Two years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, still struggling to attract large, association-sponsored citywide events, is upping its efforts to appeal to the corporate meetings market. So much so that the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority Board of Commissioners has abandoned efforts to expand the Morial Convention Center, and instead plans to redirect some of the funds approved for the Phase IV expansion plan to renovate and upgrade existing space in the convention center to be more appealing to the corporate market.

New Orleans “is seeing an increase in short-term corporate business, and we expect this trend to continue,” says Kelly Schulz, vice president, communications and public relations, New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The investment in the existing convention center building will benefit all customers by enhancing the amenities and finishes with more rich tones and casual seating areas. Especially for corporate customers with smaller meetings, it will allow us to compete with mega-convention hotels by providing an experience in one part of the center that feels more like being in a hotel than in one of the nation's largest convention centers.”

In a statement announcing the board's decision, Warren L. Reuther Jr., board chairman, said that re-allocating some of the approved funds toward an upgrade of the existing center would give New Orleans “a distinct competitive advantage in the pursuit of corporate and executive conferences and other corporate business events.”

Recycling Live Earth

Check out MeetingsNet Green Meetings Section!

On July 7, the Live Earth concert rocked the globe, spreading the news about climate change to every continent over a 24-hour period. Behind the scenes was Portland, Ore.-based Meeting Strategies Worldwide, which managed the green practices at the Giants Stadium venue and coordinated 800 volunteers working in charge of the extensive recycling and composting efforts. The company also took what it learned and created the Green Event Standards, a book of guidelines for organizers of large concerts. www.meetingstrategiesworldwide.com

Calendar:

NOV. 27-29/European Incentive & Business Travel Meetings Exhibition (EIBTM)
Barcelona, Spain
www.eibtm.com

DEC. 6-9/SITE International Conference
Hyatt Regency Monterey
Monterey, Calif.
www.site-intl.org

DEC. 10-12/International Association of Exhibitions and Events Expo! Expo! Annual Meeting & Exhibition
Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
www.iaem.org

FEB. 2-5, 2008/Meeting Professionals International Professional Education Conference-North America Houston
www.mpiweb.org

FEB. 7, 2008/Destination Marketing Association International Destinations Showcase Washington Convention Center
Washington, D.C.
www.iacvb.org

APRIL 9-10, 2008/HSMAI's Affordable Meetings Mid-America
Navy Pier, Chicago
www.affordablemeetings.com

APRIL 18-20, 2008/Meeting Professionals International
MPI Professional Education Conference-Europe; London
www.mpiweb.org