Industry Advocacy

Fundamental to IAVM's mission is advocacy for our venues and members in support of the overall health and vitality of the venue industry. Here you will find additional resources regarding IAVM’s ongoing advocacy efforts.

Recent Topics and Initiatives

Advocacy Update: 7/26/2021

The Hospitality, Commerce and Job Recovery Act
We need your help to secure more support in Congress to pass and enact S.477/HR 1346, The Hospitality, Commerce and Job Recovery Act. This legislation would provide new tax incentives to help accelerate the booking and re-booking of conferences, trade shows and other live events as the nation reopens.

The bills, sponsored by Senators Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Cramer (R-ND) in the Senate and Reps. Horsford (D-NV) and Lahood (R-IL) in the House would:

  • Create a general business tax credit (or refundable tax credit in the case of nonprofits) for the cost of attending or hosting a convention, business meeting or trade show in the US between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2024.
  • Restore the Entertainment Business Expense Deduction by repealing changes made in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
  • Create Individual tax credits for qualified travel expenses occurring between 1/1/2021 and 12/31/2023.

The bills have 90+ cosponsors in the House and five in the Senate in addition to the two lead authors, but we need more to increase the pressure on Congress to include this legislation in any infrastructure and job creation package they consider over the coming months.

We expect major movement on a massive infrastructure/jobs package this fall - and it will likely include tax provisions. Outreach to Congress between now and during August would be ideal.

HERE is a draft letter that you can use to reach out to your members and senators. If you have questions, please reach out to our DC advocates, Elizabeth Frazee andChani Wiggins from TwinLogic Strategies. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) & Shuttered Venue Operators Grant
The SBA has posted answers to frequently asked questions about the PPP & Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG). These will be updated as new information comes available and additional program details are finalized.

Access the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) website HERE.

Access the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) website HERE 

FAQ’s HERE UPDATED 04.08.21  

Eligibility Requirements HERE UPDATED 03.05.21  

Checklist HERE UPDATED 03.11.21 

Legislation Language Breakdowns

For more information about correspondence with congressional offices, please go to VenueNet and look for posts from Tammy Koolbeck, CVE.

CARES Act

Overtime Rule Change

Transgender "Bathroom Bills"

Committees at IAVM

IAVM maintains an active Industry Affairs Committee. If you would like to volunteer for this group, please refer to our Volunteer Opportunities web page.

Thank you to our global partners.