Freeman is uniting with live events leaders from across the United States to announce the formation of Go LIVE Together, a coalition of 80 founding partners—representing more than 4,000 companies with U.S. operations—who have joined forces to support legislative actions that will aid the tradeshow and live events industry’s recovery from COVID-19.
“While our concern is first and foremost supporting the suppression and mitigation efforts around COVID-19, live events will be an integral part of accelerating the U.S. and global economic recovery,” says Bob Priest-Heck, CEO of Freeman (pictured above). “A fundamental aspect of the industry are that trade shows and events enable companies to grow, educate and innovate. Protecting the industry means protecting key economic and social drivers that not only impact jobs today, but also the development of the next generation of businesses. As the largest live events producer, Freeman is proud to unite with other industry leaders to form a coalition to make this possible.”
Go LIVE Together is focused on preparing for U.S. local, state, and federal recovery legislation, so the industry is ready to drive recovery once the health crisis is over. This group will advocate for funds to offset the added costs of hosting an event post COVID-19, and for funds to encourage people to attend live events when it is safe to do so.
Events serve as a massive incubator for innovation and economic growth. Advocating for recovery funding will be essential—not only to the events industry—but to the healing and recovery efforts of the global economy, because:
- Live events contribute nearly $1 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, with events touching every major sector that makes up the U.S. GDP.
- In 2019, the events industry employed 3 million workers directly, with a total impact of close to 7 million jobs.
- The live events industry employs millions of union workers, general laborers, strategists, marketers, concession stand workers, entertainers, riggers, project managers and more.
- More than 80 percent of the companies that serve the live events industry are small, with many being women and minority-owned businesses.
“It’s indisputable that live events have significant, quantifiable economic impact,” says Priest-Heck. “But they also provide the intangible. These events allow brands to connect directly with their audiences in a meaningful way and the experiences leave a lasting impression that cannot be replicated.”
ECN readers are encouraged to join the effort in advocating that nothing in the world will ever replace the power and the need for live events. #GoLiveTogether
For more info, visit www.golivetogether.com.
