Trade Show & Event Recovery Act

The long-term effects of the current global health crisis are unknown, and the futures of many businesses are uncertain. While no one is immune to the economic effects of this pandemic, those of us in the hospitality business are especially vulnerable. Whether you are in the trade show and events, hotel or airline industries, or another segment of commerce that relies heavily on customer travel, you’ve no doubt experienced the financial tension resulting from COVID-19.  While recovery is inevitable, the pace of progress will no doubt increase if industry leaders band together in support of one another. 

 

The first step in the process is to make people — our customers, clients and employees— feel safe in public venues like airports, hotels and trade shows. One of our primal instincts, as humans, is preservation and safety — without this assurance of safety, travel and attendance to large events will remain stagnant. 

 

In an effort to assure customers that they are safe in these facilities, many leaders have taken advanced steps in to ensure the cleanliness of their properties. This includes the use of new technology including electrostatic disinfectant spray and UV-C light to eradicate any lingering traces of COVID-19 and other harmful pathogens. 

 

Currently we are working with the leadership of our longtime TSE Gold 100 honoree, ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association and its Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) division. Together, we will identify biosafety technologies and best practices that can be implemented throughout our industry. TSE will be working on recovery-specific articles and will work specifically with ISSA and GBAC on obtaining and circulating information on biosafety and infection control to all our industry’s partners. 

 

With the ability to ensure the health and safety of customers and attendees, these new practices will assist us all on the road to financial recovery. 

 

Of course, adapting these safety practices is only half the battle in the war to win back the hospitality industry. Economic recovery from COVID-19 may take years. The effects of the loss of entire sections of our once-booming industry on the global economy will be lasting and potentially catastrophic. The key to prevention of a downturn is economic stimulation and the restoration of hundreds of thousands of jobs at hotels, convention centers, airlines, restaurants and related industries across America. 

 

As such, we are requesting that Congress consider the enactment of the Trade Show and Event Recovery Act, wherein:

• Exhibitors and attendees will qualify for government assistance by means of a tax credit for costs associated with their involvement in trade shows.
• The elimination of the restrictions for travel and entertainment deductions.
• A method for recovery, by trade show organizers, for any extraordinary expenses related to the sanitation and the prevention of infectious disease within their events.
• These tax incentives will effectively remain in place for a four-year period after enactment to insure the long-term stability of this vital American economic engine. 

It is our firm belief that given the current economic situation many companies will not have cash reserves to exhibit or even attend future trade shows or industry events. In requesting a tax credit our goal is to immediately jump-start the return of trade shows and events stimulating the airline and hotel industries, along with the large number of venues, vendors that employ millions of professionals and tradespeople. 

 

In order for the Trade Show and Event Recovery Act to be successful, we must unite as industry leaders and encourage Congress to act now. The economy of the United States depends heavily on the commerce created by our industry. 

Join us today by adding your name and company affiliation to our growing list of industry leaders that have pledged their support to the creation and passage of the Trade Show & Event Recovery Act. More specifically, please email this information to TradeShowRecoveryAct@tradeshowexecutive.com so we can demonstrate the strength of our numbers to legislators. 

 

Additionally, I invite you to learn about the extensive and expert efforts of our industry partners’ Go Live Together coalition campaign. This important campaign is aimed at bringing the diverse group of businesses by amplifying all our voices together. Visit www.golivetogether.com for these helpful business resources, including letter templates you can use to send to government officials imploring their support for the Trade Show and Event Recovery Act.

 

Please do forward this message to other industry leaders and colleagues to inform and invite them to support the simple legislation laid out in the Trade Show & Event Recovery Act.  I also invite you to reach out to me personally at rsimon@unitedhq.com to discuss any questions or comments you might have. 

 

It is by banding together that we can make a difference not only for our industry but, more importantly, the millions of individuals who rely on trade shows to survive. 

 

Guest Post:  Rick Simon, Chairman - Trade Show Executive Media Group - rsimon@unitedhq.com