Society for International Affairs

What Society for International Affairs does

The Society for International Affairs, Inc. (SIA) is a volunteer-run, non-profit educational organization founded in 1967 through a joint initiative of the U.S. Government and private industry to provide a forum for the exchange of information on export and import licensing. Its interests span the full spectrum of licensing issues administered by the Departments of Commerce, Defense, State, and Treasury, covering ITAR, the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and related defense trade controls. Membership comprises nearly 5,000 professionals drawn from industry, U.S. government agencies, and embassies.

SIA delivers its value primarily through four in-person conferences per year (two "Back to Basics" conferences for newcomers and two "Advanced" conferences for experienced practitioners), held in the Arlington, Virginia area, plus webinars and virtual events featuring speakers from DDTC, BIS, and DTSA. Its product portfolio consists of a library of specialized handbooks — including the ITAR Handbook, EAR License Exceptions Handbook, Encryption Exception Handbook, Exemptions Handbook, M&A Handbook, Voluntary Disclosure Handbook, CBP Guidelines Handbook, and Compliance Insiders Toolkit — sold in printed and digital form and bundled into a $100/year Enhanced Membership tier launched in 2025. The organization also operates a paid Consultant Directory and a free member Job Board serving as recruitment infrastructure for the trade compliance profession.

SIA generates revenue through three primary streams: annual membership dues (with free membership for U.S. government employees and $100/year Enhanced Membership for the broader base), conference registration fees tiered by attendee status (Government $650-$825, Member $900-$1,200, Non-member $1,100-$1,400), and one-time publication sales ($30-$40 per handbook). It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors staffed by senior trade compliance leaders from major defense primes (Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, L3Harris, Leonardo DRS, Leidos, Peraton), Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and outside counsel K&L Gates.

Name

Society for International Affairs

Legal name

Society for International Affairs, Inc.

Website

https://siaed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Society for International Affairs is a volunteer-run, non-profit educational organization founded in 1967 that provides conferences, webinars, handbooks, and networking for nearly 5,000 export/import licensing and trade compliance professionals across U.S. industry, government, and embassies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Compliance Education & Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Export Controls (ITAR/EAR) Classification & Licensing (TLACAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Standards Development & Standardization Bodies (BPADANAA)

Keywords

• Trade compliance education
• Export licensing training
• ITAR EAR publications
• Defense trade conferences
• Professional association membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: SIA generates revenue through membership fees. U.S. government employees receive free membership. Enhanced membership is available for $100/year, providing access to digital handbooks including Compliance Insiders Toolkit, CBP Guidelines Handbook, Exemptions Handbook, M&A Handbook, Voluntary Disclosure Handbook, and EAR Exceptions Handbook.
2. Conference Fees: SIA holds four conferences per year (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer). Conference fees vary by attendee type: Government $650-$825, Member $900-$1,200, Non-member $1,100-$1,400. Back to Basics conferences are in-person 3-day events; Advanced conferences are 2-day in-person events.
3. Publications Sales: SIA sells digital and printed publications including ITAR handbooks ($30-$40), Compliance Insiders Toolkit ($30-$40 member price), and other specialized handbooks. Publications are available in digital format with Adobe Digital Editions requirement or printed spiral-bound versions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Society for International Affairs (SIA) provides education, professional development, and information-exchange resources on U.S. export and import licensing and trade compliance. Its core deliverables are (1) annual membership (free for U.S. government; $100 enhanced for industry) conferring digital handbook access and discounted events, (2) four annual in-person conferences in Arlington, VA covering ITAR/EAR fundamentals and advanced issues, and (3) a catalog of digital and printed compliance handbooks on ITAR, EAR, exemptions, voluntary disclosures, M&A, CBP guidelines, and encryption.

Product overview

Society for International Affairs (SIA) is a non-profit educational organization that provides a comprehensive suite of trade compliance resources and professional development offerings. The portfolio consists of paid digital and printed publications covering ITAR, EAR, and export/import compliance topics, along with in-person and virtual conferences at basic and advanced levels, a consultant directory, and a job board. SIA does not offer a unified software platform but rather delivers educational content, reference materials, and networking opportunities for the international trade compliance community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Compliance Insiders: Toolkit for Internal Compliance Digital or printed handbook providing internal compliance guidance and tools for trade compliance professionals, covering program design and best practices.
• Customs Border Protection Guidelines Handbook Digital or printed handbook covering U.S. Customs and Border Protection guidelines for trade compliance practitioners dealing with import controls.
• EAR License Exceptions Handbook Handbook covering Export Administration Regulations (EAR) license exceptions for trade compliance professionals, published October 2025.
• Encryption Exception Handbook for Trade Compliance Professionals Handbook covering encryption exceptions under U.S. export regulations, published October 2025, for trade compliance professionals.
• Exemptions Handbook Digital or printed handbook covering ITAR exemptions, eighth edition published January 2025.
• ITAR Handbook (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) Digital or printed version of the complete International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), printed January 2026.
• Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures Handbook Handbook covering trade compliance considerations for mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, third edition published December 2019.
• Voluntary Disclosure Handbook Handbook covering ITAR voluntary disclosure processes, second edition published May 2022.
• Enhanced Membership (Digital Handbook Library)

Quantifiable outcome

• SIA holds 4 conferences per year with government speakers from DDTC, DTSA, and BIS providing direct regulatory guidance
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• U.S. Department of State - Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1967SIA maintains a unique relationship with DDTC, the government agency responsible for commercial exports of defense articles and defense services. DDTC officials regularly participate in SIA conferences and webinars as speakers, providing insight into ITAR regulations and licensing processes. This relationship is fundamental to SIA's mission of educating the international trade community.
• U.S. Department of Commerce - Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1967SIA maintains an ongoing relationship with BIS, which advances U.S. national security and economic objectives through export control and treaty compliance. BIS officials participate in SIA conferences providing guidance on Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the Commerce Control List (CCL).
• U.S. Department of Defense - Defense Technology Security Administration (DTSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1967DTSA serves as DoD's focal point on international transfers of export-controlled technology. As DoD's focal point on international transfers of export-controlled technology and sharing of classified military information, DTSA establishes guidelines and assists DoD components in complying with applicable U.S. laws and regulations. DTSA officials participate in SIA programming.
• U.S. Government and Industry (Joint Founding)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1967SIA was jointly formed in 1967 by US Government and Industry to provide a forum for the exchange of information related to export and import licensing. This unique public-private partnership foundation continues to define SIA's mission and operations today.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI): AAEI is a US-based trade association that provides advocacy, education, and resources to exporters and importers on customs, export controls, and trade policy. It is highly comparable to SIA as a membership-driven nonprofit serving overlapping US trade-compliance practitioner audiences, with a similar mix of conferences, publications, and government engagement.
• National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA): NCBFAA represents US customs brokers and freight forwarders and provides regulatory education, advocacy, and networking on customs and trade compliance matters. It is comparable to SIA as a peer trade association with a similar member-driven education and government-engagement model, although its focus is broader customs/trade topics versus SIA's narrower ITAR/EAR export-controls specialization.
• Export Compliance Training Institute (ECTI): ECTI delivers export compliance training, conferences, and certification programs focused on ITAR, EAR, and OFAC for US practitioners. It directly competes with SIA in the export-compliance training segment, offering similar in-person conferences and educational content to the same defense and dual-use compliance professional audience.

Regional players

• International Compliance Association (ICA): ICA is a UK-headquartered international membership body providing certifications, training, and resources on anti-money laundering, financial crime, and broader compliance topics. It is comparable as a professional compliance association serving practitioners globally, though it operates outside the US export-controls niche that defines SIA and competes more on financial-crime compliance than ITAR/EAR.

Broad incumbents

• World Trade Centers Association (WTCA): WTCA is a global network of trade-promotion organizations providing international business education, events, and member services. It is comparable to SIA as a broad-based trade and international-business membership association with conferences and publications, but operates at much larger scale and across broader international-trade topics rather than specializing in US export controls.
• Thomson Reuters Trade Compliance: Thomson Reuters offers trade-compliance content, regulatory updates, and software tools (e.g., ONESOURCE Trade Compliance) used by export and import professionals worldwide. It is comparable to SIA in serving US export/import compliance decision-makers with regulatory information and reference materials, but operates as a much larger commercial incumbent across multiple compliance domains.

Emerging players

• Descartes Visual Compliance: Descartes Visual Compliance provides technology solutions for export controls, sanctions screening, and trade compliance classification, including ITAR/EAR restricted-party screening. It is comparable to SIA in addressing the same ITAR/EAR compliance practitioner workflow, but competes as a technology vendor rather than an educational nonprofit and increasingly substitutes for traditional training with embedded software guidance.

Others

• Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg is a large international trade and customs law firm that also publishes regulatory updates, runs client seminars, and advises on ITAR/EAR compliance. It is thematically adjacent to SIA — serving overlapping US export-compliance clients with educational content and government-engagement signals — but competes commercially rather than as a membership association.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-society-for-international-affairs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Society for International Affairs