Exhibition and Convention Alliance unveils 2025 policy
Washington, D.C. — with 119th 2025 is shaping up to be another big year in politics as Congress and a new U.S. President take office. The Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA), the political voice of the events industry, has released its 2025 Public Policy Agenda outlining its priorities for the coming year. trade show director Speak with Tommy Goodwin, Vice President of ECA, to learn about the important issues and potential developments that are of concern to ECA. Taxation, workforce development and more ECA’s top priorities for 2025 include enacting pro-growth, pro-impact and pro-workforce development federal tax reform and preventing harmful state and local tax policies that unfairly target the trade show industry. With the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act set to expire at the end of the year, lawmakers are looking for ways to offset the cost of expanding the policy, which could be about $4.6 trillion. ECA works to prevent these decisions from having a negative impact…
ECA explores how the 2024 election could impact events
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the 2024 election, Republicans control the White House and the U.S. Senate. They may also win a slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, Reuters reported. In the Exhibition & Convention Alliance's (ECA) ECA post-election review webinar, ECA Vice President Tommy Goodwin and Aristotle Vice President of International Communications Austin O'Boyle discussed how these results impact the events industry and how you can Join the conversation. international trade barriers Goodwin noted that the Trump administration's foreign policy proposals could make it more expensive to import supplies from abroad. "The president-elect has been very vocal about his interest in resetting the international trade environment, using tariffs and non-tariff barriers to ensure more goods are produced in the United States," Goodwin explained. "But there are also adverse effects. , making goods imported from abroad more expensive. For example, I'm thinking now of our experienced designers, some of the things they import from abroad - such as aluminum…
Event associations urge organizers to prepare for transport
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…
What you need to know about industry advocacy ahead of elections
CHICAGO — It’s been a busy year for the Exhibition & Convention Alliance (ECA), which celebrated a record number of legislative action days in 2024 and won policy wins for the industry. The Federal Trade Commission has finalized a new rule on counterfeit fraud that targets scammers targeting the industry. Instead of issuing a cease-and-desist letter, people can now report this fraud directly to the FTC for follow-up and enforcement. In March, ECA helped the State Department secure $50 million to address long visa wait times and has since reduced interview wait times in Mexico by 60%, reinforcing the link between advocacy and what happens at the show. On the future workforce, both ECA bills successfully passed House committees this year. As America prepares for Election Day on November 5, trade show director caught up with ECA Vice President Tommy Goodwin to find out what policies and regulations the industry should be paying attention to in the coming months, as…
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