Six Leading Industry Organizations Unite to Form Exhibitions Industry Collective

Priorities Centered Around Workforce Development, Sustainability, and Health and Safety

The Experiential Designers & Producers Association (EDPA) announces its participation with the International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE) on the creation of the Exhibitions Industry Collective to drive awareness on essential issues within the exhibitions ecosystem.

The Exhibitions Industry Collective is comprised of six key industry organizations, including the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA), the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA), the Experiential Designers & Producers Association (EDPA), the International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE), International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), and the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO).  

Each organization has previously worked together on industry advocacy with ECA and are now expanding this effort to address workforce development, sustainability, and health and safety as a unified effort.  By leveraging the strengths in their respective fields, the Collective will better serve the larger exhibitions and events community by bringing more awareness to key stakeholders and a defined path of success for each member base.

“EDPA has been a leader in advancing the trade show and event industry with a number of initiatives focused on workforce development and sustainability.  We are excited to further partner with our sister associations to continue to build upon these efforts,” noted Dasher Lowe, EDPA Executive Director. 

To kick off 2024, IAEE will host a virtual Exhibitions Industry Awareness Week from February 20-23 and will feature each of the six organizations in the Collective.

The purpose of Exhibitions Industry Awareness Week is to promote the exhibitions industry as a career path opportunity to students, faculty, those looking for a career change, and all members in each industry sector. Attendees will learn about sector-specific information, including jobs available to those considering a career, salary information, skill requirements, and training needed.

Stay tuned in the next few weeks for a new website for the Exhibitions Industry Collective that will feature a defined roadmap for the Collective’s initiatives and house top-level information on each organization in the Collective. The site will serve as a launch point for more exhibitions industry sector details depending on the user’s interest.

Registration for Exhibitions Industry Awareness Week will open at the end of January.