NSSGA, event partner honored for lobby day

The next Legislative & Policy Forum is slated for Sept. 24-27 in Washington. Photo: P&Q Staff

The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) and Advocacy Associates, an advocacy scheduling firm, won Campaigns and Elections magazine’s Reed Award for Best Lobby Day.

The award recognized the work surrounding NSSGA’s 2022 Legislative & Policy Forum in Washington, where 250 advocates held 200 meetings with members of Congress and their staffs. The advocates at the association’s lobby day hailed from 37 states, NSSGA says.

NSSGA partnered with Advocacy Associates to create a Legislative & Policy Forum that maximized efficiency and minimized inconveniences to advocates, legislators and NSSGA staff.

“Connecting advocates with their members of Congress has become more and more challenging in recent years,” says Stephanie Vance, CEO of Advocacy Associates. “It’s an honor to work with clients like the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association to ensure their members’ voices are heard.”

According to NSSGA, coordinating multiple styles of meetings across multiple venues between 250 attendees and 200 congressional offices required a combination of outstanding technology, outstanding staff and an ability to find creative solutions. Faced with various logistical complexities, NSSGA says Advocacy Associates scheduled 97 percent of the meetings requested.

“Advocacy is job No. 1 at NSSGA, so having our association members connect and build relationships with their own members of Congress is extremely important to us,” says Michele Stanley, vice president of government and regulatory affairs at NSSGA. “Initially, the pandemic created logistical challenges in accomplishing that goal. However, through our partnership with Advocacy Associates, we created an innovative approach to meet with members of Congress during our industry fly-in and successfully met our members’ needs.”