The live events industry has faced monumental challenges over the past few years, but one critical issue has persisted for decades: the absence of a dedicated designation for our industry within the federal NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) code.
This lack of representation has long hindered our ability to quantify our impact, advocate effectively, and access federal support. Now, we have an opportunity to change that by revising Super Sector NAICS Code 72 to explicitly include “Events.”
What Is Super Sector NAICS Code 72?
Currently, Super Sector NAICS Code 72 is designated for “Leisure & Hospitality,” covering hotels, restaurants, and related businesses. While this designation captures a portion of the Hospitality Industry, it excludes the live events industry, which frequently intersects with hospitality and represents a significant economic force.
We are asking for Super Sector Code 72 to be revised to “Leisure, Hospitality & Events,” to match the Modernized National Career Cluster Framework Approved June 6, 2024. This change would reflect the Live Events Industry as a distinct and vital part of the economy, ensuring it is included in federal analyses and programs.
Why This Revision Matters
NAICS codes are critical for federal purposes, including tax filings, business registrations, and access to resources, including emergency federal funding during national or global crises. The lack of a unified designation has created challenges for decades, but the pandemic exposed these inequities on a much larger scale. Without inclusion in a Super Sector, the Live Events Industry faces three significant obstacles:
1. Quantifying Our Economic Impact
In 2020, LEC research estimated the Live Events Industry encompasses 12 million professionals, 2 million small businesses, and contributes over $1 trillion annually—at the time, nearly double the size of the U.S. Auto Industry. Yet, because of fragmented classification across 30+ codes, collecting this data to illustrate our collective economic impact to the federal government was an uphill battle.
2. Substantiating Our Value
Unlike the Hospitality Industry, unified under Super Sector 72, the Live Events Industry lacks cohesion in its classification, making it difficult to advocate for its collective needs.
3. Securing Equitable Funding
Federal relief programs heavily relied on NAICS codes to allocate emergency funding during the pandemic. Without a unified classification, businesses in the Live Events Industry were mostly excluded, compounding decades of underrepresentation.
What Is the Live Events Industry?
The Live Events Industry is a vast and diverse ecosystem encompassing six primary verticals:
1. Corporate Events (meetings, conferences, tradeshows, product launches, brand activations, consumer shows, company parties).
2. Sporting Events (local/professional sports, marathons, tournaments, rodeos).
3. Fairs and Festivals (art fairs, music festivals, carnivals, expositions).
4. Celebrations (weddings, mitzvahs, graduations, anniversaries).
5. Fundraising and Political Events (galas, auctions, rallies, inaugurations).
6. Performances (concerts, theater, opera, dance, comedy).
These verticals include nearly 200 unique roles, from event planners and production crews to performers and rental vendors. Together, they represent a vital economic force, connecting communities, businesses, and audiences.
The Clock Is Ticking
NAICS codes are updated every five years, and the deadline for the next revision is imminent. Right now, we have Congressional attention on this important issue. If we miss this opportunity, our industry will remain fractured until our next chance to apply for a revision in 2030, perpetuating the challenges we’ve faced for decades.
How You Can Help
Your support is critical. By writing a letter to the federal government, you can help demonstrate the need for this revision. Here’s how to get involved:
- Read the Overview: Familiarize yourself with the provided documentation. Overview Doc
- Customize the Sample Letter: Download and personalize the sample letter with your contact information. Sample Letter
- Use Company Letterhead: Print your letter on organizational letterhead for added credibility.
- Send Your Letter: Save the completed letter as a PDF and email it to Laura Palker by Jan. 15, 2025.
Together, We Can Create Change
Revising Super Sector NAICS Code 72 to Leisure, Hospitality & Events is about more than recognition. It ensures the Live Events Industry has the resources, representation, and resilience to thrive. By uniting our voices, we can improve data collection, strengthen advocacy, and secure equitable treatment in federal initiatives.
Take five minutes today to write your letter and help make this critical revision a reality. Let’s show the federal government that the live events industry is a vital economic force deserving proper inclusion.
If you care about protecting our industry from future crises—or the crisis happening now for industry colleagues currently affected the fires in Los Angeles—take action today. Together, we can ensure the Live Events Industry receives the recognition and resources it has long deserved.
For questions, reach out to me at wendy@wendyporterevents.com. Thank you for standing with us in this vital effort.
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Wendy Porter is the founder and chief event strategist at Wendy Porter Events LLC, a Minneapolis-based events agency. An award-winning industry leader, Wendy was recently honored with the 2024 Smart Women in Meetings Visionary Award.
She serves as vice chair of government affairs for the Live Events Coalition (LEC) and played a key role in lobbying over 100 Members of Congress during the pandemic. Wendy’s leadership contributed to the passage of HB 3807 in the US House of Representatives in 2022, which sought relief for hard-hit businesses in the live events industry but narrowly failed in the US Senate.
