I hope this newsletter finds you all safe and healthy at home during the Covid-19 pandemic we are all experiencing. Our industry was one of the first and hardest hit and may ultimately be one of the last to resume normal activity. One of the most important things I have come to realize is that we are a family, a community, and while we rely heavily on each other now, we will come through this together on the other side more resilient and stronger than before.

IAEE has been keeping our community up to date on the lobbying efforts they have been working on, including contacting your congressmen and -women to get more of our member organizations included in the CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program. If you are interested in getting involved, you can find more information, including email and social media templates, here.

Exhibitions Day, taking place on June 3, has been turned into a virtual day of action. Having been on Capitol Hill every June for the past six years, our members of Congress and staff know our group. IAEE will be sending out details soon of the activities leading up to the event and ways for our members to get involved and get the word out that we want to get back to work.  Our advocacy on the Hill means more now than ever to keep our industry healthy and sustainable through this time.

Locally, your Board has been meeting virtually and monitoring the impact on our industry. We will be meeting on May 8 to review how we plan to move forward through the summer, keeping our focus on the people who make our chapter as strong and resilient as we know it is.  We welcome your comments and input on ways to connect during these days of self-quarantine and hope you all keep working together to keep our industry strong. Please reach out to any of us. We are here to help. 

Stay healthy,

Paula Herz, CEM
2020 Chair – DC Chapter IAEE