The ECA Legislative Action Week will be held from June 6-10, 2022. This week-long virtual event will bring together advocates from across the face-to-face business events industry to meet with their members of Congress about the vital role that exhibitions and conferences play in helping communities across the United States recover from the devastating economic and employment impacts of the pandemic.
“As we emerge from the pandemic, advocacy has to be part of the DNA of the industry going forward,” says David Audrain, CEM, Chief Executive Officer of the Society of Independent Show Organizers and Co-President of ECA. “ECA Legislative Action Week is an important opportunity for all of us across the industry to come together to make our voices heard on Capitol Hill.”
Prior to the pandemic, face-to-face business events supported 6.6 million jobs nationwide and contributed $396 billion annually to U.S. gross domestic product. Unfortunately, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) found that total business-to-business event activity in 2021 was still 57.5% below pre-pandemic levels. This ongoing decline has been particularly hard on our industry’s small businesses, which are the driving force behind conventions and trade shows nationwide. Ninety-nine percent of all business events companies are small businesses, and 80% of all exhibitors from coast to coast are small businesses.
“Exhibitions and conferences make a tremendous impact on our communities and the U.S. economy more broadly,” notes David DuBois, CMP, CAE, FASAE, CTA, President & CEO of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and Co-President of ECA. “What elected officials in Washington, DC, do in the weeks and months ahead will directly impact the industry and our recovery, which, in turn, impacts the communities in which we work and live.”
This year, ECA Legislative Action Week will focus on the vital steps that Congress can take to help get our industry back to business, including providing financial relief to small businesses, restoring communicable disease coverage to event cancellation insurance, and supporting the full restoration of visa processing at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. On June 6, ECA will host a preview session with a policy issues overview and interviews with key policy-makers and industry leaders. Virtual Congressional meetings will take place from June 7-10.
“As we continue along the road to recovery, advocacy has never been more important or urgent for all of us involved with face-to-face businesses events,” said Thomas F. (Tommy) Goodwin, Vice President, Government Relations for ECA. “That’s why we are inviting everyone across the industry join us for ECA Legislative Action Week and tell the story of the impact their work has on economic recovery, jobs, and supporting small businesses nationwide.”
For more information about ECA Legislative Action Week and to register, visit: www.ECALegislativeActionWeek.com.
