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Written by mark@esca.org on . Posted in News and Updates

WASHINGTON, DC UPDATE: FEBRUARY 21, 2023

1. ECA WELCOMES PCMA TO THE ALLIANCE

This week, ECA was pleased to announce that PCMA has joined ECA as our 10th alliance partner!

  •  ECA’s view: “I’m delighted to welcome PCMA and its community to business events strategists to ECA, which will help the alliance further amplify its important advocacy message to the decision makers that matter,” said Hervé Sedky, Chair of the ECA board of directors.
  •  PMCA’s view: “We know that if we expect our industry to transform, we need to lead that transformation, and ECA provides a critical platform to do so,” said Sherrif Karamat, CAE, President and CEO, PCMA and the Corporate Event Marketing Association.

Go deeper: Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance Welcomes PCMA as its Newest Alliance Partner.

2. ADVOCACY EFFORTS RAMP UP IN KENTUCKY

In Kentucky, on-the-ground work is accelerating to clarify the state’s new sales tax on meeting space.

  •  Where it stands: Legislative language has been drafted that would exempt event organizers from charging sales tax to their exhibitors.
  •  What’s next: Work will continue in the Kentucky legislature on securing a technical correction to the sales tax law until it adjourns on March 30.

ECA thanks Louisville Tourism and the Kentucky Travel Industry Association for their leadership in Frankfort on behalf of the entire face-to-face business events industry!

3. VISITOR VISA APPOINTMENT WAIT TIMES UPDATE

In China, visa appointment wait times for would-be U.S. visitors remain within a reasonable range. Beijing 30 days (no change)

Shanghai

22 days (-6 days)

Guangzhou

22 days (+1 days)

Shenyang

2 days (no change)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



Despite this good news, wait times remain unacceptable in many countries including Brazil (average wait: 425 days), Mexico (444 days), India (626 days), and Columbia (872 days).

  •  In response, 44 U.S. mayors sent a letter to Secretary of State Blinken this week calling on the State Department to take concrete steps to reduce wait times.
  •  ASAE also put out a call for stories on the impact of wait times on association meetings, and the Hispanic Leadership Fund wrote a supporting op-ed in The Hill.

4. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

  •  ECA posted about the importance of Small Business Administration modernization, which included a humorous video featuring *NSYNC’s Lance Bass.
  •  MeetingsNet previewed ECA Legislative Action Day, which will take place this year on June 1.
  •  Bloomberg cited the CEIR in its article about the ongoing return of conventions and trade shows.

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Written by mark@esca.org on . Posted in News and Updates

2023 PUBLIC POLICY PRIORITIES

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

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