WASHINGTON, D.C.— Tommy Goodwin, Vice President at the Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance (ECA), advocates tirelessly for the events industry.
Trade Show Executive sat down with Tommy to learn about his start in the events industry, the ways the ECA benefits trade shows and how any professional can get involved.
ANDREW: How did you enter the events industry and what has kept you there?
TOMMY: I’m a relative newbie — I’ve only been in the industry for about three and a half years. I have been in the advocacy and association world for about 25 years.
In 2020, when the pandemic hit, the business events industry decided that they needed to get more involved on the advocacy front. Prior to joining ECA, my specialty in that world was coming in and either creating new programs or reshaping them. I met David Dubois, who was running the International Association of Exhibitions and Events® at the time, and got connected through the American Society of Association Executives to some of the folks who were putting ECA together.
This is probably the most remarkable group of people that I’ve ever had the honor of representing — just absolutely fantastic. This industry is very service and hospitality focused, and that attracts a certain kind of person. You see that so much in the people who get involved with ECA: they’re really passionate, they’re really caring and they’re looking for ways to get involved. It’s up to me to get them the opportunity to make sure their voice is heard.
ANDREW: What challenges did you encounter as a new events professional?
TOMMY: Everything was brand new … I was very, very fortunate to have some senior leaders in the industry show me the ropes and help me understand. That’s one of the reasons why I feel so strongly about the hospitality of the industry: having some of these leaders take me in and help me understand these different elements of a show — what it means to be successful, what it means to launch an event and what it means to see these business challenges that they have — and where there might be an advocacy angle to it.
ANDREW: How does the ECA support the events industry?
TOMMY: ECA is all about being the unified advocacy voice of the industry and finding where the challenges are, and where we can have conversations with policymakers about positive changes that will help solve those problems or capture those opportunities … It’s people from across the industry, whether they’re a show organizer, contractor, booth builder or anyone in this whole ecosystem. It’s all about having one message, one mission and one voice, and carrying that forward. We’re all about trying to get as many people involved in this industry as possible.
One of the things that we’re super involved in, and will be big for us next year, is getting the government involved in attracting and training the people who are going to be reading this article: our next generation workforce.
Whether it’s letting people use money in 529 plans to pay for certifications or using Pell Grants to provide skills training for all the jobs that you see on the show floor, we need folks from all walks of life to come into this industry and help contribute … there’s no greater need than our next generation workforce.
ANDREW: How can up-and-coming events professionals get involved with ECA?
TOMMY: Start at https://www.exhibitionsconferencesalliance.org/eca-advocacy-network … you can plug in your information to email your policymakers and let them know about your priorities.
We also have a social influencer program. Every month, ECA sends out content and we ask people to share it with their networks and tag their policymakers. We even have a guide to help you invite your mayor, city council member or senator to come out and be part of your show.
We also hold Legislative Action Day every year in Washington, D.C. … [and] set up meetings for folks in state groups with their members of Congress.
If you have an hour you can give us, that’s great. If you can come out to D.C., that’s great too.
We especially want the rising leaders of our industry to be involved, because we’re out here talking about the future of the industry. Who better to talk about the future of the industry than the actual future of the industry?
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ANDREW: What issues should young professionals keep their eyes on going into 2025?
TOMMY: The future workforce aspect is what we’re going to be really focused on next year. We’ve got two bills … [and] I think this is something that is going to be bipartisan. It’s not necessarily a Republican or Democrat thing.
We’ll look at other areas like tax, trade, international travel and sustainability, and some of those can benefit from the election results. Some of them might be a challenge as a result of the election results.
ANDREW: What advice would you give to young professionals?
TOMMY: Reach out to industry leaders and get involved in the major associations … it’s very low risk. The associations themselves are set up to be welcoming and to introduce people into this environment.
I was out with one of my association members last week in California at their meeting, and one of their board members is 28 years old. She got involved right after college, spent six years in the association and rose up … here she is, under 30 years old and a brand-new board member, just because she got involved.
There are many opportunities for people who are interested to rub shoulders with the people featured in Trade Show Executive and be involved in the associations that are featured in Trade Show Executive a lot sooner, and maybe a lot quicker than they might think.
Learn more about the ECA here.
