Presidential Elections and Meetings — 4 Policy Issues to Watch

September 24, 2024

Here are 4 hot-button policy issues meeting and event professionals need to consider as they go to the ballot box.

The outcomes of the upcoming U.S. federal and state elections likely will have lasting repercussions for America — including the meetings and events industry. Last week, just in time for National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 17, the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) launched a non-partisan initiative called ECA Votes to educate planners on four key policy issues that could be in play. Designed to be a one-stop resource, ECA Votes also includes a way to register to vote in your state from the website, thanks to a partnership with Vote.org, as well as links to a three-part election preview webinar series that will go beyond the headlines to talk about how the election results will impact the industry going forward.

“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.”

There are four key policy issues where ECA thinks could be affected by what happens at the ballot box in November:

Tax reform. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is set to expire in 2025, which means there likely will be a tax reform battle looming — “Everything in the tax code is on the table,” ECA says on its website. This includes the potential for changing how private equity profits are taxed, possibly raising corporate tax rates — and even taxing association events.
International travel. Among the lingering after-effects of the pandemic are ongoing visa delays that make it difficult to fully welcome all international exhibitors and attendees to U.S.-based shows, according to the ECA. While some progress has been made — ECA helped to secure $50 million in March to help reduce visa backlogs — there still is a long way to go. According to ECA, neither the Republican or Democratic parties have done enough to loosen a procedure that still can leave potential exhibitors and attendees from Mexico, India and other countries waiting more than a year to get a first-time visa interview.
Future workforce. While both major parties agree that the government needs to step up its efforts to build the next generation of skilled workers, there’s still work to be done to close the skills gap and provide training and credentials the next generation needs to succeed in thriving in good-paying jobs in meetings and hospitality.
Sustainability. The two presidential candidates have “very different sustainability agendas,” says the ECA, with Democrats seeking to increase federal regulation and Republicans seeking to decrease federal regulation, leaving it more up to the states to put their own regulations in place.

The webinars, which will take place Oct. 15 and Oct. 29, with a post-election follow-up on Nov. 12, will take a deeper dive into each of these policy areas and how they could impact the industry’s policy priorities in 2025 and beyond.