Signature Boston
June 12, 2018
Industry Professionals Advocate on Capitol Hill
Exhibitions Day, the collaborative effort between exhibitions and events industry organizations held 5-6 June 2018, drew a record breaking 125 attendees who carried the industry’s message to elected officials on Capitol Hill. The International Association of Exhibitions and Events™ (IAEE) and the Exhibitions Mean Business Campaign collaborated with 20 industry organizations in this industry-wide effort now in its fifth year.
“As recently reported by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), exhibitions and events now contribute $91 billion to the U.S. GDP,” said IAEE President and CEO David DuBois, CMP, CAE, FASAE, CTA. “It is our duty and responsibility to educate our government officials on how we can work together to continue the upward growth of this important business channel.”
Day one of the event included an orientation session to provide attendees with the latest updates on the legislative issues they would discuss with members of Congress, followed by a reception sponsored by Trade Show Executive. The following day, more than 100 meetings on the Hill were held emphasizing the main issues affecting the exhibitions and events industry. These included online booking scams, safety and security, travel facilitation, and infrastructure investment.
“One of our industry’s strengths is that we are ‘people’ people. We believe in and truly enjoy communicating the benefits of face-to-face engagement,” said IAEE Chairperson Daniel McKinnon, CEM. “The fact that we had record attendance this year shows how passionate we are about what we do, and how significant meetings are to our economy and the global business ecosystem.”
Click on the video below to view coverage of this year’s Exhibitions Day provided by Convention News Television (CNTV):
Exhibitions Day is also a supporting effort of Global Exhibitions Day, a worldwide initiative supporting the exhibitions and events industry.
About Exhibitions Mean Business
Exhibitions Day is part of the Exhibitions Mean Business (EMB) Campaign, established in 2011 to unify and give a collective voice to the exhibitions and events industry and better advocate the benefits of face-to-face meetings to business growth and economic development. Driven by members of the industry including professional associations, venue and convention center operators, exhibitions-focused service providers, convention and visitors bureaus, and other travel and tourism organizations, EMB promotes the values of the industry through strategic advocacy campaigns, media relations efforts and stakeholder engagement initiatives. Visit www.exhibitionsmeanbusiness.org for more information.
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Media Inquiries:
Mary Tucker
Sr. Communications & Content Manager
+1(972) 687-9226
mtucker@iaee.com
