As the unified advocacy voice of the face-to-face business events industry, the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) works to ensure that policymakers understand and support the important role that our events have on driving economic growth, supporting job creation, empowering small businesses, and helping to solve our most urgent societal challenges. ECA’s 2023 public policy priorities will support the advancement of the industry by working to ensure a favorable operating environment, the full return of international exhibitors and attendees, a strong future workforce, and a more sustainable industry in the future.

Ensure a favorable operating environment for the industry going forward

• Prevent anti-growth state-level taxation of our industry, including new exhibition services and digital ad taxes

• Bring back communicable disease coverage to event cancellation insurance

• Support industry small businesses on their continued road to full recovery from the pandemic

• Reduce the impact of inflation on industry stakeholders

• Decrease supply chain uncertainty and unfair barriers to the resources required to meet customer needs

• Guarantee a welcoming environment for events in cities and states nationwide (no Covid-related closures, no political boycotts or restrictions, and safe local cities)

• Increase music licensing transparency around who owns what, where the money goes, and billing practices

• Establish privacy protections for consumers while allowing businesses to continue to grow and innovate

• Help the industry better afford health and safety-related improvements and preparation for future pandemics

Fully welcome international exhibitors and attendees back to the U.S.

• Restore visa operations to pre-pandemic levels while making visa processing more modern and efficient (videoconferencing, group processing, VWP expansion)

•  Prevent against future Covid-related travel restrictions

•  Streamline and harmonize travel policies between the U.S. and key international partners and regions

•  Additional federal support for attracting international events to the U.S.

•  Ensure favorable global standardization efforts

Support industry efforts to address sustainability and climate change

• Encourage smart decarbonization efforts by governments while ensuring the right balance between environmental aims and industry feasibility

•  Champion industry-led approaches to create a more sustainable and socially-impactful industry going forward

•  Support the direction of infrastructure and clean energy funding to industry stakeholders

Promote government involvement in developing the industry’s future workforce

• Support government policy and programs to attract, train, and retain the industry’s next generation workforce