ASHEVILLE, North Carolina – Hot topics in the events industry, from employee retention to diversity and inclusion (DE&I), took center stage at the 31st ESCA Summer Education Conference, held June 26-29 at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina.
ESCA (Exhibition Services & Contractors Association) designed its annual conference, which took place for the first time in three years, with an emphasis on interactive panels, exhibits and networking events as well as educational opportunities specific to the events industry.
Among the leading speakers from the trade show industry was Kai Hattendorf, Managing Director and CEO of UFI (The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry), who moderated the session, Exhibition and Event Industry Trends: How They Will Shape the Future of Your Business. He focused on the events industry, such as attendee expectations, sustainability and organizer/supplier relationships. Bob Ryley, GES, President of ESCA, also discussed trade show industry trends in his closing keynote address at the conference.
Nancy Drapeau, Vice President of Research at CEIR – Center for Exhibition Industry Research, presented the session “Rapid Fire Update: State of the US B2B Exhibition Industry.” She referenced CEIR’s research on the current state of the trade show industry and the outlook through 2024, as well as identifying trends that are likely to impact the event industry in the future.
One of the keynote sessions, “From Capitol Hill to the Showroom; How Advocacy Supports the Industry’s Path to Recovery,” was presented by Trade Fair Manager Vice President and Editor-in-Chief Gabrielle Weiss, joined by David Dubois, IAEE President and CEO, and Tommy Goodwin, ECA (Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance) Vice President.
The panel took an in-depth look at the advocacy work that ESCA members and the events industry have focused on to ensure policymakers understand the critical role that face-to-face events and the trade show industry play in economic growth, namely this year’s Legislative Action Week, which took place in June and was hosted by ECA.
“By working with our elected officials, we are putting fuel in the engine of ECA’s efforts,” Weiss said. “Advocacy is no longer a ‘nice to have’; it really needs to be part of our business models going forward. It’s a budget line item.”
Related. Legislative Action Week: “Never has this event been so important”
The panel reviewed ECA’s top priorities during the week of legislative action, including Senate passage of two bills, one to provide small business relief and one to restore the employee retention tax credit, and the return of communicable disease coverage under event cancellation insurance. Some of the questions posed during the session included which elements of the bills would impact ESCA members and which would help revive trade show activity.
Diversity and inclusion was also a hot topic. This year, the event’s keynote speaker set the tone, as Risha Grant, an internationally renowned expert on DE&I and bias, led an interactive session titled Get Rid of the BS & Build Inclusive Culture. During the session, Grant challenged attendees by allowing them to voice their biases and then offering tools to overcome them.
Another ESCA member panel, Promoting Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace, focused on recruiting strategies to create a diverse workforce, workforce strategies to improve morale and inclusion, and retention strategies to keep star players. It also addressed how to improve diversity and inclusion in trade show companies and at ESCA.
During the “Employee Attraction and Retention” session, Employco USA’s human resources experts offered advice and guidance on analyzing the legal landscape of recruiting. They discussed best practices related to finding suitable candidates, interview techniques, as well as effective onboarding of new employees and legal compliance issues. Some of the issues related to employee retention were also at the center of the panel’s discussions, which offered advice on methods to improve employee engagement and job satisfaction, as well as legal requirements for termination.
Other panels included legal updates in the event world, and another focused on the impact of COVID-19 on young professionals and how the pandemic is affecting the next generation of trade show industry workers.
Larry Arnaudet, ESCA Executive Director, said he received numerous comments from the more than 180 attendees, noting that this was the most enjoyable ESCA Summer Conference they had ever attended. “This exceptional feedback will greatly assist us in developing plans for our future events.”
Arnaudet added, “Next on the horizon is our 2022 Winter Awards Celebration and Reception on December 11 in Louisville, Kentucky, followed by our 2023 ESCA Summer Education Conference, June 25-28 at the Effie Hotel in Sandestin, Florida.
Contact Larry Arnaudet at [email protected]; Gabrielle Weiss at (312) 493-7753 or [email protected]