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Our Cautious Re-Emergence
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S DIRECT SELLERS and other businesses begin the careful process of emerging from the limits of the last eighteen months, the Direct Selling Association (DSA) is also starting to cautiously shift toward a more in-person world after 18-months of virtual advocacy and education interaction. During the worst of the pandemic, DSA was able to continue our forceful advocacy on behalf of direct selling, even as our work turned from in-person meetings to online engagements. Now we have begun to resume some of our in-person work. Here’s a recap of this summer’s work and a preview of our fall agenda. DSA built upon the channel’s remarkable accomplishments from 2020 and 2021’s first six months as we began our summer 2021 work virtually and in person. The Association held 55 virtual meetings with Congressional Offices. We brought three new congressional leaders into the Congressional Direct Selling Caucus’ leadership. We held virtual town halls with members of Congress and Women’s Entrepreneurship Roundtables to engage influential congressional leaders on issues of relevance to direct selling. DSA member companies also engaged their sales forces to send more than 1,022 letters to United States Senators regarding the PRO Act, a piece of legislation that, if passed, could compromise direct sellers’ independent contractor status. To begin our August 2021 activity, DSA held
JOSEPH N. MARIANO is the President of the U.S. Direct Selling Association and the Direct Selling Education Foundation.
an important meeting with senior staff of the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection. DSA and the FTC representatives discussed Commission perspectives on direct selling, FTC’s possible new rulemaking, and its possible relevance to the channel. We have also started attending in-person meetings of policymakers and business partners to continue building connections with allies and decision-makers all over the country. These include state Attorneys General, state legislators, and state retail associations who are essential allies in state capitols. As we approach the Fall, a new cycle begins for DSA’s in-person events. Company leaders will explore the new strategic considerations for direct selling as we plan for 2022. With health and safety protocols in place, we are eager to welcome legal and regulatory staff to Washington, D.C., on October 13 through 15 for our annual DSA Legal & Regulatory Seminar. DSA will convene regulators, decision-makers, and legal experts to discuss the policy issues impacting direct selling businesses and provide the insights needed to navigate the shifting legal and regulatory environment. Those topics will also be explored during our Annual Meeting In New Orleans Nov. 1-3. As we focus our goals and activities for the remainder of 2020 and into 2021, we hope you are as excited as we are to re-engage in person with your direct selling friends, colleagues, and peers this fall to continue our important work on behalf of direct selling. DSN w w w. d i r e c t s e l l i n g n e w s . c o m 87
