WASHINGTON, DC—Today the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) announces the creation of the Exhibitions Industry Collective to drive awareness on key issues within the exhibitions ecosystem.

The Exhibitions Industry Collective is comprised of six key industry organizations including ECA, Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA), Experiential Designers & Producers Association (EDPA), International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE), International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), and the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO).

Each organization has previously worked together on advocacy with ECA and are now expanding this effort to address workforce development, sustainability, and health and safety as a unified effort.  By leveraging the strengths in their respective fields, the Collective will better serve the larger exhibitions and events community by bringing more awareness to key stakeholders and a defined path of success for each member base.

“Partnership and collaboration are part of the DNA of ECA,” said Tommy Goodwin, FASAE, CAE, PMP, CMP, ECA Vice President. “I look forward to working with our partners in the Exhibitions Industry Collective to support and amplify their work on the issues that are critical to the future of the business events industry, especially attracting and training our next generation workforce.”

To kick off 2024, IAEE will host a virtual Exhibitions Industry Awareness Week from 20-23 February and will feature each of the six organizations in the Collective.

The purpose of Exhibitions Industry Awareness Week is to promote the exhibitions industry as a career path opportunity to students, faculty, those looking for a career change and all members in each industry sector. Attendees will learn about sector specific information including jobs available to those considering a career along with salary information, skill requirements and training needed.

Stay tuned in the next few weeks for a new website for the Exhibitions Industry Collective that will feature a defined roadmap for the Collective’s initiatives and house top level information on each organization in the Collective. The site will serve as a launch point for more exhibitions industry sector details depending on the interest of the user.

Registration for Exhibitions Industry Awareness Week will open at the end of January.

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About the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance

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. To learn more about ECA and its work to advance the interests of the industry, please visit https://www.exhibitionsconferencesalliance.org/.

For media inquiries or further information, please contact Tommy Goodwin: +1 (703) 672-0780 | tommy.goodwin@exhibitionsconferencesalliance.org.