The U.S. business events industry employs 2.6 million Americans and drives $399 billion in direct spending annually. This was the message that was brought to Capitol Hill on ECA Legislative Action Day.
A new ruling by the Federal Trade Commission targets scammers seeking to rip off the business events industry, paving the way for direct monetary compensation from bad actors.
The events industry workforce suffered a serious blow during the pandemic, and is still recovering. Can the passage of new legislation aid in repopulating the industry?
In December, a new paid leave law spearheaded by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was amended with convention goers in mind. The Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) was one of the organizations involved in making this happen, and its local focus will continue this year.
A looming state tax on exhibitors would have been an enormous blow to Kentucky’s lucrative convention business. Impacted organizations successfully joined together to fight this, and legislators have rescinded the second layer of tax.