DALLAS — Although a three-day strike in early October by the International Longshoremen’s Association’s 45,000 longshoremen members culminated in a tentative labor agreement with the American Maritime Union employers’ group, unease remains about what comes next.
The strike is only temporarily suspended; an agreement must be reached by January 15 to avoid a second strike. Sources including Salvatore Stile, founder of New York freight forwarding company Wheels Up International, said they believed the risk of another strike was as high as 70%.
according to Reutersshippers have avoided Eastern and Gulf Coast hubs, including New York, New Jersey, Houston and Savannah. Newell Brands CEO Chris Peterson said in a Fast Company article this week that his company is moving “hundreds” of containers to the West Coast in preparation for the second strike .
Some strike-affected East Coast ports are still struggling to move post-strike backup cargo, and on the West Coast, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach set new records for container transshipments this summer.
To proactively respond to these developments, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), the Exhibition and Convention Alliance (ECA), and the Exhibition Services and Contractors Association (ESCA) encourage trade show organizers to take immediate action to communicate with exhibitors at upcoming events. .
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The organizations have provided a downloadable letter template that show organizers can send to exhibitors explaining the situation and advising them to ship show materials by the end of 2024 for all shows taking place in the first quarter of 2025.
“We strongly encourage organizers to use this resource to inform and empower exhibitors,” said Marsha Flanagan, M.Ed., CEM, president and CEO of IAEE.
The letter outlines steps to be taken, saying “Given this uncertainty, we strongly recommend shipping containers to the United States before the end of the year. This proactive step will help ensure your materials arrive at your event on time, regardless of January Are there any potential disruptions?”
The letter template can be downloaded here.
Contact Marsha Flanagan: mflanagan@iaee.com
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