Trade and professional associations are great resources for no or low-cost industry information. These are membership organizations that employees in the industry pay to join for networking and professional development opportunities. Where they differ is that trade associations also lobby congress for legislation favorable to their industry, while professional associations don’t. Both can help you find company directories, product lists, conferences, and trade magazines for your industry, and some will also publish their own research in the form of white papers or reports.
While there is often a fee for membership, it is generally much lower than paying for access to a subscription industry research tool, such as IBISWorld, Mintel or Passport. However, if you’re local to the DC area, you can always stop into the AU Library and use the databases available to the public, though note that use of many business databases is restricted to current AU students, faculty and staff.
