What's in a Name ... or a Logo?

Bob Johnson thinks Marc Morial is making a mountain out of a logo — and apparently the Louisiana State Legislature agrees with Johnson.

In December, a new marketing effort by the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans included a new logo for the convention center that put the name "New Orleans" in front of "Morial" to make it the New Orleans Morial Convention Center — dropping the "Ernest N."

Then, in early April, Marc Morial, son of Ernest N. Morial, whom the center is named after, wrote Johnson, president and general manager of the center, to "express our dismay, disappointment and objection to the back-door, unauthorized and illegal name change of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center — New Orleans."

Marc Morial went on to write that what he referred to as a name change was "an unauthorized, illegal effort to reverse history by changing the name of the building."

Johnson said there has never been any intention to change the name of the building, merely an effort to revitalize a logo that had not been changed in 16 years.

"This has been made controversial," he added, "but it wasn't intended to be that. We just changed the logo a little bit and emphasized New Orleans. It's the first step in what we hope to be an ongoing rebuilding effort."

The center, previously called simply the New Orleans Convention Center, was renamed in 1992 to honor Ernest N. Morial, the first black mayor of the city. Marc Morial also has been a mayor of New Orleans and is now president and CEO of the Natl. Urban League.

Marc Morial did not return calls to Tradeshow Week.

Johnson said there has never been any intention of changing anything but the logo. The signage on the building and the wording in all contracts remains the same as it always has. In fact, the Louisiana State Legislature is the entity that came up with the name and is the only one with the authority to change it.

"They (the legislature) recognize it as a marketing effort," Johnson said. "They agree the most important thing is to get people to come back to New Orleans."

On April 29, the Commerce Committee of the Louisiana House of Representatives approved a resolution allowing the center to use alternative names in marketing materials. The resolution, introduced by State Rep. J.P. Morrell, a Democrat from New Orleans, still must be approved by the full house and senate.

Morrell said he had not spoken to Marc Morial or any other members of his family since Morial wrote his letter April 2. A spokeswoman at the Natl. Urban League headquarters in New York said Morial would not have any comment on any action by the Louisiana State Legislature.

However, in his letter, Morial wrote, "To suggest that it is marketing and branding is so hollow as to not even merit a response."

Morial went on to say, "It is an inescapable part of the history of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center that it served as a refuge for tens of thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. By seeking a back-door name change, you dishonor these proud survivors, as well as those who did not make it through the awful scourge of Katrina."

Johnson said the logo change (which, he added, "... is being mischaracterized as a name change") was part of a city-wide effort to reestablish New Orleans as a destination in a post-Katrina era.

"It was never a name change, just a marketing initiative," he added.

Perhaps anticipating such a response, Morial concluded his letter by asking, "What purpose does an altered logo and new name serve you in an effort to secure more business, when there should be a united front to the nation?"