As the events industry continues its robust recovery following the pandemic, the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance’s (ECA) Legislative Action Day will return to Washington, D.C., on June 1, bringing industry advocates and leaders to meet with members of Congress about important federal policy priorities.

“It will be great to have this event back in person after four long years,” said Tommy Goodwin, vice president of government affairs for ECA, adding that the last in-person International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) Exhibitions Day was in 2019, with the 2020 event held virtually and the ECA Legislative Action Day in 2021 and 2022 also staged virtually.  

The one-day program this year will feature a breakfast and policy briefing, plenty of opportunities throughout the day for peer-to-peer networking and a post-event reception.

According to Goodwin, this year’s ECA Legislative Action Day will concentrate on three important issues to further advance the industry’s recovery: visa delays, which are preventing many international visitors from attending events in the U.S.;  impersonation fraud, which includes attendee list scams and hotel reservation scams; and the industry’s future workforce.

Goodwin said ECA has already had a productive 2023, with accomplishments such as helping repeal the tax on exhibitors and sponsors in Kentucky and advocating for a two-year delay of a phase in California’s forthcoming zero-carbon forklift rule, which helps better align the environmental aims of the California rule with industry feasibility. In addition, ECA testified in Connecticut against a digital advertising tax that would be passed down to industry stakeholders and testified in Washington, D.C. at a U.S. Federal Trade Commission hearing on its proposed rule prohibiting business impersonation. Additionally, ECA has been working to continue to elevate the visa delay issue through increased Congressional oversight.

“We are heartened to see the positive response to the industry’s message and look forward to increased oversight and new legislation in the days and weeks ahead,” Goodwin said.

Additionally, this year’s ECA Legislative Action Day will be held in conjunction with the Lippman Connects Exhibition and Convention Executives Forum (ECEF), a one-day information-sharing and networking event for leaders at associations and independent organizers taking place May 31 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. In recognition of this partnership, ECA announced Lippman Connects as one of its 2023 Legislative Action Day platinum sponsors.  

Registration for ECA Legislative Action Day is open through May 25.

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