WASHINGTON, DC — Participants are calling this year’s Legislative Action Week, organized by the Exhibition and Conference Alliance (ECA), for which Trade Fair Manager was a Gold sponsor, a resounding success.
The virtual lobbying event for the business events industry, which ran all week, focused on three key priorities: Senate passage of two bills, one to provide relief to small businesses and one to restore the employee retention tax credit; the return of communicable disease coverage under event cancellation insurance; and easing visa wait times for international business travelers.
“We have a lot of irons in the fire, and I don’t think this event has ever been more important,” ECA government affairs officer Tommy Goodwin said during a kickoff call Monday, where he laid out the groundwork for how the nominations would proceed and shared supporting materials with Legislative Action Week participants.
Goodwin was enthusiastic but realistic. “When you do this for a while and keep up the pace, you start to see results,” he said. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” Jeff Evans, director of public policy at ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership, encouraged the group of trade show and event management professionals to view meetings with Congress not as a privilege, but as a right. “It’s an exercise of your First Amendment rights,” Evans said.
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In total, the ECA team held 85 virtual meetings with members of Congress. — everyone from Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, already a strong supporter of the Small Business COVID Relief Act, to others who needed more information and persuasion.
“I love nothing more than seeing people who are truly good at what they do, and this week has been full of that,” said Emily Scheiderer, Director of Education, Sales and Services for Destinations International. “As I have met with my elected officials to advocate for changes critical to our industry’s recovery, I have been strengthened by the resourceful organization, political intelligence and guidance of the ECA team. Leaders like this remind me how bright the future of the industry is.”
Scheiderer urges all professionals in the trade fair and business events industry to educate themselves on how they can help move the industry forward.
“Whether it’s providing relief to our small businesses or helping us bring back international exhibitors and attendees, Congress can play an important role in accelerating the industry’s return to in-person business events,” said Goodwin. “That’s why it was wonderful to see so many industry leaders and advocates from coast to coast participate in ECA’s Legislative Action Week and speak to their elected officials about the role our industry plays in growing the economy, creating jobs and supporting small businesses in our communities nationwide.”
Contact Tommy Goodwin at (703) 672-0780 or tommy.goodwin@ecalliance.net; Jeff Evans at jevans@asaecenter.org; Emily Scheiderer at escheiderer@destinationsinternational.org
LINKS
ECA sets 3 priorities for legislative action week
ECA Small Business Advocacy Week Highlights Need for Additional Help
Tommy Goodwin, ECA Vice President of Government Affairs, advocates for industry