Tommy Goodwin is Vice President for the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA), an association dedicated to the advancement of the business events industry. He leads ECA’s advocacy and member engagement work on behalf of the interconnected ecosystem of exhibitors, show and event organizers, suppliers, venues and destinations that comprise the global business events landscape.
Around the world, the business events industry is advocating on the issues that matter to our collective future.
Last month, I joined Marsha Flanagan, president and CEO of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and Barbara Weizsäcker, secretary general of the European Exhibition Industry Alliance (EEIA) on stage at IMEX Frankfurt for a transatlantic policy and advocacy update.
Two issues were front and center: international travel and sustainability.
While ECA has been working to bring down visa wait times for international exhibitors and attendees looking to come to the U.S., EEIA has been doing the same for would-be international visitors to meetings and events taking place across the European Union (EU).
With monthslong delays negatively impacting exhibition attendance, EEIA has been pushing for streamlined visa processes with policymakers across the EU institutions, including at April’s well-received EU Dialogue: Driving Positive Change in the Meetings Industry program.
“The EU trade policy must be reflected in visa policy to attract exhibitors and visitors to Europe’s international exhibitions,” said Weizsäcker. “We ask for improvement of the waiting times through both EU and national channels and have high hopes for the future joint Schengen visa procedure to accelerate the process substantially.”
Similarly, sustainability and decarbonization are at the top of the policy agenda in Brussels. The European Green Deal has introduced a host of new measures on waste, the energy performance of buildings, and more that impact industry stakeholders across the EU.
While the EU’s green policymaking has long outpaced developments in Washington, DC, issues impacting the industry are creeping up in states and cities nationwide. For example, this month California looks set to ban the propane-powered forklifts prevalent on trade show floors by 2035.
Industry organizations are getting more involved, as well. More than 600 organizations around the world (including ECA) have signed the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge, and IAEE is working on a new sustainability toolkit for its members and the industry at-large.
“The sooner we advance our sustainability practices, the more we highlight our industry’s relevance in the bigger business picture, and this toolkit helps accomplish that,” said Flanagan.
In Frankfurt, IMEX also held its annual policy forum, which brings together policymakers, destinations, and industry leaders together to influence the future direction of the business events industry as it relates to policy. This year’s hot topic: good meetings, not more meetings.
This convening surfaced some existential issues facing the industry globally including the impact of over-tourism and the future of sustainability, circularity, and resilience, particularly in how they impact the destinations where events take place.
“It is vital business events leaders do not simply lobby policymakers via traditional advocacy. Together, we should explore key challenges and opportunities in an intelligently designed interaction; that’s the unique value of IMEX Policy Forum,” said Martin Sirk, owner of Sirk Serendipity, who co-moderated the event with Natasha Richards, director of impact and industry relations for IMEX.
This year’s Global Exhibitions Day theme was exhibitions are catalysts to sustainable futures. As you can see, the industry’s advocacy across the globe is working to make that future a reality.
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