While New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz, home of the treasure-filled French Quarter, a hot spot of eclectic dining, architecturally appealing and brimming with meetings-friendly venues, hospitality representatives agree that it's the people who reside here that make it a destination unlike any other in the country.
"New Orleans is all about the people," says Nikki Moon, vice president of sales at the New Orleans CVB. "The city has been through a lot and as we move on, we appreciate even more when tourists visit us and when meetings come here. We all, not just the hospitality industry, treat visitors like family."
New Orleans, adds Nancy Trosclair, president and owner of Destination New Orleans, is the most unique city in the country and certainly the most European, and with that comes a history and a heritage of which locals are very proud.
"One of our favorite sayings is 'Be a New Orleanian wherever you are.' This state of mind has to do with the joie de vivre that we celebrate here," she says, explaining attendees will take this spirit home with them after a visit. "We love being New Orleanians, and anyone who visits will also understand firsthand what it really means to love life."
New Orleans is also celebrating a post-Katrina renewal.
"We had a couple concerned years after Katrina," Moon says. "So we've encouraged planners to come and take a look, and once they get here, stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and walk around, they see that it's better than ever, and those who've had meetings are rebooking."
It's worth noting that during the summer, the warmest months in the Big Easy, deals can be made.
"That's when all of us across the South lower rates to make it more enticing," Moon says, adding that summertime brings fun festivals for groups to enjoy. Among them are June's Louisiana Seafood Fest, July's Essence Music Festival and August's Satchmo Summer Festival, celebrating native son Louis Armstrong.
Big Easy Access
The setup of the main meetings players in New Orleans makes it a snap for delegates to walk between the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the French Quarter, where they'll find coffee shops, galleries, restaurants and shopping opportunities.
"In New Orleans we have many boutique hotels because the French Quarter lends itself to small properties, and we suggest using the CVB to assist in finding these unique independent hotels," Moon says.
Among the French Quarter-based independent properties are the Hotel Monteleone and its sister Bienville House, the historic Soniat House and Dauphine Orleans Hotel.
The city's four largest hotels, each with more than 1,000 guest rooms, are the Sheraton New Orleans and the New Orleans Marriott, situated across the street from each other downtown near the French Quarter; the Hilton New Orleans Riverside; and the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, located next to the Louisiana Superdome.
With the completion of a redevelopment project, Hyatt Regency New Orleans is on track to reopen this fall with 200,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including a new 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall.
Also scheduled for completion by this fall is a guest room renovation at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans and an upgrade project at W New Orleans, including a revamp of guest rooms and a newly renovated meeting space totaling 13,000 square feet.
Off-Site Gems
Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World is one of many off-site venues for group gatherings. Located on the river out the back door of the convention center, this fun facility features floats that serve as built-in decor.
"Many groups have parties there," Moon says, explaining it accommodates anywhere from 400 to several thousand people. "When PCMA was here two years ago, there were 2,000 seated, but most do cocktail/heavy hors d'oeuvre receptions."
The National World War II Museum is a place to let attendees tour before or after a gathering. During a party, they can watch a video about WWII, and planners might like to book the Dixie Belles, a group of female singers reminiscent of the Andrews Sisters.
Other museums that double as off-site spots for meetings and attractions groups like to visit are the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Contemporay Arts Center. And for demonstrations or award ceremonies, planners might look to the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts.
Music In the Air
Music abounds in every corner of New Orleans, says Destination New Orleans' Trosclair, pointing to various pockets, including the musical neighborhood Treme, made more popular since the debut of the HBO series of the same name, the French Quarter, Magazine Street and the Faubourg Marigny, the area known by locals as being "the" place for New Orleans music.
"As far as group interaction and team building, it is our musical heritage that once again shines," Trosclair says, explaining there are many opportunities for groups to participate in creating and recording music. "We can arrange for groups to actually work with professional musicians to write and record original music, enjoy studio time and even have a CD or video to take home with them."
Many times, Trosclair adds, a video of a musical team-building event is incorporated into the highlight video of the conference to be viewed during the last night's event or to open the following year's event.
"And we can even facilitate drumming and percussion classes as team building so that attendees can participate in and create their own parades and stage performances," she says.
Jefferson Parish
In nearby Jefferson Parish, you can host a conference in a state-of-the-art facility by day and dance the Cajun two-step by night, according to Terrie Birkel, spokesperson for the Jefferson CVB.
"A group can tour a historic district, canoe the bayous of our national park and preserve, and dine at a five-star restaurant, all in one day," she says. "Jefferson Parish is quickly becoming one of the premier destinations for midsize meetings and events."
Among the area's meetings-friendly venues are the Pontchartrain Center, Alario Center and Bayou Segnette Sports Complex, Hilton New Orleans Airport, Four Points by Sheraton New Orleans Airport, Holiday Inn New Orleans West Bank, Best Western Landmark Hotel and New Orleans Marriott Metairie at Lakeway.
Also located in Jefferson Parish, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is currently undergoing a major modernization project, including a $16.9 million terminal improvement that is on track to double the size of Concourse D, creating six new gates and 8,000 square feet of concession space, by September.
The NOLA Motorsports Park, scheduled to open in August with two road car tracks, kart racing for groups to get in on the action, a 28,000-square-foot clubhouse, a restaurant and meeting facilities to accommodate five to 1,000 people, will be a welcome addition to the many unique off-site options for group events in the area.
Another is Bayou Barn, a rustic Cajun dance hall and party venue where groups can dance, enjoy crawfish and crab boils, and rent canoes and kayaks to paddle the bayous of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve.
Grand Isle, Louisiana's only inhabited barrier island and known as the "Cajun Bahamas," is a fun option for groups interested in fishing, swimming, crabbing, boating and other activities, Birkel says. "You've gotta have the oysters while in Jefferson—enjoy them charbroiled, grilled, fried or on the half shell."
St. Tammany Parish
Located just north of New Orleans and less than an hour away from Baton Rouge and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Louisiana's Northshore offers the feel of a true retreat, according to LaDana S. Williams, spokesperson for the St. Tammany Parish Tourist & Convention Commission.
"Groups enjoy great cuisine, an array of meeting venues and soft adventure attractions," she says, citing Honey Island Swamp Tours; Global Wildlife Center, home to 3,000 animals on 900 acres; Insta-Gator Ranch and Hatchery, a working Louisiana alligator farm; and Tammany Trace, a scenic recreational corridor comprising a main paved trail, a parallel equestrian trail and other recreational facilities.
Group-friendly options for dining outings include Dakota Restaurant, Palmettos on the Bayou and Friends Coastal Restaurant.
"Our area offers the best of both worlds, from fine dining to casual home-style cooking," Williams says. "But regardless of where you dine we suggest always eating Louisiana seafood."
Area meetings facilities include the Rivers Retreat Conference Center on the Little Tchefuncte River, Annadele's Plantation, a circa-1830s mansion featuring award-winning Louisiana cuisine in a series of lovely dining spaces, and Pontchartrain Vineyards, which offers group tours and a scenic reception area overlooking the vineyards.
Carolyn Blackburn is a frequent contributor to Meetings Focus South.
