Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) will hold its 25th annual Capitol Summit on April 25-26, 2017. The event brings together outdoor industry executives and emerging leaders in Washington, D.C., to represent their businesses and to lobby members of Congress and the administration to support industry recreation, trade and business priorities.
This year’s event kicks off with the introduction of the 2017 Outdoor Recreation Economy Report at the National Press Club. The report will be housed on OIA’s new Advocacy Center which launches on outdoorindustry.org during Capitol Summit. Users will be able to download the report, as well as engage in direct actions to help policymakers understand that the outdoor recreation economy is extremely valuable to America and that the outdoor industry depends on their support.
As always, the two-day event provides attendees with insight into the current political landscape, an overview of OIA’s expertise on trade and recreational issues and an interactive training on effective lobbying. OIA’s government affairs team arranges a full roster of key meetings with members of Congress and administration officials. With a record of more than120 executives in attendance and timing within the first 100 days of the Trump administration, the goal will be to ensure that the outdoor industry’s bipartisan recreation and “balanced trade” policy agendas remain top of mind for policymakers in Washington and around the country.
Key to the success of the Capitol Summit are the sponsors. As a long-standing title sponsor of the event, REI recognizes the value of this investment as critical to the future of the outdoor industry. Their commitment and participation is critical to OIA’s efforts in D.C. on behalf of the outdoor industry as a whole.
“REI Co-op is pleased to again sponsor the OIA Capitol Summit,” said Rob Discher, communications and public affairs director for REI. “This year’s record turnout shows how deeply our industry cares about positive engagement with the federal government. We know federal decisions shape the outdoors for all Americans. We see reinvesting co-op funds in the summit as critical to our shared outdoor future.”
“REI is among the most recognized brands in the outdoor industry and has been instrumental in the policy advancements the industry has made in Washington, D.C., and in statehouses across the country,” said OIA Vice President of Government Affairs Alex Boian. “We are extremely grateful for their support of the OIA Capitol Summit, but also for their leadership on the issues that shape all of our futures.”
