USA - The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) this week released a major study which indicates visitor visa issues to the US are impeding participation in conventions and trade shows and acting as a barrier to foreign trade.
CEIR commissioned Oxford Economics to conduct the study: The Economic Impact of International Non-Participation in the Exhibition Industry Due to US Visa Issues.
The report identified additional export losses experienced in the form of lost international visitor spending in the hospitality and meetings industries.
Other key findings of the research include:
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Visa issues precluded 116,000 international participants from attending US exhibitions. This includes 78,400 international attendees and 37,900 international exhibitors who were hindered from participating.
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With no visa barriers in place, the US economy would realise increases in business sales tallying US$2.4bn (US$2.6bn including sales to foreign exhibitors). These gains include US$1.5bn in business-to-business trade, US$540m in registration fees and exhibition space spending, and a US$295m boost to visitor spending.
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The new US$2.4bn in sales would be able to sustain over 17,500 jobs directly, 43,000 jobs overall, and generate three-quarters of a billion dollars in state and federal taxes.
The report authors say current US visa policy discourages and/or makes it impossible for many foreign nationals to obtain a visa to enter the country to conduct business at major events. In many instances, the face-to-face interview currently required at consulate offices may last just two minutes, with no questions asked or paperwork reviewed that would validate the need for a visa.
President of the International Association of Exhibition and Events (IAEE), Steven Hacker says: "While we are mindful of the need for careful screening of international visitors entering the US, keeping our borders secure should not be at the expense of keeping our economy open for business. The US will lose sales to other countries if we continue on this path. We intend to present these findings to several key federal agencies including the State, Homeland Security and Commerce departments and to work with officials to find an optimal solution."
Hacker says a more liberal visa regime would increase sales most in the manufacturing and business services industries, with both sectors benefiting from the direct increase in sales from international attendees and from being part of the supply chain to other industries that directly gain sales.
"The current US visa policy has become the number one obstacle for US machine tool companies doing business in China," notes Peter Eelman, VP for Exhibitions and Communications at the Association for Manufacturing Technology.
