Will Obama Open Doors To the U.S.?

Presidents – and their administrations – set the tone for the United States.

With the switch this week of President George W. Bush’s administration leaving office, and Washington, D.C., welcoming President-elect Barack Obama’s Cabinet to the capital, there could be some changes afoot that will impact the tradeshow industry – especially in terms of international travel.

Obama long has said his goal is to make the U.S. a better global citizen and make it easier for people from other countries to visit the U.S., which has had more stringent policies for entering the country under the Bush administration since the events of Sept. 11.

“Travel provides the incoming Obama administration with the unique ability to address both of the major challenges it inherits: a deteriorating economy and a strained American image in the world,” said Geoffrey Freeman, senior vice president of public affairs of the U.S. Travel Assn., previously known as the Travel Industry Assn. “We are optimistic that the new administration will embrace travel and strive to strike the right balance between security and commerce.”

But how will more international travel impact the tradeshow industry, where most show managers are longing to attract more attendees from around the world?

Charles Olentine, executive vice president of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Assn., said he’s looking forward to the changes that could come with a new administration and how it will impact the show he manages, the Intl. Poultry Exposition.

Current State Department and customs officials behave in a manner that indicates, he added, “they don’t really care if people come to the United States or not.”

International attendees are important to the exposition. At last year’s show, Jan. 23-25 at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center, Olentine said 3,986 of the 29,029 attendees and exhibitors were from foreign countries. The show also is part of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce’s Intl. Buyer Program, which helps promote the show through embassies and consulates overseas.

One of the major difficulties the show faces in attracting international attendees is visa restrictions.
Olentine said the poultry industry is very internationalized, with essentially the same equipment and practices in place in all developed countries.

“Developing countries have the most to gain, and they have the most problems coming here,” he added. “We just make it difficult for a lot of countries to get here. ... We need to maybe not relax the rules, but maybe not be so hard-nosed about them.”

And that’s the attitude Olentine said he thinks will change with a new president and Cabinet in place.
“I think the new administration will take a broader view of world politics than the current administration,” he added. 

Plus, Olentine said he’s hoping for a better relationship with Cuba, which could increase participation in the show from there.

“I do believe that’s going to change with the new administration,” he added.

Steven Hacker, president of the Intl. Assn. of Exhibitions and Events, agreed.

“I think it’s pretty evident that the president-elect has expressed on several occasions and in different ways that he will rebuild relationships with other countries around the world,” Hacker said.

The main concern with a new administration, he added, is that it doesn’t harm the opportunity that the tradeshow industry provides to make business connections.

Hacker said in that respect, visas for international attendees and free trade agreements are some of the key issues.

But, he doesn’t appear worried about the unknown with a new set of policy makers taking office.

“I think the Obama administration understands we are a key part of that commerce,” Hacker said.

The Natl. Assn. of Broadcasters’ The NAB Show, No. 14 on the 2008 TSW 200 and also part of Commerce’s Intl. Buyer Program, is another show that could benefit from new policies making it easier for foreign visitors to enter the U.S.

In 2008, The NAB Show had 28,310 international attendees, a record, said Margaret Cassilly, vice president of international operations for NAB.

“Let’s hope that President-elect Obama certainly has a more global perspective and, I think, understands the importance of international face-to-face negotiations,” she added.

Currently, Cassilly said, the biggest help Obama could give the show is to stimulate the economy, making it easier for international and domestic attendees to travel.

Many of the show’s international attendees come from Brazil, China, Japan, Canada and Western Europe, she added. Additional staffing at embassies to review visa requests and fewer restrictions in the process would help increase numbers from those countries.

“It’s a global marketplace,” Cassilly said. “The more people (coming to the U.S.), the more advantages U.S. companies are going to have in competing in the global marketplace.” 

Freeman said some of the greatest deterrents to attracting visitors to the U.S. are “a global impression that visitors are not as welcome as they may have been prior to Sept. 11 and immense confusion over ever-changing U.S. security policies.”

It’s his hope, he added, that the new administration makes improving the visa process, streamlining the entry experience and promoting American as a destination a priority that will attract millions of new visitors annually.
“The benefits will be felt across travel sectors,” Freeman said.