submitted by IAEE
10 JANUARY 2024 – DALLAS, TX – Today the International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE) announces the creation of the Exhibitions Industry Collective to drive awareness on essential issues within the exhibitions ecosystem.
The Exhibitions Industry Collective is comprised of six key industry organizations including Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA), Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA), Experiential Designers & Producers Association (EDPA), International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE), International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), and the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO).
Each organization has previously worked together on industry advocacy with ECA and are now expanding this effort to address workforce development, sustainability, and health and safety as a unified effort. By leveraging the strengths in their respective fields, the Collective will better serve the larger exhibitions and events community by bringing more awareness to key stakeholders and a clearly established path of success for each member base.
“In 2014 IAEE worked with the U.S. Department of Labor and established a competency model for exhibitions as a standalone industry sector. This paved the way for us to create a more defined path in exhibitions management with our expanded certification journey and work with the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics” said IAEE president and CEO, Marsha Flanagan, M.Ed., CEM. “Momentum has built since the pandemic to bring our shared knowledge together to create a visible, meaningful and lasting foothold on careers in the exhibitions ecosystem,” noted Flanagan.
To kick off 2024, IAEE will host a virtual Exhibitions Industry Awareness Week from 20-23 February and will feature each of the six organizations in the Collective.
The purpose of Exhibitions Industry Awareness Week is to promote the exhibitions industry as a career path opportunity to students, faculty, those looking for a career change and all members in each industry sector. Attendees will learn about sector specific information including jobs available to those considering a career along with salary information, skill requirements and training needed.
Stay tuned in the next few weeks for a new website for the Exhibitions Industry Collective that will feature a defined roadmap for the Collective’s initiatives and house top level information on each organization in the Collective. The site will serve as a launch point for more exhibitions industry sector details depending on the interest of the user.
Registration for Exhibitions Industry Awareness Week will open at the end of January.
“Coming together and recognizing the individual strengths of each organization will allow us to be faster, stronger and better at tackling issues affecting the exhibitions ecosystem,” noted Flanagan.
About IAEE
Trusted since 1928, IAEE provides quality and value to its members through leadership, service, education and strong relationships. IAEE is the largest association of the exhibitions and events industry in the world, with a membership of show organizers, exhibitors and exhibition suppliers. Organizers of more than 20,000 exhibitions and buyer-seller events around the world are members of IAEE, and the organization advocates and promotes the awareness of face-to-face exhibitions and events as the primary medium for business development and growth. IAEE provides relevant, timely and innovative education to its members and the industry. IAEE recognizes its strategic partners: 4imprint, Convention News Television (CNTV), Freeman, GES | onPeak, Grit Productions & Expositions, New Orleans & Company, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Personify – A2Z Events, Risk Strategies Company | Buttine Insurance, Swapcard and Synchronicities (Visit Anaheim, Visit Baltimore and Visit San Antonio). Visit www.iaee.com for more information.
