Experts & Opinions: Closed for Business: How the Government Shutdown Impacts the Event IndustryExperts & Opinions: Closed for Business: How the Government Shutdown Impacts the Event Industry
Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance’s Tommy Goodwin warns the U.S. government shutdown could disrupt the events industry through travel delays, suspended international buyer support programs, and potential visa processing pauses that could impact 2026 event attendance.
October 1, 2025
By now, you have seen the news: the U.S. federal government shut down on September 30 at midnight. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been furloughed, military paychecks will be delayed, and many national parks are closed.
But what does the government shutdown mean for the business and professional events industry? Here are three ways that the impasse in Washington, D.C., will impact trade shows and conferences if the shutdown lasts more than a few days.
Towards the end of the five-week government shutdown in 2018-2019, 10% of TSA agents were not coming to work, which led to long security lines at some airports. Photo: Adam McCullough/Shutterstock Photo:
Travel delays
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents air traffic controllers are essential employees, so they are still on the job. That’s good news, but there’s a problem: they will not get a paycheck again until the shutdown ends.
What does that mean? If the shutdown is brief, airport operations should not be greatly impacted. But if the political stalemate drags on, expect longer security lines and more flight delays and cancellations as economic hardships cause unscheduled TSA and FAA employee absences.
Towards the end of the five-week government shutdown in 2018-2019, 10% of TSA agents were not coming to work, which led to long security lines at some airports. Same with air traffic controllers, which led to massive congestion at airports in New York, Atlanta, and Philadelphia.
Event support
The Trade Event Partnership Program (TEPP), run by the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration, helps bring buyers from around the world to U.S. trade shows to facilitate exports. With those employees furloughed, TEPP efforts are paused for the time being.
If the shutdown persists, commercial service officers may not be able to accompany buyer delegations and provide on-the-ground support for events happening in the coming weeks.
Despite the shutdown, U.S. embassies and consulates around the world will continue to issue visas. Photo: Shutterstock
Visa processing
Despite the shutdown, U.S. embassies and consulates around the world will continue to issue visas. Since the State Department’s Consular Affairs bureau is largely funded by visa application fees, visa processing should remain fully operational, at least in the near term.
That said, all non-emergency services could be suspended if there is a long shutdown. What would happen? Visitor visas would no longer be issued and visa interview appointments would be cancelled or rescheduled.
With visa wait times still high in many key markets, this setback would be devastating for many international exhibitors and attendees looking to come to the U.S. for events in 2026.
What happens next?
Congress needs to pass a continuing resolution to reopen the federal government while giving itself more time to work on funding the government for its 2026 fiscal year, which goes through September 2026. That said, even when the government does get back to work, Congress remains far apart on a spending agreement. This means that anothergovernment shutdown is possible this year before all is said and done.
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