New Orleans Gets Promises of Future Shows

By Rachelle Crum -- Tradeshow Week, 10/17/2005

The Intl. Assn. for Exhibition Management hasn't announced its 2007 or 2008 locations for its annual meeting — but 2009 is on the books for New Orleans' Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Expo! Expo! will take place in the Big Easy in four years, confirmed spokesman Curtis Coats, to help rebuild the city's tradeshow industry. The event, which will be held in Atlanta Nov. 29–Dec. 1 and in San Diego in 2006, last took place in New Orleans in 1993.

And although two other tradeshows previously scheduled for New Orleans next year have relocated, they have vowed to return to the city as soon as possible.

The Natl. Cable & Telecommunications Assn. announced this month that the 2006 NCTA — The Natl. Show, previously scheduled May 21–23 at the Morial center, will be held at Atlanta's Georgia World Congress Center April 9–11. However, the NCTA has committed to returning the Tradeshow Week 200 show to New Orleans in May 2008.

The Natl. School Boards Assn. also rescheduled its 2006 New Orleans show this month. Its 66th annual conference and exposition will be held in Chicago April 8–11, rather than at the Morial center. The show, expected to attract 13,000 attendees in 2006, will return to New Orleans in 2010.

NCTA President and CEO Kyle McSlarrow said the decision to move his 2006 show was based on consultation with New Orleans officials regarding the city's readiness to host the show, and its dedication in the months ahead to rebuilding New Orleans after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans bureau canceled all Morial center events through March 31, 2006.

New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau President and CEO J. Stephen Perry noted in a letter to McSlarrow, "The entire hospitality community and the city of New Orleans appreciate your willingness to work with us and exchange your 2006 dates for 2008 dates. We look forward to welcoming you and your association back to New Orleans and to the continuation of our long-term relationship."

Jeff Anding, director of convention marketing for the bureau, said the associations' promises to return to the Big Easy indicated they were "like being part of the family. We applaud them in their decision to return to New Orleans as soon as they possibly can. This is what is going to keep New Orleans going."

Several other groups booked for 2006 have also expressed interest in returning in future years for their events, Anding said.

The NCTA show, run by Dobson & Associates, is No. 147 on the TSW 200. The most recent NCTA show in April drew 17,000 attendees to a 190,000 square foot showfloor at San Francisco's Moscone Center.

The NSBA showfloor typically spans 50,000 net sq. ft. with around 330 exhibiting companies.

The NSBA has donated more than $10,000 in cash and supplies to the Gulf Coast, and is working closely with the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama state school boards associations to assess needs of local school districts. The Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau, as part of its NSBA host city commitment, has agreed to make a donation to a relief fund earmarked for members of the New Orleans hospitality community.