Shows Continue to Return to Big Easy

New Orleans this month hosted its first conference post-Hurricane Katrina.

The HomeCare Assn. of Louisiana's national disaster preparedness conference took place Jan. 16–18 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside.

The group said it decided to bring the meeting to New Orleans in November after the Lafayette (La.) Hilton had to cancel to accommodate hurricane evacuees.

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau has received several confirmations for the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The Airborne Law Enforcement Assn. Annual Conference & Exposition is scheduled July 19–22 at the venue as planned. ALEA President Daniel Schwarzbach said New Orleans is committed and able to provide a safe and fun environment for its members. "All of the reasons that we originally selected New Orleans are still valid," he said.

CVB Executive Vice President Kitty Ratcliffe said many of the group's members helped with rescue and relief efforts there. "Now, they have stepped to the plate to be a part of the rebirth effort as well," she said.

The Society of Exploration Geophysicists also committed to hold an upcoming show in New Orleans. The SEG Intl. Exposition & Annual Meeting is scheduled at the Morial Oct. 1–6.

"Our conference will help to provide the jobs and tax revenues needed if residents are to re-establish their lives and for the city to fully restore services," SEG President Craig Beasley said.

For 2007, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society said its HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition will go ahead in New Orleans as planned, Feb. 25–March 1.

"We have consulted with our members, our exhibitors and our leadership, finding overwhelming support for this decision, one that HIMSS views as a positive contribution to the rebuilding of New Orleans and the Gulf area," said HIMSS President and CEO H. Stephen Lieber.

The HIMSS event is expected to attract about 24,000 attendees, including 400 from the region. Along with a matching donation program managed through the HIMSS Foundation, the group also introduced the HIMSS Katrina Phoenix Project, which focused on rebuilding physician practices in the region.

The Natl. League of Cities reaffirmed its commitment to hold the 2007 NLC Congress of Cities & Exposition at the Morial center, Nov. 13–17, 2007. The event is expected to draw more than 8,000 people and generate up to $10 million in revenue for the region.

During the Professional Convention Management Assn. Annual Meeting in Philadelphia earlier this month, the group announced that the event would rotate to New Orleans in 2009.

But not all shows are recommitting to the city. The Rental Show, which ranked 77th on the most recent Tradeshow Week 200, is changing its 2007 location to Atlanta's Georgia World Congress Center. The show's owner, the American Rental Assn., in October prematurely reaffirmed its commitment to New Orleans.

"The decision to change venues was difficult for ARA," stated association CEO Chris Wehrman.

The first post-Katrina tradeshow at the Morial center will be Helen Brett Enterprises' New Orleans Gift & Jewelry Show Feb. 17–20.