ECA & IFES announce new partnership | The Planner

The Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) and International Federation of Exhibition and Event Services (IFES) have announced a new partnership focused on global collaboration and knowledge sharing.

ECA is a coalition of leading professional, industry, and labor organisations dedicated to the advancement of the face-to-face business events industry. You can find out more about ECA here: www.exhibitionsconferencesalliance.org

IFES is a global association dedicated to representing the interests of companies and organisations providing products and services to the exhibition and event industry. For more information, please visit: www.ifesnet.org

Building the industry with cross-border collaborations

ECA and IFES both believe the global events industry will increasingly rely on cross-border collaborations between like-minded organisations and stakeholder groups working to address common challenges. Both organisations look forward to working together on educational opportunities, enhancing industry policies, and advocating for the industry, among other things.

โ€œThis partnership with the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA), is going to make a real difference. ECA understands how trade shows affect not just the business events industry, but also communities and the global economy. They recognize the importance of what we do,โ€ says IFES President, Philippe Beille.

โ€œTogether, we will raise awareness of the exhibition and events industry through a single, powerful voice! At IFES, we believe in the strength of working together, and recognise that partnerships like this one can help more people understand how valuable our industry is. We’re looking forward to what this partnership will bring and how it will help us make a bigger impact.โ€

“Knowing how fruitful the cooperation with EEIA (European Exhibition Industry Alliance) is, where all European exhibitions bodies are aligned, we are looking forward to working together on advocacy as well as on practical issues in our day-to-day business with ECA in the American market.”

IFES Executive Director, Uta Goretzky, agrees, โ€œKnowing how fruitful the cooperation with EEIA (European Exhibition Industry Alliance) is, where all European exhibitions bodies are aligned, we are looking forward to working together on advocacy as well as on practical issues in our day-to-day business with ECA in the American market. Working together will strengthen our voice and help to share knowledge.โ€

โ€œFrom advancing sustainability and attracting our next-generation workforce to harnessing new technology and making international commerce more seamless, the challenges facing the business events industry are global in nature and will require global solutions,โ€ said Tommy Goodwin, ECA Vice President. โ€œThatโ€™s why ECA looks forward to working with IFES and its international members to share best practices and identify solutions that we can bring to policymakers in support of the industryโ€™s advancement, both in the U.S. and around the world.โ€

Pictured in cover image: Tommy Goodwin, vice president for the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance, and Uta Goretzky, IFES executive director.

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