Twenty-eight event industry leaders have been selected for a new advocacy leadership programme in the US driven by the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA). It is designed to help amplify the business and professional events industry’s voice.

ECA is the public policy voice of the US business and professional events industry and the new programme aims to recognise, empower, and engage the industry’s most committed advocates.

The ECA Ambassadors Circle will provide this select group with access to specialised year-round programming, advanced advocacy training and new opportunities to help amplify the industry’s voice with policymakers, peers, and the broader business and professional events community.

“The future of our industry will be shaped by decisions made in Washington, DC, and in state capitals across the country,” said Fernando Fischer, president, Americas, for RX and chair of the ECA Board of Directors. “The ECA Ambassadors Circle will give our most committed advocates the tools, access, and year-round opportunities to help ensure those decisions reflect the importance of business and professional events. It is exactly the kind of deeper industry engagement that ECA 2.0 is all about.”

The inaugural ECA Ambassadors Circle cohort includes 28 events industry leaders who will receive VIP access at select ECA events and invitations to private roundtables with policymakers.

The ECA Ambassadors Circle members are:

• Mary Bender, vice-president, sales & corporate operations, Taffy Event Strategies
• Alexis Berggren, general manager, Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
• Jay Blankenship, principal owner, Breakpoint Growth
• Marie Browne, senior vice-president, RX Global
• Andre Burns II, vice-president, material handling and logistics, Shepard Exposition Services
• Shawn Cheng, regional director, North America, International Congress and Convention Association
• Rob Cohen, co-founder, Evolving Strategies and Xperiential Marketplace
• Rich Curran, CEO and president, Expo Convention Contractors
• Robyn Davis, owner, Exhibitors WINH and author of Exhibit Smarter
• Carrie Ferenac, owner and president, CNTV
• Marc Ghafoori, senior vice-president, client experience, HERITAGE
• Kate Hawley, event director, Snowbound Expo, Raccoon Media Group
• Liz Irving, CEO, Clarion Events North America
• Matthew Little, vice-president, Nuvista Event Services
• Megan Martin, founder and principal, M Squared Dynamics
• Michelle Metter, partner and co-founder, Fast Forward
• Abby Nero, regional vice-president, Map Your Show
• Don Pietranczyk
• Lynn Reves, executive vice-president, marketing and results, Exhibitus
• Steve Riches, CEO and principal, Laguna Displays
• Damon Ross, senior group vice-president, CORT Events
• Stephanie Selesnick, president, International Trade Information
• Mark Shadwick, director, business development, GES
• Rich Stone, CEO, 3e by EXPOCAD
• Rich Vallaster III, senior director, industry relations and thought leadership, Momentive Software
• Steve Walker, executive director, City Wide Sales, MGM Resorts International
• Rachel Wimberly, senior vice-president, M&A and Business Development, Easyfairs US
• Sandy Yi-Davis, founder, Strategic Meeting International

“ECA is thrilled to welcome this first cohort of ECA Ambassadors,” said Tommy Goodwin, president and CEO of ECA. “Each of these leaders has already demonstrated a steadfast commitment to ensuring that our industry is heard by policymakers. Their participation in the ECA Ambassadors Circle will help ECA amplify the case for policies that strengthen the industry’s ability to create new jobs, reduce economic uncertainty, safeguard affordability, and ensure that the US remains the premier global destination for business and professional events going forward.”