EACA News
Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays. The EACA would like to extend warm wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous Christmas and Holiday season. The gift we hope this season brings to all our members and colleagues is the joy of returning to days filled with peace, love and happiness. We have all weathered what is easily the most trying times of our lives and we encourage all to remember that we do best when we support one another. Feel free to reach out to us at EACA anytime you are in need.
The new slate of Officers for 2022 are:
- Colleen Johnson (Sho-Link) President
- Ben Power (Nth Degree) Vice President
- Durl Jensen (CDI-USA) Treasurer
- Rick Bellerjeau (Momentum Mgmt) Secretary
- David Holloway (Eagle Mgmt) Immediate Past President
EACA Board Announces Goals for 2022. The EACA Board of Directors also announced its goals for 2022 at the meeting on December 1. They are:
- Skills USA Reboot
- Identify regional reps who can reach out to Skills USA to develop relations with local representatives to inform them about career opportunities in trade shows.
- Develop an EACA Job Board on the EACA web site for career candidates referred by Skills USA
- EACA App Update
- Continue and complete the development of the EACA App
- Initial primary functionality of the app is to be a real time Help Center where members can reach out to members for informational and operational assistance.
- Conduct Quarterly Chapter Zoom Meetings
- Meetings to be chaired by EACA HQ and consist of an information exchange between the parties.
EACA Advisory Board Meets. The EACA Advisory Board met recently by Zoom to discuss a recap of 2021 and an industry outlook for 2022. The EACA Advisory Board is comprised of and represents all other industry stakeholders. The takeaway points from this Q4 meeting were:
- Venues see mandates in play for the foreseeable future
- Supply line issues and labor shortages show their first signs of easing
- Those exhibitors that participated in smaller footprints in 2021 are looking to be more aggressive in 2022.
- Some exhibitors have changed participation plans as result of Omicron variant
- 2022 will be a busy year for union CBA negotiations. There are 40 CBA agreements up for renewal next year.
- The simplification for material handling forms continues yet many see overall costs increasing dramatically.
EACA Member News
Momentum Hires Don Lipke <Exhibit City News> Momentum Management is excited to announce the addition of Don Lipke as their newest midwest senior account executive. Don joins Momentum with more than 27 years working in the tradeshow industry in various roles. In addition to his sales experiences, Don has been an exhibit consultant, designer and project manager. Don has worked for Laarhoven Design, e4 Design in conjunction with beMatrix and recently for Freeman who purchased e4 Design.
Laura Marzella Fee Celebrates 31 Years at Eagle <Exhibit City News> Congratulations to Laura Marzella Fee, who is celebrating 31 years at Eagle Management Group, Inc. (EMG), a tradeshow labor management and event planning organization. Laura joined the organization in 1990 and has been vice president of sales and marketing since 2012.
Industry News
US Infrastructure Bill Invests in Amtrak, Creates Tourism Officer <Travel Weekly> The recently enacted Infrastructure Bill signed into law by President Biden is set not only to overhaul U.S. infrastructure elements from roads and bridges to airports and rail, but creates the position of chief travel and tourism officer. The bill also includes major investments in electric vehicle infrastructure and charging stations among other environment-focused moves.
The $1.2 trillion bill is the largest investment in public works since President Dwight D. Eisenhower introduced the Interstate Highway System; it represents $550 billion in new spending. U.S. Travel Association CEO Roger Dow said in a statement upon the passage of the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, “This bill will have a profound impact on how people travel for decades to come.
OSHA Vaccine Requirements Face Challenges <Business Travel News> The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay on President Biden’s Emergency Temporary Standard issued last month by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The ETS would require employees with 100 or more employees to implement policies requiring employees to be vaccinated or provide weekly proof of a negative Covid-19 test.
Pennsylvania CC Achieves GBAC STAR Reaccreditation <Exhibit City News> The Pennsylvania Convention Center announced that it received its Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR reaccreditation, following a comprehensive evaluation process of its cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention protocols over the past year.
The annual GBAC STAR reaccreditation process focused on the Center’s program development, through a cycle of continuous evaluation and improvement, to ensure the facility remains effective at maintaining and delivering a program that supports a clean, safe and healthy environment for workers and guests.