By Charles Eide, Founder and CEO, EideCom | June 25, 2025
One America-based event pro’s optimistic take on this challenging time
The word “tariffs” has sparked a lot of conversations in boardrooms, the media and at family dinner tables, fueling uncertainty about their short-term and long-term impacts. As an event professional, you may be questioning how tariffs will affect your clients and events. From my seat as the founder of an event production company, I see reasons for optimism. Let me explain why.
The Impact of American Manufacturing
First and foremost, the prospect of working with more American companies that manufacture professional A/V equipment here at home—while creating jobs in the process—excites me. I view these as event-related jobs. Much of the production equipment my company relies on is made overseas. Sourcing from American manufacturers or wholesalers has several advantages, including greater control over costs and delivery, as well as protection from disruptions in global trade. You may not feel the positive effects right away from your seat as an event pro, and that’s by design. A solid event production company should always show up and deliver an extraordinary show, regardless of where their equipment is manufactured or how much it costs. However, behind the scenes, these changes stand to positively affect logistics within event production companies and at events.
As American manufacturing capabilities increase, so will the size of the companies in this sector. New businesses will be born along the way. This will create new potential event opportunities as these manufacturing organizations gather their people to celebrate milestones, launch products and engage their workforce. This is good for event planners, event production and all facets of our industry.
Event Production Mostly Shielded From Tariffs
One question you may have is how tariffs will affect the overall cost of producing events. In most cases, the impact will be minimal. Production companies like ours already own the gear.
That said, my company is feeling some effects due to a $6 million equipment expansion currently underway. Even so, we’re moving forward with confidence, driven by increasing demand that is expected to throttle our industry into one that is worth more than $2 trillion dollars in the next decade.
Companies Double Down on Events
As an event professional, you are likely already noticing that companies are eager to host events. In fact, many of the organizations we work with are doubling down on their event spending despite the state of the economy. That’s because business leaders realize there is no better way to impact people than through live events—no better way.
Final Takeaways
Like most business leaders, I have moments of concern, yet I’m still approaching the current economic shifts with optimism. What excites me is seeing how our industry will navigate this period and continue to evolve. We’ve proven time and time again that we can adapt and innovate, even in the face of major disruption.
My advice to you as fellow event partners is to approach your clients with empathy and strategy. We know live events are the most effective way to engage and inspire people while delivering meaningful ROI. While the word “tariffs” has become synonymous with uncertainty, this is a chance for us to provide decision-makers with real value and something they can be certain about: an extraordinary event.
