For the special Exhibitions Day edition of our #HeresWhy sessions, we interviewed Julie Smith, Senior Vice President of Exhibition Sales at GES:

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On June 5-6, the exhibitions and events industry embarked on its fifth annual Exhibitions Day in Washington, DC. A record-breaking 125 attendees traveled to Capitol Hill to underscore the business and economic value of exhibitions and events with our nation’s leaders.

Exhibitions Day was established to serve as a platform to meet face-to-face with members of Congress and discuss the issues impacting the exhibitions and events industry. For Exhibitions Day 2018, attendees met with U.S. representatives to emphasize the need to create economic prosperity by enabling business deals. To support that need, Exhibitions Day attendees focused on two supporting messages:

1. Safety and Security: measures that ensure the safety and security of exhibitions and event attendees

2. Travel Facilitation: measures that promote business travel, generating U.S. economic growth and job creation

Aligning with these messages, Exhibitions Day attendees communicated their support for the Stop Online Booking Scams Act, the promotion of EMSSI and the work with the Department of Homeland Security, the advancement of the Visit U.S. Coalition and its mission and the desire for further investment into America’s infrastructure.

You can read more about the 2018 issues on the Exhibitions Day 2018 webpage.

It is imperative that we continue promoting that “Exhibitions Mean Business” – in communities, large and small across the country. Advocacy efforts such as Exhibitions Day in addition to grassroots advocacy at the state and local levels help us champion the importance of exhibitions and events directly to our nation’s lawmakers.

The Exhibitions Means Business coalition will continue to publish content on its website and across social channels in the coming weeks to demonstrate the impact Exhibitions Day and other advocacy efforts have on the exhibitions and events industry. If you would like to join your colleagues as we continue advocating for your industry throughout 2018, please reach out to Nicole Bowman (nbowman@iaee.com) for more information.