I will give credit where due for the title of this blog contribution, “Creating Ground Cover and Air Support.” Suzanne La Forgia, the past president of the Digital Place-based Advertising Association used the phrase at a members' meeting in late 2009 to describe the DPAA’s (then OVAB) obligation to its members and, by proxy, the digital place-based advertising industry. The message and imagery resonated with me as the president of what was then the Digital Signage Association as we set our sights for 2010.
 
Now as we move closer to the end of 2010, I look back at the goals we set for the Association and what we’ve been able to accomplish. In other words, did the DSA move to help pave the way for its members and the industry to accelerate digital screenmedia successes and establish sustainability for the industry? 
 
Toward these goals, I believe the most significant achievement has been the merger of the Digital Signage Association and Self-Service & Kiosk Association in April. This, along with the broader charter and name change to the Digital Screenmedia Association, also in April, has set a foundation for the DSA to support and guide as the convergence of digital signage, kiosk and mobile gains ground. Already this appears to be proving out as applications such as Shopkick, Facebook Places, Google Buzz and Foursquare are dramatically changing the digital out-of-home environment. 

The Digital Screenmedia Association has moved out in front of the commercial activity and now has a huge obligation in 2011 to continue paving the road ahead as its members, many from different technology origins, are innovating to keep up with the changing buyer needs driven by seismic shiftsin consumer behavior. 
 
Another very significant DSA achievement this year is the partnership between the DSA and Customer Engagement Technology World tradeshow (CETWorld). This is significant for two reasons. First is the mindset of the two organizations that independently recognized the limitations of an industry being defined by its component technology, in this case digital signage or kiosks. Through the CETWorld shows in San Francisco in the spring and New York in the fall, there exists a forum in which buyers gather to be educated and seek out suppliers for a fuller solution that fits with their needs. Additionally, support of CETWorld channels funds to the DSA to fund its charter around education, advocacy and networking.  

The merger, broader association charter, name change and establishing the partnership with CETWorld are what I refer to as 2010 “high hurdles.” Another high hurdle was officially establishing the DSA as a 501 (c)(6) not-for-profit organization, which was accomplished the first half of this year.
 
But along with clearing the hurdles, you also have to run the race, which for the DSA means delivering benefits to our members day-in and day-out. Perhaps the best way to illustrate how we've done this is listing the following points:

• Educational webinars, which average more than 500 registrants each
• Alliances with research companies, publishers and conference organizers, providing valuable discounts to members
• Active committees and task forces tackling subjects ranging from Best Practices, Eco-Green, Education, Marketing & PR, Membership and ROI
• Outreach to vertical markets
• Advocacy programs, such as assisting in organizing the defendants in a recent patent lawsuit

In closing, I sincerely feel that the DSA has just started to demonstrate its immense value to its members. Although we are just now solidifying our 2011 plans and budgets, I know there will be no shortage of new high hurdles.