Concerned about pressing issues currently facing the industry, such as tax reform, the next-gen workforce, inbound travel restrictions, and decarbonization? Then it’s time to make your voice heard at Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA)’s 2025 Legislative Action Day, taking place on Thursday, May 29 in Washington, DC. 

Background: Held annually, ECA’s Legislative Action Day brings together leaders and advocates from across the business and professional events industry to Capitol Hill to meet with their elected officials in support of ECA’s top public policy priorities. Established in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, ECA is a coalition of leading professional and industry associations comprising the unified advocacy voice of the business and professional events industry. 

Tune in: New in 2025, the event will feature exclusive Trade Show Talk Podcast coverage from ECA Legislative Action Day. Join Host Danica Tormohlen as she interviews key industry leaders, advocates, and policymakers live from ECA’s on-site headquarters. Hear firsthand accounts of the critical policy discussions shaping the future of exhibitions and conferences. Listen to exclusive takeaways, key moments, and behind-the-scenes conversations from the event. Stay tuned for the special Legislative Action Day edition of Trade Show Talk. 

At last year’s Legislative Action Day, more than 130 business events industry leaders and advocates from 25 states and across the globe met with policymakers in Washington, DC to discuss the issues that matter most to the business events industry. 

“From tax reform to workforce development, 2025 is already shaping up to be a pivotal year for the industry in our nation’s capital,” said ECA Vice President Tommy Goodwin. “That’s why it’s critical that everyone in the industry makes plans to be part of ECA Legislative Action Day this May.” 

He continued, “What happens in Washington, DC this year will impact the business and professional events industry for years to come. The best way to positively impact those outcomes is for everyone in the industry to join us for Legislative Action Day, whether you’re a first-timer or on Capitol Hill every year.” 

Related: The Super Bowl (of Tax) 

This year, ECA’s public policy agenda is focused on five key areas: 

• Enhancing competitiveness through growth-focused tax policies 
• Creating new workforce pathways to ensure industry competitiveness 
• Growing international travel to increase U.S. global competitiveness 
• Leveraging smart decarbonization for long-term competitive advantage 
• Supporting future growth through a competitive operating environment 

At this year’s Legislative Action Day, the main issues of focus will be tax reform and workforce development, Goodwin emphasized. 

“Those are the issues on ECA’s 2025 public policy agenda that Congress has the greatest control over and can get across the finish line this year, so it makes sense to focus on those,” he said. 

Collocated Events 

Once again, ECA Legislative Action Day will be held in conjunction with two industry events taking place that week in Washington, DC: the Lippman Connects Exhibition and Convention Executives Forum (ECEF), set for May 28 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, and mdg, a Freeman Company, Executive Roundtable on May 27. 

“Every one of the 200-plus leaders at ECEF have an enormous stake in the success of Legislative Action Day,” said ECEF Producer Sam Lippman, president of Lippman Connects. “We’re proud to be a Platinum Sponsor [of the event] and encourage our community to participate.” 

Kimberly Hardcastle, president of mdg, expressed her excitement about mdg’s Executive Roundtable starting off a busy week in the nation’s Capital. 

“We’re excited to kick off such an important week with a facilitated conversation on the essential role vision plays in guiding long-range event and portfolio planning,” Hardcastle said. “Legislative Advocacy Day will then serve as a perfect complement to this conversation, as industry professionals will be much more likely to realize their vision if their elected officials are working to enhance the business environment in which we operate.” 

Related: Election 2024 and the Industry’s Journey to Net Zero in the United States 

Supporting Future Industry Advocates 

As part of its ongoing efforts to support the advocacy engagement of the event industry’s future leaders, ECA is teaming up with George Washington University School of Business to welcome MBA students from Dr. Stuart Levy’s “The Art and Practice of Business-Government Relations: Advocacy in the Events Industry” course to Legislative Action Day this year. 

“Our students and I are tremendously appreciative of the opportunity to participate in ECA’s Legislative Action Day, and we look forward to contributing to its success,” said Dr. Levy, MBA, PhD, Associate Teaching Professor of Management at The George Washington University School of Business. “This course highlight will benefit students by having them intimately engage in the advocacy process while enhancing their communication and networking skills.” 

Related: Time to Go All in for Our Next Generation Workforce 

Register for ECA’s 2025 Legislative Action Day here. Learn more about ECA here, or reach out to ECA Vice President Tommy Goodwin here. 

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