CHICAGO — On Oct. 21, 2025, the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association’s Rising Leaders Committee held its latest Leadership Lab: “A Tale of Two Politics: An Advocacy Update from ECA.”
In the webinar, Tommy Goodwin, Executive Vice President of the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) described a “Tale of Two Politics,” outlining positive and challenging news from Capitol Hill.
“This has been such a very busy and very chaotic year in Washington, D.C., and it has affected the industry in innumerable ways, some of them very good and some of them much more challenging,” Goodwin explained.
Here are some of Goodwin’s updates from the webinar, sorted by ECA’s “Tariffs, Taxes, Travel and Talent” priorities.
Taxes and Talent
Let’s start with the good news: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act advanced ECA’s tax-reform and workforce-development agendas.
It maintained a competitive business tax rate that enables the growth of the industry, preserved tax treatment of private capital investments and safeguarded the tax-exempt status of nonprofit associations and their events.
Also, it allowed students to now use Pell Grants to afford high-quality, shorter-term job training programs and turned 529 plans from college savings plans to career savings plans by making licenses and professional certifications eligible expenses.
“This legislation was an absolute home run for the industry,” Goodwin explained.
Related. ESCA’s Rising Leaders Committee Hosts Inaugural Leadership Lab with a Focus on Sustainability
Tariffs
“This is something that has been top of mind for everyone for the last six to eight months,” Goodwin said. “All of this authority sits with the President, and that’s why we’ve seen such uncertainty and such increasing tariff rates.”
A key source of concern are Trump’s “Emergency Tariffs,” which were announced on April 2, 2025, as Trump declared a national emergency over the U.S. trade deficit and invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
These and subsequent tariffs have helped drive U.S. tariff rates to the highest levels they have been at since the 1930s.
On Nov. 5, the Supreme Court will hear a case called Learning Resources v. Trump, which will decide if the “Emergency Tariffs” are unconstitutional. According to Goodwin, a verdict is expected in early January.
Unfortunately, he believes that this won’t be the end of tariffs, however; they are very important to President Trump, and he has other ways to increase them.
However, the “Emergency Tariffs” being struck down would give the events industry time to plan and pivot.
Goodwin concluded by encouraging attendees to visit the ECA Tariff Resource Center.
Related. Tariffs, Taxes, Travel and Talent: A Conversation with Tommy Goodwin, VP of ECA
Travel
According to Goodwin, a “drip, drip, drip” of news is creating a growing misconception that the U.S. is closed for business.
Goodwin explained that visas have been a concern for the events industry since the COVID-19 pandemic and are expected to get even more expensive; Congress passed a Visa Integrity Fee, though it hasn’t gone into effect yet.
There is also a visa bond pilot program for certain countries where visitors are required to put down money and collect it when leaving the U.S. before their visa expires.
Additionally, the U.S. is fully restricting travel from certain nations and partially limiting it from others, while threatening to ban travelers from further nations.
International travel and spending are down. Short term, though, business travel is holding up much better than leisure travel.
Looking Ahead and Getting Involved
Goodwin asserted that uncertainty will be the new normal.
“We really do live in a politics-first world,” Goodwin said. “I don’t think developments are going to slow down anytime soon.”
To stay informed, you can subscribe to ECA’s newsletter.
To get involved, visit the ECA Advocacy Network and/or sign up for ECA’s Legislative Action Day.
“There’s no wrong door. However you choose to get involved [and] however you choose to bring your voice to the conversation, it’s going to make an impact,” Goodwin said.
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