What is ESPA?
For 30 years, ESPA has been the only association and voice representing event service professionals from CVBs, hotels and convention centers from across North America. It is a community for CSMs, an educational resource, a network of your peers, a place and forum for event service professionals to be heard and to learn. An organization that advocates for the role and impact event service professionals have on the success of events and of destinations, hotels and convention centers.
What’s our Mission?
ESPA is dedicated to elevating the event and convention service profession and to preparing members, through education and networking, for their pivotal role in innovative and successful event execution.
ESPA Active members hold many positions in Convention & Visitor Bureaus, Convention Centers, Conference Centers, Hotels and Resorts. Some of these include:
- Convention Service Coordinators, Managers and Directors
- Event Service Coordinators, Managers and Directors
- Housing Managers
- Operations Managers, Directors
- Catering Managers and Directors
Memberships also exist for service providers to the industry (Allied) and also for meeting planners who want an opportunity to collaborate, network and learn with those that they consider their true partners in the planning of their events – CSMs.
Through education and networking, members: learn skills to be more effective service managers; gain a better understanding of the breadth of their role; and learn about planners’ expectations. Visit Why Join ESPA for more on member benefits.
Founded in 1988 as ACOM, the Association for Convention Operations Management, the association has grown to nearly 500 event service professionals from across North America. In 2012, the association changed its name to the Event Service Professionals Association to more closely align with the role of our members.
