New Orleans Says to the World: Done. Next?

New Orleans—last month, the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center reopened, Helen Brett Enterprises attracted nearly 14,000 attendees to its New Orleans Gift & Jewelry Show and Mardi Gras celebrations reminded the world of the Crescent City's ever-present allure.

And if that wasn't enough, the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau treated a handful of loyal show managers to a fam' trip complete with a bead-throwing float ride during the Krewe of Orpheus parade.

But even with all of these accomplishments and activities, the city's trade-show industry isn't exactly content. And as New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority President Warren Reuther Jr. often says, the industry is moving forward, exclaiming, "Done. Next?"

Three of the center's 12 halls reopened for the 60,000-square foot gift show, held Feb. 17–20 in halls E and F. Show management offices and exhibitor parking were located in Hall D.

Although the nearly-mile-long center will house several consumer shows and events and another Helen Brett show in the next few months, the city's tradeshow industry is most concerned about an event 3 1/2 months away — its first post-Hurricane Katrina Tradeshow Week 200 show, the June 22–28 American Library Assn. Annual Conference & Exhibition.

The show, which rotates annually between U.S. and Canadian cities, is expected to occupy six halls, 98 meeting rooms, the conference auditorium and La Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom at the Morial center, according to building spokeswoman Sabrina Written. Organizers expect approximately 20,000 attendees to visit the show.

All parties involved are gearing up, from venue and show management to contractor GES Exposition Services, as it will be a prime opportunity for the city to prove that it's more than ready to welcome back large-scale tradeshows and meetings.

The Morial center staff this month will lay down 88,000 sq. ft. of carpeting and continue to replace shattered glass.

And, like operators of downtown New Orleans hotels, Morial management has decided to go beyond simply restoring the center to its pre-Katrina condition. The center's color palette will be changed to blue and green from its historic orange; and wood signs and panels will be installed to recall the region's traditional cypress, maple and hickory building materials.

With the majority of its full-time staff retained after the hurricane (some working from their homes), GES' New Orleans division will be ready for the ALA show, said Dave Hall, executive vice president of GES' eastern region operations.

In the meantime, refurbishment of the water-damaged GES facility is ongoing. The roof and dock door damage to Freeman's New Orleans division has also been repaired, said Bonnie Helmker, the division's general manager. The Freeman division is also back in business, having decorated the gift show.

Both general service contractors stressed that sufficient skilled labor will be available during peak months of 2006. Helmker said the Louisiana Carpenters Regional Council of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America has come up with a plan that, among other things, provides for worker housing near the Morial center and brings in additional workers from Texas.

"The Texas Carpenters & Millwrights Regional Council has communicated that during the timeframe of the American Library Assn. event in June, the tradeshow industry in Texas will be somewhat idle and, as always, will be willing to assist the LCRC with employees," the council stated in a January letter to general service contractors, exhibitor-appointed contractors and the bureau.

Another group working to make the meeting a success is, of course, American Library Assn. On its show Web site, the ALA has set up a frequently asked questions page, with topics like health concerns, hotels, mold and security.

The ALA show is also a way for New Orleanians to tell the entire exhibition industry that their downtown is not underwater — either on site visits during the ALA show or from afar.

Kirk Landry, convention sales manager for the CVB, said some of his customers (who haven't been to post-Katrina New Orleans) have been confused about the state of downtown New Orleans, after viewing months-old footage that many news stations continue to air.

In response, Landry eagerly tells inquirers, "You don't need a pirogue (boat) to get from the airport to downtown New Orleans."

The hospitality industry in downtown New Orleans (which includes the French Quarter, Central Business District and the Warehouse/Arts and Garden districts, among others) is nearly restored, with only a handful of hotels inoperable, some due to basement electrical systems that were flooded in September.

Jill Alexander, director of sales and marketing for the Morial center, said she has also received questions about the safety of the downtown area. "People think they need shots to come here," she said, "as if we had mold growing on us."

In an effort to lessen the negative image, the bureau, Morial center, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans Tourism Marketing and other groups each chipped in $20,000 to hire Luntz Research, a Washington, D.C.-based strategic counseling and message development firm. Luntz was hired to help New York City repair its image after the Sept. 11 attacks, Reuther said.

New York itself has taken steps to assist in New Orleans' rebirth. In early February, nearly 200 New Yorkers, including government and hospitality leaders, visited the Big Easy in a patriotic travel mission called NYC Loves NOLA. The weekend-long mission was launched by NYC & Co. Chairman Jonathan Tisch and Assn. for a Better New York Chairman William Rudin.

CVB President and CEO J. Stephen Perry said he hoped the New York delegation visit "set an example" for CVBs in other cities. When New York was assisted after Sept. 11, he added, it "set a national example of how Americans stand up for Americans."