1. ECA's 2025 tax reform agenda released

This week, ECA released its 2025 tax reform priorities for the business and professional events industry.

The big picture: Tax reform will be the issue on Capitol Hill next year, and ECA is encouraging Congress to take up and pass federal tax legislation in 2025 that is pro-growth, pro-investment, pro-impact, and pro-workforce development.

Pro-growth: ECA supports a competitive business tax rate that enables the growth of the industry and ensures that we continue to provide direct and catalytic value to our customers, stakeholders, and host communities.
Pro-investment: ECA opposes changes to the tax treatment of private equity profits and interest deductibility that would negatively impact an important source of investment in our industry’s small businesses and future growth.
Pro-impact: ECA opposes any alteration to the tax-exempt status of nonprofit associations and their events that could disrupt the critical work of these organizations to the industries, professions, and communities they serve.
Pro-workforce development: ECA supports transforming Section 529 college savings plans into career savings plans that help workers secure in-demand, good-paying jobs like those that the industry offers.

ECA's view: “From driving growth and investment to helping us create new jobs, the tax code has an outsized impact on our industry in the United States,” said Hervé Sedky, Emerald Holding Inc. President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chair of the ECA board of directors.

“The 2025 tax reform debate is an important opportunity for policymakers to accelerate the U.S. industry’s competitiveness globally and ensure that we can continue to serve as a growth engine for small businesses and entrepreneurs.”

Go deeper: ECA Releases 2025 Tax Reform Priorities [press release]

Thank you to Lisa Plummer Savas and Trade Show News Network for her exclusive coverage of ECA's federal tax policy priorities!

2. #ECAVotes previews 2025 on Capitol Hill

Last week, industry leaders and advocates joined ECA for an #ECAVotes post-election recap webinar.

Why it matters: With Republicans set to control the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives, ECA highlighted 4 key policy areas where the industry will likely see changes in 2024.

Tax 💸
International travel 🌎
Workforce development 👷
Sustainability ♻️

For a recap, check out these great articles from Sue Hatch for MeetingsNet and Andrew Warrick for Trade Show Executive.

3. 91st UFI Global Congress wrap-up

This week, ECA took part in the 91st UFI Global Congress in Cologne, Germany.

What happened: ECA was part of the "Spotlight on Advocacy: Examining Global Changes and Chances. Exploring Regional Competition and Cooperation" panel with two global advocacy leaders: Barbara Weizsäcker and Stuart Bailey.

In our words: "Seamless international travel and commerce, talent attraction and development, and smart decarbonization of the industry are global advocacy challenges, and they require global solutions, cooperation, and collaboration."

4. ECA is coming to EDPA ACCESS

From December 3-5, ECA will be in Palm Springs, CA for the 70th anniversary of EDPA ACCESS.

What to watch: ECA will be part of two sessions at the conference on Wednesday, December 4:

How the election results are impacting our industry: 2023 Hazel Hays award winner Rob Cohen will join ECA's Tommy Goodwin to talk about what to expect on Capitol Hill in 2025.
Business owners forum: Tommy Goodwin will join 7 industry leaders for deep dive discussions with EDPA member entrepreneurs about future-proofing their businesses from various challenges, including policy and legal changes.

Learn more about the conference for experiential designers and producers here.

5. In case you missed it...

The Boston Globe published an editorial calling on Congress to pass an ECA-supported bill that would expand Pell Grants to cover short-term skills-based workforce training.
TSNN's Trade Show Talk podcast included a post-election update from ECA.
The latest Don & Mike Show podcast featured an interview about what to expect on Capitol Hill in 2025.
The next ECA Advocacy Update will be published on Friday, December 6.

The Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) is a coalition of leading professional and industry associations comprising the unified advocacy voice of the business and professional events industry.

ECA Advocacy Update is ECA's biweekly newsletter with public policy updates impacting the business events industry.

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