership database is productive to all members, each member will be able to be uniquely identified, allowing for a smoother and non-manual fulfillment process.

Suggestions and Information

For further information, questions and suggestion of any alliance relationships and specifically regarding Vendor Relationships please contact Ingrid Hunt, VP of Industry Services, at VP_Industry_Services@dama.org.