submitted by Tommy Goodwin, Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA)
WASHINGTON, DC—In recent days, the executive order introducing new reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners has led to significant concern within the U.S. business and professional events industry.
These tariffs will increase costs for business and professional event organizers, exhibitors, and attendees alike. They also send a signal to international exhibitors and attendees that the U.S. is closed for business. Moreover, these tariffs will particularly harm small businesses, which account for 99% of industry companies and 80% of all exhibitors.
This year, our industry is on track to employ 2.63 million Americans and drive $426.1 billion in spending nationwide. That’s why the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) opposes these new tariffs, which will negatively impact our collective ability to drive economic growth, support job creation, empower small businesses, and help to solve our most urgent societal challenges.
ECA will continue to work with its member associations, coalition partners, and other key stakeholders in Washington, DC to advocate for trade policies that will strengthen the competitiveness of the U.S. business and professional events industry going forward and allow us to continue to serve as a growth engine for the U.S. economy.
ECA also encourages industry leaders and advocates to share their concerns with their policymakers through the ECA Advocacy Network’s email action center. In addition, ECA has also established the ECA Tariff Resource Center on the ECA website with the latest news impacting the industry.
About the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance:
The Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) is a coalition of leading professional and industry associations comprising the unified advocacy voice of the business and professional events industry. To learn more about ECA and its work to advance the interests of the industry, please visit https://www.exhibitionsconferencesalliance.org/.
