Event
leaders in Washington D.C. are calling on
congress to reduce visa wait times for international delegates and create initiaitves to help attract
the next generation of event professionals.
In its largest gathering to date, more than 130 business events industry leaders and
advocates from 25 states met with policymakers on Capitol Hill for Exhibitions &
Conferences Alliance’s (ECA) annual Legislative Action Day.
“Today was the
largest gathering of the industry on Capitol Hill ever,” said Vinnie Polito,
ECA’s co-president and Society of Independent Show Organisers CEO. “As we have
seen in recentmonths, when our industry
shows up and advocates together with one voice, we can drive policy change that
positively impacts all of us going forward.”
This year’s
Legislative Action Day focused on two of ECA’s top public policy priorities:
helping the industry attract and train its next generation workforce and
further reducing visa wait times for international exhibitors and attendees
looking to come to U.S. exhibitions, conferences, and trade shows.
“From expanding
access to programmes that will help develop the industry’s future workforce to
restoring visa interview wait times to pre-pandemic levels, ECA’s policy
priorities have broad bipartisan support,” said Marsha Flanagan, M.Ed., CEM,
ECA’s co-president and International Association of Exhibitions and Events president
and CEO. “That’s why we are calling on Congress to take action this year
on these issues that will strengthen our industry’s collective ability to drive
economic growth, support job creation, and empower small businesses.”
While ECA’s 2024
Legislative Action Day is over, ECA has opportunities for industry leaders
and advocates to stay engaged on the policy issues that matter year-round.
“Whether
you are on Capitol Hill, on the show floor, or even on your phone, ECA invites
you to be an advocate for the business events industry,” said Tommy Goodwin, FASAE, CAE, PMP,
CMP, ECA’s Vice President. “Together, we can be the strong, unified advocacy
voice of the industry and shape our future with policymakers nationwide.”
