A trade association is an organization devoted to the improvement of business conditions of one or more lines of business. A line of business refers to either to an entire industry or to all components of an industry within a geographic area. A trade association should improve conditions of a particular trade or advance the common business interests of the professional community collectively. Trade associations do this through:

• Promotion of sound business practices and standards of professional ethics;
• Encouragement of industry consistency and cooperation where appropriate;
• Development and promotion of appropriate standards;
• Education of the public;
• Maintenance of insurability for the industry;
• Gathering information and compilation of statistical information relevant to the industry and its members;
• Promoting the development and adoption of sound public policy as pertains to the trade;
• Overseeing of the integrity the international, national, or local commercial markets;
• Dissemination of trade information or publications primarily intended to benefit an entire industry, and
• Promoting of the use of goods and services of an entire industry.