The Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA); UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, and MAD Event Management hosted the inaugural Global Policy Forum in Washington, D.C.
This invitation-only forum, 29 May, gathered leaders from across the global business and professional events industry, public policy experts, diplomats, and other key stakeholders for a dialogue on key cross-border policy issues shaping the future of exhibitions, meetings, conventions, trade shows, conferences, and more.
“Many of the policy issues that are critical the future of our industry are global in nature, and they require global solutions,” said Tommy Goodwin, president and CEO of ECA. He said the conversations highlighted the importance of surfacing forward-looking ideas and best practices from around the world to inform policymakers who in Washington, DC, and capitals around the world will impact the direction of our industry in the months and years ahead.”
The Global Policy Forum programme focused on two key topics with significant implications for business and professional events taking place across the globe: trade and tariffs, with an emphasis on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), and sustainability.
Twenty-four international business, policy, and media experts examined current transnational and multilateral challenges and explored how better co-operation, alignment, and constructive public sector engagement across borders can enable the industry’s next phase of global growth.
“UFI was proud to support the Global Policy Forum as an important convening of event industry leaders and policy stakeholders from across the globe,” said Chris Skeith OBE, managing director and CEO of UFI. “The discussions reinforced the critical role that exhibitions, trade shows, and conferences play in driving economic growth, innovation and international collaboration. North America represents one of the largest and most influential markets for our industry worldwide, and gatherings like this help advance UFI’s global advocacy efforts by strengthening engagement with policymakers and industry leaders across the region.”
The Global Policy Forum followed ECA Legislative Action Day 2026, which brought industry leaders and advocates to Capitol Hill the prior day for meetings with Members of Congress.
