ECA Advocacy Update: September 17, 2024
1. ECA introduces ECA Votes initiative |
ECA is celebrating National Voter Registration Day today with the launch of ECA Votes, our new one-stop voter registration and education online resource.
Why it matters: ECA wants to empower everyone in the industry to make their voices heard on election day. That's why we are introducing these free resources to ensure that the industry is ready for the U.S. election on November 5:
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- Voter registration: Powered by Vote.org, ECA Votes allows anyone across the country to register to vote in just a few minutes.
- Policy information: ECA Votes has nonpartisan information on key policy priorities including international travel, our future workforce, and sustainability.
- Election webinar series: This fall, ECA will host a three-part webinar series that will go beyond the headlines to talk about how the election results will impact the industry going forward. Sign up for free today!
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Our view: “What happens at the ballot box this November will help shape the direction of the business events industry in 2025 and beyond,” said Tommy Goodwin, ECA’s Vice President. “That’s why we need everyone in the industry to get involved, and ECA Votes will help them do just that.”
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2. Visa wait times update |
Wait times for visitor visas at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world continue to decrease.
What's new? Here are the latest wait times for visas in the top inbound markets where a visa is required to enter the U.S.
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While wait times are great in Brazil and China, India and Mexico remain very challenging markets for international attendee and exhibitor acquisition.
Advocacy matters: Since ECA helped secure $50 million for the State Department in March for visa backlogs, wait times in Mexico are down 56%!
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- Looking ahead, India will likely overtake Mexico as the most challenging market for visa wait times this fall.
- ECA continues to support three bills on Capitol Hill that would increase flexibility, transparency, and accountability at the State Department and help ensure delays like these never happen again.
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3. ECA partners with Exhibit City News |
ECA is thrilled to announce a new content partnership with Exhibit City News!
The big picture: Celebrating its 30th year in 2024, Exhibit City News is one of the premier news sources serving the trade show, convention, and meetings industry.
Don Svehla, Chris Kappes, Marlena Sullivan, and the Exhibit City News team will amplify news of ECA's advocacy work across their media platforms including:
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- Quarterly magazine columns on the key issues impacting the industry. 📰
- Online articles with important public policy and advocacy updates. 💻
- Short-form videos featuring the latest news from ECA and Capitol Hill. 🎥
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Check out ECA's first online article, which features CNTV-produced videos of 4 great industry leaders sharing why they took part in ECA Legislative Action Day earlier this year: Chris Griffin, Megan Martin, Rich Stone, and Mac Campbell.
Thank you to Exhibit City News for their ongoing support for ECA and the industry's advocacy work in Washington, DC and beyond!
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4. In case you missed it... |
- The Hill published an op-ed on the importance of passing legislation that expands the Pell Grant program to include skilled-workforce training in 2024.
- ICCA's Senthil Gopinath highlighted ICCA's work with ECA in his recent column for Conference & Meetings World
- ECA's latest TSNN blog post focused on the new ECA Advocacy Network.
- ECA's Tommy Goodwin was interviewed by CNTV's Bob Frier about ECA's 2024 accomplishments and what's on the horizon for 2025.
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The Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) is a coalition of leading professional, industry, and labor associations that comprise the unified advocacy voice of the business events industry.
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ECA Advocacy Update is ECA's biweekly newsletter with public policy updates impacting the business events industry.
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