Live Events Coalition Aligns With Meetings Mean Business For Lobbying

– Aid For COVID-19

The Live Events Coalition, the advocacy group formed out of a Change.org petition that at press time had amassed more than 450,000 signatures, announced May 26 it is aligning with Meetings Mean Business, a subsidiary of U.S. Travel Association.

The joint effort will see the Live Events Coalition – which is comprised of more than 60 U.S. production and event companies – and Meetings Mean Business – with more than 60 member organizations, including hotel chains, event organizations and convention and visitors bureaus – join lobbying forces to advocate for federal relief for the event industry as the COVID-19 pandemic has brought live events to complete standstill. Together, the orgs will convey to the government and public the devastating effect the shutdown has had on the event industry, the need for further relief for contractors and event-based companies, and to further develop a unified industry voice to continue to advocate for the industry in the future.

“One unified voice from the industry is more important now more than ever,” Trina Camacho-London, Vice President of Global Group Sales, Hyatt Hotels Corporation and MMB Co-Chair said in a statement. “We are thrilled to have the Live Events Coalition on board to help elevate MMB’s important work on behalf of the meetings and events industry.”

“The work MMB has done over the years to elevate the meetings and events industry has proven successful in showcasing the economic powerhouse it is today,” said Isaac Rothwell, a partner of Digerati Productions and founder of Live Events Coalition. “We are grateful for their support on behalfof small businesses and employees of the industry during this critical time. We look forward to combining efforts.”

Pollstar spoke with Isaac Rothwell, the initial author of the Change.org petition that led to the formation of the Coalition, in a video interview last month.

In March Pollstar published testimonials from production professionals affected by the shutdown, most of which were obtained through the Live Events Coalition.