President and General Manager of the New Orleans Ernest N Morial Convention Center Michael Sawaya joins us on this week’s podcast to discuss the latest in the $557 million in renovations taking place — a result of which has recently been the receipt of three awards for sustainability and equity. He also shares an update on the anticipated mixed-use development River District, reception of the new Civil Rights Museum and the highlights from this year’s convention bookings.
about
Michael J. Sawaya is convention center president of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC). A 46-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Sawaya came to New Orleans in 2018 from San Antonio, Texas, where he served as executive director of the Convention and Sports Facilities Department for the City of San Antonio for 15 years. During his tenure in San Antonio, he led the 2016 expansion of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center – the largest single capital improvement project in the city’s 300-year history. Additionally, he served as interim aviation department director for the San Antonio International Airport.
Before joining the City of San Antonio, he served as general manager of the Omni Severin Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Omni San Antonio Hotel, and 11 other hotels around the country over a 20-year career as a hotel general manager. Sawaya has been in his current role as convention center president since February, 2018. Shortly after his arrival, Sawaya embarked on an ambitious visionary plan entitled “the Decade of Delivery” that includes a $557M five-year capital improvement plan – the largest in the facility’s 38-year history that will transform and modernize the NOENMCC to compete more effectively in the future. In addition, he is spearheading the development of a mixed-use entertainment, specialty retail, and residential neighborhood that will create a diverse, dynamic, and sustainable district that will attract both visitors and locals alike.
In 2021, the NOENMCC was recognized as one of the Top Workplaces in the U.S. – the only convention center to receive this honor nationally. In 2022, the LA Department of Environmental Quality awarded the NOENMCC with its Environmental Leadership Award, recognizing businesses that promote a cleaner and better environment for Louisiana that go above and beyond regulatory requirements.
Under Sawaya’s leadership, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) has achieved its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification in 2022, a major milestone in its ongoing commitment to sustainability.
This official certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) makes the NOENMCC the largest LEED-certified project in Louisiana, the largest convention center project in the U.S. certified under LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance and the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certification under AnchorLEED v4.1 O+M.
Sawaya is a board member of the Greater New Orleans Chamber of Commerce and was selected in 2018 as one of Biz Magazine’s People of the Year. Sawaya was honored as a CityBusiness Power 25 top influencer in New Orleans Hospitality for 2021 and as a CityBusiness Tourism Newsmaker in 2022. He was named to the 2023 “New Orleans 500” list by Biz New Orleans magazine.
