CHICAGO — The Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance (ECA) efforts are off to a flying start in 2024 with the introduction and finalization of key legislation and regulations impacting the trade show industry.
This year, ECA is focusing on its various public policy priorities and other legislation that could impact trade shows and events, such as opposing digital advertising tax proposals in New York, Tennessee, Nebraska and the District of Columbia.
In parallel with ECA’s outreach efforts in 2024, Exhibition Industry Awareness Week will take place from February 20-23, hosted by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE). The virtual event will bring together the six organizations involved in the Exhibition Industry Collective: IAEE, ECA, Exhibition Services and Contractors Association (ESCA), Experiential Designers and Producers Association (EDPA), International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), and Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO).
“ECA is comprised of industry associations that are all doing important work on industry priorities: workforce development, sustainability and health and safety. Through the Exhibitions Industry Collective, ECA looks forward to amplifying all of the great work these associations are doing, such as ESCA’s new standard safety signage,” said Tommy Goodwin, ECA Vice President.
Finalization of the anti-identity fraud rule
The Federal Trade Commission has finalized its rule on government and business identity theft targeting scammers who impersonate businesses and government entities.
Under the new rule, the FTC can directly sue in federal court to force scammers to return money earned from impersonation scams, including those that use company logos when communicating with consumers online or by mail, falsely imply a business affiliation by using terms known to be affiliated with a company, and spoof commercial email and web addresses.
ECA and its industry partners have long advocated for more effective tools to combat these scammers, as business events have seen hotel booking scams and attendee list sales scams impact their attendees.
“Trade shows have been the target of scams for many years. With this new rule, the FTC is finally saying enough is enough! ECA is pleased to see this rule in effect and we hope the FTC will be vigorous in its enforcement efforts,” Goodwin said.
The rule on identity theft in government and business will take effect 30 days after its publication in the Federal Register.
Related. The New Exhibition Industry Collective: Six Industry Organizations Join Forces
New Visa Bill Introduced
A new bill was recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would grant the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs greater flexibility in using money collected from visa and passport fees to address visa processing backlogs.
Introduced by Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada and Rep. María Elvira Salazar of Florida, the VISITOR Act would give Consular Affairs the ability to use funds to make needed technology upgrades at consular posts, build processing infrastructure at high-volume sites, and hire more staff to complete visa decisions.
“ECA is fully committed to our advocacy for further reductions in visa wait times,” Goodwin said. “Whether it’s securing additional resources for the State Department or smart policy proposals like the VISITOR Act—which would allow the State Department to make needed technology upgrades, hire more staff to make visa decisions, and build additional visa processing infrastructure—ECA fully supports all efforts to eliminate these visa processing delays and ensure they never happen again.”
The law would also set a goal of interviewing 80 percent of all nonimmigrant visa applications (including those seeking business visas) within three weeks of the State Department receiving their applications.
Legislative Action Day 2024
The 2024 ECA Legislative Action Day will take place on May 30 in Washington, DC, bringing together business events industry advocates to Capitol Hill to meet with legislators and policymakers.
This year’s advocacy efforts will be aligned with the ECA’s public policy agenda, and more detailed information about the Legislative Action Day priorities will be released in the coming weeks, according to Goodwin.
Contact Tommy Goodwin at tommy.goodwin@exhibitionsconferencesalliance.org