EACA News
EACA at ECA Legislative Day. The annual ECA Legislative Day takes place on May 29 in Washington DC and EACA will be in attendance. ECA’s 2025 Legislative Action Day brings leaders and advocates from across the business and professional events industry like you to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC to meet with their elected officials in support of ECA’s top public policy priorities, including tax reform and helping the industry attract and train its next generation workforce. If you’ve never attended you can check out the recap video produced by CNTV from last year.
EACA at ECEF. Prior to ECA Legislative Day EACA will also be present at ECEF produced by Lippmann Connects. ECEF is the annual Exhibition & Convention Executive Forum. ECEF provides an opportunity for those who attend to develop top-to-top relationships with 255 executives sharing insights and opportunities. For 24 years, through every business cycle, ECEF has connected executives at associations and independent organizers to information they use immediately. Those who attend expect an open and spirited peer exchange. And they get it.
Exhibitor Advocate Introduces Sustainability Sourcing Compass. The Exhibitor Advocate recently announced the launch of the Sustainability Sourcing Compass, a practical framework tailored to help exhibit and event professionals meet the growing demand for sustainability.
KEY POINTS
- Equips exhibit and event professionals with foundational knowledge and ready-to-use language to make sustainability a part of the procurement process with suppliers and vendors
- Available for free download from The Exhibitor Advocate website
- Registration is now open for the free May 15 discussion forum, From RFP to Reality: Using the Sustainability Sourcing Compass
EACA Hosted AI Webinar for Members. On April 30th Jordan Walker and Hunter McKinley, cofounders of Backtrack and AI in Events covered the most practical and tactical ways to use the best AI tools of today. The 1-hour session provided actionable strategies to save time, speed up processes, and recommended AI tools—designed specifically for EACA members ready to embrace the future of technology.
If you missed this program you should definitely check it out. The program was recorded and will be posted to the EACA web site on our Webcast page as of May 5.
EACA will continue to provide education and content on AI as it promises to transform the EAC community workspace. For starters we’ll take a deeper dive into the AI space at our member meeting in Atlanta on September 21. Topics in AI to consider will include how to find the AI for you and your company.
- Do you know a conversational AI from a generative one? How about an agentic model from a large language model? If you do, you’re one of the few. However, these words – and understanding them – really do matter.
- Agentics are all about productivity, streamlining admin, sharpening storage, and making the behind-the-scenes stuff run smoother. Conversational AI takes things up a level with next-gen chatbots that use words, videos, even sketches to guide you to the right answer through natural dialogue. Then there’s generative AI, your creative sidekick, helping you craft images, copy, film and any medium you need. And powering it all is a large language model, which is an ultra-intelligent AI that gets what you’re asking for and crafts a tailored, high-quality output based on that. While it’s not magic, it’s seriously smart.
2025 Annual Member Salary Survey The EACA has completed our Annual Salary Survey and sent out results to all respondents who notified. If you completed the Salary Survey and haven’t received the results please email Jim Wurm at [email protected].
Meanwhile we also want to extend a reminder of the current programs we have established to help you generate efficiencies and cost savings in your business:
- Payroll services and Workers Comp discounts from Employco USA
- Collections services at discounted rates from Commercial Credit Corp.
- Health Insurance savings from SALA
- The industry’s highest powered Job Board from YM Careers.
- Check out the EACA Job Board at https://eaca.careerwebsite.com/
EACA Board to Host a Half Day Member Conference @ The Randy. The EACA will be hosting a half day member conference on Sunday September 21- the day before the 31st Annual Randy – Chateau Elan in Braselton, GA Please be sure to save the date. The member conference will take place from 1:30 to 4:30 that day followed by a reception. There will be more information to follow which will include our speaker roster and our schedule of roundtable discussions.
EAC Registration Schedule EACA is supporting the following events with our EAC registration services:
BIO Jun. 16-19 Boston
Summer Fancy Foods Jun. 29 – July 1 New York
IBIE Sept. 18-21 Las Vegas
EACA Member News
Sho-Link Announces Promotions. Sho-Link is thrilled to announce several key internal personnel promotions within the first quarter, reflecting the remarkable energy and enthusiasm of our team members. We are excited to see so many dedicated individuals expanding their roles and contributing to Sho-Link’s future growth and success.
Jim Genzano promoted to Director of General Services Contracting
Heather Roy hired as Operations Manager, General Services Contracting
Casey Burchak promoted to Regional Manager
Joe Terzi promoted to Regional Manager
Ken Hoskin was promoted to Las Vegas City Manager
Charles Laverty promoted to Atlanta Assistant City Manager
Duston Frank promoted to Las Vegas Show Foreman
Colleen Johnson, President of Sho-Link, expressed her excitement: “I am incredibly proud of the team members who have stepped up to new roles. Their drive and commitment are integral to our continued success, and I have no doubt they will excel in their new positions. These promotions reflect our core values and are a testament to the strength of our team. Most importantly, they will enhance our ability to provide exceptional service experiences.”
Expo Group Insurance Requirements When handling EAC registration for their show clients The Expo Group had previously been requiring all EAC’s to provide a non-standard coverage limit of $500,000 for “Damage to Rented Premises” within the General Liability Coverage limits in order to accept the COI’s. On the surface, this sounds like a non-issue, however, finding an insurance company that offers this limit is difficult and very costly.
EACA inquired about this policy and was pleased to hear back from TEG that this requirement would be dropped. TEG said that this is often an automatic coverage on most general liability policies and was just an oversight in coverage requirements. It will be removed immediately from all shows The Expo Group’s produces. Many thanks to Brenda Cook for bringing this to our attention.
LVCC Shares Info Regarding Central Hall Renovation.. The Las Vegas Convention Center Central Hall is undergoing renovation. To help all affected better understand their plans, the LVCC has shared this letter and this graphic.
Industry News
Latest Convention Center Expansion News <Northstar Meetings Group>Many cities throughout the United States are sprucing up their convention centers and adding more space to attract larger groups. The following facility projects are either recently debuted, in the middle of renovation work or awaiting approval. For more information about the convention centers and destinations best suited for hosting large events, download the Convention Cities Index.
- Los Angeles CC. The L.A. City Council has agreed to spend a further $27.7 million for additional design and technical work in order to proceed with the modernization of the Los Angeles Convention Center, with the intention of completing the project in time for the 2028 Olympic Summer Games.
- George R. Brown CC. The Houston First Corp., the Texas city’s destination management organization, has announced a master plan that aims to reconnect Houston’s East End with downtown, thereby creating a walkable convention and entertainment district. In the $1.8 billion first phase, the George R. Brown Convention Center, which is managed by Houston First, will gain a 700,000-square-foot expansion that will provide access to the Toyota Center arena with a new 100,000-square-foot plaza. Construction could begin by the end of this spring.
- Orange County CC. Work on a $560 million expansion to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando is expected to begin in 2026, with a completion date scheduled for 2029. The project will add 44,000 square feet of meeting space and a 100,000 square-foot-ballroom to the North-South Building. The venue has also received approval to design a second phase of the expansion, which would bring an additional 200,000 square feet of exhibit space. Additional details for phase two, including the timeline and total cost, are not yet available. Read more.
Economy Shrinks for First Time in 3 Years <Northstar Meetings Group>. The U.S. economy shrank at a 0.3 percent annual pace from January through March, the first drop in three years, as President Donald Trump’s trade wars disrupted business. First-quarter growth was slowed by a surge in imports as companies in the United States tried to bring in foreign goods before Trump imposed massive tariffs.
The January-March drop in gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — reversed a 2.4 percent gain in the last three months of 2024. Imports grew at a 41 percent pace, the fastest since 2020, and shaved 5 percentage points off first-quarter growth. Consumer spending also slowed sharply — 1.8 percent growth from 4 percent in October-December last year. Federal government spending plunged 5.1 percent in the first quarter.
Real ID Deadline One Week Away <Northstar Meetings Group>. After years of delays, the Real ID Act finally will take effect next Wednesday, May 7. The legislation will require all travelers to present a Real ID–compliant driver’s license or photo ID card, or another form of federally acceptable identification (such as a valid passport or a military ID) to board domestic commercial flights.