Events Industry Rallies to Have Its Own NAICS Code


events industry

Skift Take

An events industry lobbying campaign hopes to add ‘Events Services’ to the NAICS small business classification system. Here's why it should matter to you.

According to the Exhibition and Events Workforce Development Federation (EE-WDF), the events industry generates more than $1 trillion annually and supports 5.9 million jobs in hospitality, tourism, technology, and other related fields.

Yet, the events industry is not named in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) – and a group of event planners is trying to change that. 

NAICS codes are updated every five years, and the deadline is fast approaching. If the opportunity to revise them is lost, the next revision will only happen in 2030.

Why This Matters

NAICS was developed as the standard for federal statistical agencies to classify business establishments. It is used to collect, analyze and publish statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.

Right now, there is no umbrella category, or ‘Super Sector,’ that identifies the Events industry, only a ‘Leisure and Hospitality’ Super Sector,” said Laura Palker, president and co-founder of EE-WDF, who is leading the charge to update the code. “Our proposal is to update it to say, ‘Leisure, Hospitality and Events.’ This will allow us to take our scattered NAICS codes and organize them under one Super Sector.”

The lack of classification is an issue when planners must identify their business type for government contracts, industry reports, or when providing information to clients requiring a standardized code. It also resulted in a lack of government support during the Covid pandemic.

“We’re invisible when it comes to government tracking and support,” said Liz Lathan, co-founder and chief community officer at Club Ichi, in a LinkedIn post. 

“We’re still lumped into vague categories that don’t reflect the scope or impact of what we do,” said one event planner. “Without clear representation in the NAICS framework, we’re missing out on resources, policy influence and the chance to optimize workforce development strategies that could take us to the next level.”

Show Your Support

Event planners are supporting the EE-WDF’s advocacy effort by posting on social media under the hashtag #ModernizeNAICSforEvents and sending letters to Palker.

“We have collected economic data to submit the proposal,” Palker said. “We need more letters of support that demonstrate our industry’s commitment to this effort by January 15.”

As of press time, Palker said she had received more than 200 letters; her goal is 2,000 “to show support of our work.”

EE-WDF is providing a sample letter that people can copy and personalize. Letters must be emailed in PDF form to laura.palker@ee-wdf.org or sent to her via a LinkedIn direct message.

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