Photograph by Picturellarious for Adobe Stock
A record 226 events industry leaders and advocates traveled to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., yesterday as part of the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance's annual Legislative Action Day.
Participants traveled from across the United States and around the world to meet with members of Congress about how they can strengthen the events industry's ability to create new jobs, reduce economic uncertainty, safeguard affordability for small businesses, and ensure that the U.S. remains the premier global destination for events. Their message: The industry is a proven engine of economic resilience and growth, and it needs a policy environment to match.
"ECA Legislative Action Day is a powerful reminder of what makes our industry so special," said Fernando Fischer, president of the Americas for RX and chair of the ECA board of directors. "Business and professional events bring people together, strengthen small businesses, support jobs and help communities grow. By showing up on Capitol Hill in record numbers, we ensured that our elected officials understand both the impact of our events and the policy choices that will help shape them going forward."
On the agenda
LAD focused on three issues from the ECA's 2026 public-policy agenda that are critical to the future of business and professional events: trade and tariffs, future workforce development and the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act.
"In just a few years, ECA Legislative Action Day has become the advocacy event for our industry," said Mark Bogdansky, vice president of trade shows and community engagement for the Auto Care Association, and vice chair of the ECA board. "With a 'who's who' of industry leaders on Capitol Hill today, we sent a clear message: The business and professional events industry is engaged, organized and ready to work constructively with policymakers to support economic growth, job creation and American competitiveness."
Advocacy 365
Beyond LAD, the ECA provides opportunities for industry leaders and advocates to make their voices heard throughout the year through the ECA Advocacy Network, its one-stop policy engagement platform.
"Today proved that everyone in our industry can take action," said Chris Griffin, president and CEO of Crew XP and treasurer of the ECA board. "Whether meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, contacting Congress from home or hosting elected officials on the show floor, the more we all get involved, the greater impact we can have."
A host of industry companies sponsored yesterday's LAD: Freeman, Clarion Events, RX, Emerald, Informa, SG Strategy, the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, CNTV, Lippman Connects, CustomReg, Encore, Hargrove from Encore, Candr Talent, Nteractive, Map Your Show, The Expo Group, CORT Events, Connections Housing, the Javits Center, MGM Resorts and Expo Convention Contractors.