Editorial Note: Originally published in the May 2026 issue of Trade Show Executive magazine.
I’ve been a part of this industry long enough to know that when we show up together, things happen. When the trade show community speaks with a unified voice, policymakers listen. That’s why Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance (ECA) Legislative Action Day on May 28 in Washington, D.C. matters – and why I believe every one of us has a stake in what happens that day.
Trade policy is shifting beneath our feet. International travel – the lifeblood of a truly global industry – is being constrained by visa backlogs and bureaucratic friction. At the same time, evolving tax structures at the federal, state and local levels are creating competitive disadvantages that our small business partners feel acutely. And workforce challenges aren’t going away on their own.
These issues are not abstract. Every exhibitor delayed by a visa backlog, every small supplier squeezed by an unpredictable tariff, and every event organizer navigating uncertainty represents a real business and a real impact on our communities. The decisions being made on Capitol Hill today directly impact the environment in which our industry operates.
That’s what makes ECA’s Legislative Action Day so important. It provides the business events community the opportunity to walk the halls of Congress together and explain who we are and what we contribute. We’re talking about an industry that drives economic growth in virtually every congressional district in the United States, supports millions of jobs, and that serves as a critical engine for entrepreneurs and small businesses of every kind. That story needs to be told, in person, by the people who live it.
ECA’s 2026 policy agenda reflects the real pressures facing our industry. Addressing trade and tariff uncertainty is critical because affordability and predictability are operational necessities. Streamlining international travel and modernizing visa processing is long overdue if the United States is to remain the premier global destination for trade shows. And the agenda’s attention to workforce development and sustainability also reflects the long-term thinking our industry needs to lead with.
What I appreciate most about this agenda is its practicality. It focuses on creating the conditions for our businesses to grow, compete and serve our customers. These priorities resonate across party lines, which is exactly what you need when sitting across the table from a member of Congress or their staff.
So, here’s my ask: if you can be in Washington on May 28, be there.
Bring your story. Bring your perspective as an organizer, a supplier, a venue operator, or a service provider. Congressional offices respond to constituents who come with real-world examples, and no one understands this industry better than the people who build it every day. The conversations you have that day won’t just influence policy – they will help shape the future operating environment for businesses across our entire ecosystem.
And if you can’t be there in person, there are still ways to engage. Follow along, share the message, support the effort. Advocacy doesn’t start and end on a single day in May, but initiatives like this help build the momentum that moves policy forward.
We have built something remarkable in this industry. Every year, trade shows connect buyers with sellers, spark innovation, launch careers and create opportunities that simply don’t exist anywhere else. That impact is worth protecting – and ECA’s Legislative Action Day is one of the most powerful ways we can do it.
I’ll see you in Washington!
Brian Pagel
2026 IAEE Chairperson
Executive Vice President
Emerald
