This year’s short Carnival season is in full swing, and we’re celebrating in Biz by taking a closer look this month at a big player in not just Carnival balls and events, but in our tourism and hospitality economy year-round — the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
Just off its 40th birthday, the convention center’s 3 million square feet (among the largest footprints in the country) are forever in reinvention mode. As president and CEO Jim Cook pointed out to me on a recent BizTalks episode, in just one week, the convention center transformed from a Christmas wonderland complete with ice rink for the annual NOLA ChristmasFest to a parking spot for cars from the Ghostbuster movies, as well as A-list celebrities and about 30,000 (mostly colorfully costumed) fans of comic books, sci-fi and gaming for Fan Expo New Orleans.
In this month’s cover story, Stephanie Turner, senior vice president of convention sales for New Orleans & Company, provides a little behind the scenes look at the business of conventions and how New Orleans measures up in an industry that grows more competitive by the day.
It’s a colossal industry: In 2019, convention centers contributed more than $100 billion to the U.S. economy (ConventionCalendar.com). While that revenue dropped by 50% during the pandemic, it has since rebounded and then some, with numbers projected to have reached $120 billion in 2025.
With so much money at stake, it’s not surprising that more cities are upping their game. In this month’s guest column, Cook shares his thoughts on one way New Orleans is fighting to stay competitive.
This month we also welcome a new contributor, Rebecca Mowbray, president and CEO of the Bureau of Governmental Research. Each quarter, Mowbray will share the latest findings of this independent research organization, which provides research-based, best-practice guidance designed to improve public policy in the New Orleans metropolitan area. Her first column — addressing the city’s recent budget crisis and what we need to do to make sure it’s never repeated — is definitely a timely, must-read.
I’m also excited to welcome back a returning contributor this month — author of one of our most-read pieces of 2023, Frank Rabalais can always be counted on to challenge negative New Orleans narratives with strong evidence to the contrary. His piece this month on homeowners insurance is another one not to miss.
Thanks for reading,
Kimberley Singletary, Editor
Kimberley@BizNewOrleans.com
