Exhibitions Mean Business Campaign Rallies Behind Go Live Together Coalition
May 21, 2020
The Exhibitions Mean Business Campaign, managed by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events®, proudly announces its support for Go LIVE Together, a coalition of 80 founding partners – representing over 4,000 companies with U.S. operations – who have joined forces to support legislative actions that will aid the industry’s recovery from COVID-19.
The Exhibitions Mean Business Campaign (EMB) represents the collective voice of the exhibitions and events industry. EMB brings to life the dynamic story of this industry by serving as a central resource for testimonials, information and data that demonstrate its value. Guided by members of the exhibitions and events ecosystem, EMB strives to more effectively educate and inform influencers of the power in face-to-face events.
By sharing success stories created by the face-to-face connections made at exhibitions and events, EMB amplifies the impact those connections have on our global, national and local economies. The campaign actively engages policymakers, business professionals, educators and young professionals to raise the overall awareness of the exhibition and events industry through a single, powerful voice.
“For nearly a decade, EMB has unified members of our industry in effectively communicating the value of exhibitions and events,” said IAEE President and CEO David DuBois, CMP, CAE, FASAE, CTA. “The goals of the Go LIVE Together Coalition align with EMB’s mission, therefore EMB is proud to lend its support by contributing $50,000 funded by EMB’s supporting donors.”
The Go LIVE Together Coalition is bound together by the belief that nothing in the world will ever replace the power and need for trade shows and live events. Events serve as a massive incubator for innovation and economic growth. Advocating for recovery funding will be essential – not only to the events industry – but to the healing and recovery efforts of the global economy, because:
- Live events contribute nearly $1 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, with events touching every major sector that makes up the U.S. GDP.
- In 2019, the events industry employed 3 million workers directly, with a total impact of close to 7 million jobs.
- The live events industry employs millions of union workers, general laborers, strategists, marketers, concession stand workers, entertainers, riggers, project managers and more.
- Over 80 percent of the companies that serve the live events industry are small, with many being women- and minority-owned businesses.