Meet Geoff Freeman

Nearly every session of the Annual Congress will be led by Event Leaders Exchange (ELX) members with interaction and participation from attendees. However, as president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, Geoff Freeman in the best position to lead our session Meeting Boycotts & Bans. 

Travel boycotts have become increasingly popular tools for corporate leaders, public officials and grassroots activists and this has a direct impact on the event industry. As the leading advocate for the $1.1 trillion U.S. travel and hospitality industry, Geoff will provide context to the issues during the session followed by a moderated panel with several ELX members. 

More about Geoff Freeman

In this role, Geoff Freeman is charged with ensuring the industry’s full recovery from COVID-19, positioning the industry to seize emerging opportunities in a post-pandemic market environment and further establishing travel as a vital economic force in the United States.

Geoff is a seasoned association CEO with a proven track record of building successful organizations that unite member interests, grow member value, increase revenue and unlock growth opportunities. Prior to joining U.S. Travel, Geoff was president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association, the trade association for America’s $2.1 trillion food, beverage and consumer products industry. 

Geoff joined the Consumer Brands Association after serving for five years as president and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA). In that role, Geoff led a successful effort to reform and modernize the AGA, build public support for the gaming industry and open new pathways for industry growth. Under his leadership, the AGA spearheaded a multi-year, research-driven campaign to demonstrate gaming’s broad support across the political spectrum and promote the industry’s role in spurring economic growth, job creation and tax revenues in communities across more than 40 states where gaming is legal. 

Geoff previously served as COO of the U.S. Travel Association from 2011 to 2013, helping to conceive and lead a campaign that resulted in the passage of the bipartisan Travel Promotion Act, which was hailed as “the industry’s biggest legislative victory in a decade.” In the aftermath of 9/11, Freeman created a blue-ribbon panel headed by former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to analyze how to improve travel security without compromising travel efficiency. This effort led directly to the creation of TSA PreCheck. Both the Travel Promotion Act and TSA PreCheck demonstrate Geoff’s ability to identify industry opportunities, craft a winning policy response and drive campaigns that succeed in gaining broad support among diverse stakeholders.

Geoff’s previous experience includes roles at APCO Worldwide, America’s Health Insurance Plans and Freddie Mac.

A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Freeman lives in Arlington, Va., with his wife and three children.

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