This week, the exhibitions and events industry embarks on its fourth annual Exhibitions Day in Washington, DC. Our industry should be incredibly proud of this effort, which continues to grow in terms of size and attention garnered for the industry. On Wednesday, June 7 we will continue with our charge to give a voice to the women and men in our industry who drive billions of dollars into the US economy.
Our key issues this year focus on enabling fair and free trade. We will inform lawmakers of how they can support responsible travel facilitation and advance security measures without negatively impacting the economically-critical U.S. business travel environment.
2017 Exhibitions Day Issues Overview:
- Urge Congress to oppose any measures to defund Brand USA, a bi-partisan, federally supported effort that promotes the country overseas as a business and tourist destination.
- Encourage Congressional support for H.R. 1265, a bill that increases investment in our infrastructure – the U.S. currently ranks a dismal 11thin the world in terms of quality (WEF).
- Push for support of H.R. 2495 and S. 1164, which empower the FTC to prosecute criminals who create false hotel booking websites and lure customers into making bookings.
(Note: More information on the 2017 issues can be found in the toolkit section of the Exhibitions Day 2017 webpage.)
While in Washington, DC., we will also continue conversations tied to the Exhibitions and Meetings Safety and Security Initiative (EMSSI), an initiative that will produce a comprehensive security benchmark that aligns with the Department of Homeland Security’s SAFETY Act, helping create safer and more secure large-scale events, such as trade shows and exhibitions.
It is imperative we leave no doubt that “Exhibitions Mean Business” – they drive economic value for communities large and small across the country, help bring new products and services to market and help connect job seekers with career opportunities. Efforts like our annual Exhibitions Day champion that economic enablement and take the industry’s contributions and point of view directly to our country’s political decision-makers.
