CHICAGO — One way people are coming to terms with all the changes we are confronted with is with storytelling. It is a way to share common experiences and express their emotions. That’s why Trade Show Executive and Go LIVE Together are reaching out to the industry for stories from the front lines. Submit a 100-word quote about how your business — and life — have been impacted six months into this pandemic. Share your reflections on what you have experienced and learned, the spirit of resilience we are witnessing all around us, the future of meetings and trade shows — whatever story you want to tell.
(See below for more details.)
“Now is the time to stand together for the trade show industry. We have a long road ahead, but judging from what’s happening in other parts of the world, I am hopeful we will bounce back and it will be a terrific bounce back for our community and innovators trade shows help nurture and help bring to market,” said TSE Editor-in-Chief, Gabrielle Weiss.
As part of this effort, Trade Show Executive has created a fundraising opportunity to support Go LIVE Together’s efforts. The magazine will donate 60 percent of proceeds from advertising sales — for all sizes of print ads, as well as all digital ads — to GLT.
“Through these turbulent times for our industry, a bright spot has been seeing the community come together around the coalition. The support that Go LIVE Together has received from our individual members, funding organizations, and media partners like Trade Show Executive has been remarkable, and it exemplifies the unbreakable spirit of our industry and the desire for our sector to be heard,” said Bob Priest-Heck, Chief Executive Officer, at Freeman.
You don’t have buy an ad to support GLT. Anyone can donate direectly to the Go LIVE Together Go Fund Me. This will supplement the donations of GLT’s industry association partners — SISO, IAEE, CEIR, ESCA, EDPA, ASAE, MPI, PCMA and EACA — to engage lobbyists to help advocate on the industry’s behalf with local, state and federal officials.
“The community has rallied around Go LIVE Together and we’ve seen great momentum in our fundraising efforts. The funds are being invested in a lobbying firm to give us a voice on the Hill and ensure the needs of our industry are prioritized with legislators. As Go LIVE Together is a new coalition, we knew an effort of this scale called for an advocacy partner ‘inside the beltway’ to get us further faster,” said Sue Sung, SVP, Corporate Strategy at Freeman. “To date, they have coordinated meetings with more than two dozen members of Congress and helped draft language for our bill, which proposes a temporary tax credit to defray the costs of participating in trade shows to jumpstart our industry when the time is right for a return to live events.”
Send your stories to Trade Show Executive today and become part of this important campaign and movement to advocate for the trade show and events industry. Email fferrante@tradeshowexecutive.com with a 100-word quote accompanied by your high-resolution headshot and/or company logo.
Reach Bob Priest-Heck at (214) 445-1000 or bph@freemanco.com; Sue Sung at Sue.Sung@freemanco.com ; Gabrielle Weiss at (312) 493-7753 or gweiss@tradeshowexecutive.com.
