The Chamber's Annual Trek to D.C. is Cancelled Again Due to COVID-19 Concerns, but the Chamber Plans to Resume The Walk in 2023
The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce announced today that its Walk to Washington and Congressional Dinner, an annual business event that dates back to 1937, will not be held in 2022 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In its place, the N.J. Chamber announced it would host the 'ReNew Jersey Business Summit ‘22,' a two-day conference at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City on April 13 and 14.
The ReNew Jersey Business Summit will bring together thought leaders from many industries and government to discuss economic policies critical to the state economy over the next several years. Discussions will identify issues that currently hamper a full-throttle economic recovery in New Jersey, and provide proposed solutions and recommendations.
This marks the second consecutive year that the Walk to Washington, the state's largest business networking event, is cancelled due to COVID-19.
“The Walk to Washington is a unique event that involves carrying hundreds of business and government leaders on a crowded train to Washington D.C.,” said Tom Bracken, president and CEO of the N.J. Chamber of Commerce. “Due to lingering COVID-19 concerns at this time, and out of an abundance of caution, we felt the best decision was to postpone the event one more year.”
“While we can postpone the Walk to Washington, we cannot postpone action,” Bracken said. “Business leaders are still looking for their voices to be heard and the next four years may determine New Jersey’s future for generations to come.”
Bracken noted the Summit is coming at just the right time, pointing to yesterday’s Monmouth University poll which said New Jerseyans are most concerned about taxes, jobs and the economy.
“Our Summit will provide a platform similar in size and scope to the Walk to Washington where members of the governor’s administration, the state Legislature, the business community, labor and education can come together and collectively map out a road to economic revitalization and job growth in the post-COVID era. We need everyone pulling in the same direction.”
The intent at the end of the Summit, Bracken explained, is to develop strategies that the governor, Legislature and general business community can embrace to enhance the state’s recovery.
The ReNew Jersey Business Summit ’22 will include a business expo where member companies of the N.J. Chamber and other chambers of commerce can showcase their products and services. This will reinforce the “Buy New Jersey” concept and encourage New Jersey companies to do business with each other.
“It’s appropriate that we host an event focused on New Jersey’s economic recovery right here in Atlantic City, so we can bring the economic benefits of this significant event to our home state,” Bracken said.
Bracken emphasized that the Walk to Washington is still on the N.J. Chamber’s radar screen. “Our intent is to resume the Walk to Washington in 2023 – conditions permitting,” he said.
More details on the ReNew Jersey Business Summit ’22 will be released later this year.