CHICAGO — New Orleans is positioning itself as a premier business event destination with a plethora of improvements, renovations and developments underway in and around the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) and the city.
“There’s no other place like New Orleans,” said Walter J. Leger III, chairman and CEO of New Orleans & Company. “People need to feel welcome and feel safe to be themselves when they’re in our community. We’ve always been that place; people know that a city like New Orleans is very open and welcoming. Part of the charm is that people feel free to be who they are when they’re in our city, and we think it’s important that the meetings industry continues to be a place where people come together. We like to say that New Orleans is ‘built to welcome,’ in part because of our unique brand of hospitality.”
And coming together in New Orleans means sharing its diverse culture, being part of a sustainable future, and taking advantage of all the city’s growing offerings and developments for event planners and attendees.
NOENMCC Renovation Champions for Sustainability
The NOENMCC has launched its $557 million improvement plan, which includes renovations to the exterior and interior of the facility. With 1.1 million contiguous square feet of premier exhibit space, the convention center is the sixth largest in the United States.
“Our clients have been telling us what we need to do to make the convention center more attractive and competitive,” said Tim Hemphill, NOENMCC’s chief commercial officer. “NOENMCC opened in 1985 and historically we haven’t had the ‘amenities’ that you find in today’s modern facilities. So we’ve added social spaces, added lots of seating and brought in lots of art. We also have a new digital signage infrastructure, both external and internal.”
Since the plan was launched in 2018, significant investments – more than $20 million – have been made in sustainability projects, such as stormwater drainage improvements and water bottle filling stations. The plan also includes electric vehicle charging stations, more efficient waste management and a focus on energy consumption.
The facility also updated its lighting system in the exhibition hall.
“It’s not something you usually see, but if you’re an exhibitor or show manager, you know how important lighting is. We’ve outfitted all of our lighting systems with LED lights, and they’re all individually programmable,” Hemphill said.
The investment paid off as the convention center achieved its first LEED Gold certification and became the largest convention center project to be certified with LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance.
Because of the facility’s focus on sustainability, NOENMCC has implemented measurement systems that organizers can use to calculate their carbon footprint and environmental impact when hosting events in New Orleans. As more organizers work toward achieving net zero emissions by 2050, in line with the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative, the measurement tools built into NOENMCC increase its appeal.
“We are the first convention center to achieve LEED Gold certification, based on the new certification that uses real-world metrics and numbers to achieve LEED Gold certification,” Hemphill said. “Everything we’ve done has been measured over a year. So we have a program in place that allows us to know exactly how much waste is being diverted from the landfill. All of these types of things that are increasingly important to exhibitors are being incorporated.”
Developments in the city
The convention center isn’t the city’s only development, as nearly $1 billion in hotel renovations are underway or in the planning stages.
“The Four Seasons opened in August 2021, and the Virgin Hotel opened around the same time,” Leger said. “There are also some really beautiful and unique boutique properties opening in the city, which represents a lot of investment.”
That includes Caesars Entertainment’s $325 million investment in Harrah’s Hotel and Casino, located steps from the famed French Quarter and less than a mile from the convention center. The project will see the building transformed into Caesars New Orleans, which will include the Nobu Hotel New Orleans. The casino resort is expected to open in 2024, with the addition of a 340-room tower.
Nearby NOENMCC, a new River District community is being built on 39 acres of land adjacent to the convention center. The district is expected to generate an economic impact of $1 billion in economic activity and $43 million in net new annual tax revenue.
The mixed-use community will feature premier bike paths and sidewalks, while also housing apartments and condominiums, hotels, restaurants, retail and entertainment, including a Top Golf course.
“We have reason to celebrate with new milestones and honors for the city,” Leger said. “For example, April 14 was the busiest day ever at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, with 27,972 people screened in total at the checkpoint. French Quarter Fest 2024 welcomed a record 950,000 people. The Jazz & Heritage Festival drew huge crowds for a highly anticipated May 2nd “New Orleans was ranked fourth among the 25 best cities in the South, according to Southern Living readers. Woldenberg Riverfront Park was ranked second among the best river walks by USA Today’s 10 Best Hotels list. And Windsor Court was recognized as one of the 500 best hotels in the world by Travel + Leisure.”
Sharing New Orleans Culture
New Orleans has a rich and diverse culture, and New Orleans & Company makes sure event attendees know they are all welcome in the city.
“The ‘Everyone is Welcome Here’ campaign is a reiteration of who we are as a city, and it’s clear that our city has really been at the forefront of equal rights for a very long time, for all people,” Leger said. “You can even go back to the early 1990s when our city charter adopted anti-discrimination language based on transgender and LGBTQ+ designations at a time when no one was talking about it. The campaign is about inclusion, about talking about and standing up for the values of our city and our business community, but we’ve also incorporated educational elements so that our members can not only put a sticker on their window, but really think and talk about what inclusion really looks like.”
“However, the campaign goes far beyond stickers. A training program is in place so businesses know exactly how to integrate inclusion into their daily operations and ensure customers feel welcomed and respected. It sends an important message to visitors, whether they are here for leisure, convention customers and those making decisions about where to host special events in a competitive marketplace, that inclusion is part of who we are and how we operate.”
There are also plenty of cultural attractions to explore in New Orleans, whether you’re attending an event, traveling for business, or just visiting for a few days. New attractions include the opening of the Vue Orleans Observatory and JAM NOLA. The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas also reopened in summer 2023, showcasing its $40 million renovation and reinvention.
The “America’s Expressions of World War II” exhibit has also been expanded to the tune of $400 million. The location of the National World War II Museum is also intentional, as the city is home to the Higgins, which served as “a landing craft to bring American soldiers ashore during every major amphibious assault” of the war, according to the museum.
To reinforce the city’s focus on sustainability as a waterfront destination, the Louisiana Coast Restoration Coalition established an oyster shell recycling program, which has recycled more than 13 million pounds of oyster shells from the city’s restaurants to create 8,000 feet of reefs in the water. These reefs slow erosion and create habitats in which new oysters can grow.
Manufacturing and innovation are also booming in the city. NASA’s Michoud facility, located east of New Orleans, has completed construction of a 322-foot Space Launch System rocket that will put the first woman and the first person of color on the moon. The clean energy sector has also boomed in the area.
Contact Tim Hemphill at themphill@mccno.com
Photo credit: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans/Mike Palumbo.