Tariffs on imports to the U.S. begin, affecting multiple countries

April 9, 2025  |  Industry News, News

Country-specific tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump in an April 2 executive order are now in effect. The president declared a national emergency in the executive order as a result of “large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficits,” which included a reciprocal tariff policy…
Houston Tents & Events acquires 3 Phase Rentals

March 28, 2025  |  Company News, News

Houston Tents & Events (HTE), Houston, has acquired 3 Phase Rentals, Conroe, Texas, a provider of portable power and HVAC services. Mike Rape, who founded 3 Phase Rentals in 2008, will now lead HTE’s power division along with his son, Carter Rape, who has been named director of power…
Quest Events acquires Drape Kings

March 28, 2025  |  Company News, News

Frisco, Texas-based Quest Events, a provider of event drapery, scenic solutions and full-service rentals, has acquired Drape Kings, an event drapery company with established locations in New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. The company will continue to operate under the Drape Kings name, now ide…
Consumer confidence drops to four-year low

March 27, 2025  |  News

The March 2025 Consumer Confidence Index fell 7.2 points to 92.9—the lowest it has been since January 2021.
European Commission delays tariffs on U.S. goods until mid-April

March 26, 2025  |  Industry News, News

The European Commission has announced a two-week delay in reciprocal tariffs on U.S. goods, which are now set to go into effect in mid-April. The commission announced these tariffs in response to the 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports imposed by the U.S. that began March 12. The commission in…
March is National Ladder Safety Month

March 19, 2025  |  Industry News, News

National Ladder Safety Month, observed in March and spearheaded by the American Ladder Institute (ALI), is dedicated to raising awareness of ladder safety and decreasing the number of ladder-related injuries and fatalities. Each year, more than 100 people die in ladder-related accidents and thousand…
Smartstage enters Las Vegas event rental staging market

March 11, 2025  |  Industry News, News

Smartstage, Las Vegas, a venue solutions provider with more than 50 years of experience in the staging industry, is expanding its offerings to include event rental staging in Las Vegas. The company is introducing tailored rental staging solutions designed to meet the needs of the city’s surging ev…
Mexico and Canada tariffs paused until April 2

March 6, 2025  |  Industry News, News

President Donald Trump announced March 6 that he would pause the 25% tariffs on U.S. imports from Mexico and Canada covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) until April 2. The president initially announced a delay in tariffs on imports from Mexico in a social media post after …
As tariffs begin, auto industry given one-month exemption

March 5, 2025  |  Industry News, News

Imports from Canada and Mexico to U.S. automakers were given a one-month exemption to new tariffs on goods from these two countries, which began March 4.
Consumer spending fell for first time in nearly two years

March 3, 2025  |  Industry News, News

Consumer spending in the U.S. dropped 0.2 percent in January—the first monthly decline since March 2023.