A slew of reciprocal
tariffs on United States trading partners will signal to international exhibitors and
conference delegates that the US is ‘closed for business’, according to a trade
body.
The import taxes
would harm small businesses, which account for 99 per cent of industry
companies and 80 per cent of all exhibitors, said the Exhibitions
& Conferences Alliance (ECA)
The organisation,
a Washington-based coalition of professional and industry
associations, said the
tariffs had led to significant concern within the American events industry.
In a
statement, an ECA spokesperson said: “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 US
is closed for business.
“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 US business and professional events
industry going forward and allow us to continue to serve as a growth
engine for the U.S. economy.”
ECA said it
was encouraging industry leaders and advocates to share their concerns with
their policymakers through the ECA
Advocacy Network’s email action center.
The body
has also established an ECA
Tariff Resource Center on its website.
Meanwhile,
the March Northstar/Cvent Pulse Survey, found that most were now less
optimistic than they were two months ago, the first time since August of 2021,
when the Delta variant was surging. Almost two-thirds (65%) cited ‘economic outlook’
as one of the factors that had ‘negatively impacted’ their business in the last
two months, while more than a third (34%) specifically said ‘trade policies’
were hurting their business.
Click here to download the latest
Pulse report.
Written By
James Lancaster
AMI editor James
Lancaster is a familiar face in the meetings industry and international
association community. Since joining AMI in 2010, he has gained a reputation
for asking difficult questions and getting lost in convention centres. Proofer, podcaster, and panellist - in his spare time, James likes to walk,
read, listen to music, and drink beer.
