PLAYERS IN TRADE SHOW INDUSTRY FORM ADVOCACY GROUP: As the country begins to grapple with what a new post-pandemic normal might look like, and when that return to normalcy can begin, trade groups representing all aspects of the business events industry have banded together to form a new advocacy coalition to push for policies to facilitate the safe return of trade shows and conferences.
— The Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance is made up of organizations representing exhibitor contractors to conventions and visitors bureaus to venue managers, show organizers and the existing groups Go LIVE Together and Exhibitions Mean Business, aimed at supporting what was a nearly $400 billion industry that supported 2.8 million jobs in 2019, according to the alliance.
— “There’s so much commerce that gets transacted at those events, and on the show floors,” said Tommy Goodwin, the coalition’s new vice president for government affairs. “We hear from particularly small businesses all the time that without these shows, they’re really losing a really valuable channel that allows them to to, you know, meet these customers,” and can’t be easily replicated in a virtual setting.
— Goodwin said in an interview that ECA is engaging with both the Biden administration and members of Congress in order to sound out the coalition’s priorities, which include cleaning credits to “help ease the burden of all the increased cleaning, disinfecting, PPE, testing and tracing.”
— The industry also wants incentives such as tax credits to get both attendees and exhibitors back in the door at live events, forgiveness on interest for economic injury disaster loans or aid like that extended to entertainment venues in the last relief bill, liability protections, and communicable disease or pandemic risk coverage as part of cancellation insurance, some of which would be addressed in previously introduced bills like the STEP Act and RESTART Act.
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As the country grapples with the post-pandemic new normal, trade groups have banded together to form a new advocacy coalition to push for policies to facilitate the safe return of trade shows and conferences.
POLITICO Influence has the details.https://t.co/LXzgul3uki
— POLITICO (@politico) February 24, 2021
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