As New Orleans prepares to host Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, Feb. 9, we caught up with New Orleans & Co. President and CEO Walt Leger and VP Convention Sales and Strategies Stephanie Turner to find out what’s new and trending in the Crescent City for meetings and trade shows. 

Following the tragic events on New Year’s Day, the executive team from New Orleans & Co., the destination marketing organization for the city, addressed the event industry during the opening general session at PCMA Convening Leaders, the annual conference for business event professionals held Jan. 12-15 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. 

At 3:15 a.m. CST on Jan. 1, 2025, a man drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. He exited the truck and engaged in a shootout with police before being fatally shot. Fifteen people were killed, including the perpetrator, and at least 57 others were injured, including two police officers who were shot, according to the Associated Press. 

"New Orleans is far too special of a place to have its light dimmed by the act of a terrorist," Leger said. The resilience of the community is a testament to their spirit, with the city rallying together in both challenging and celebratory times. 

Read four highlights from our conversation or watch the full interview here. 

1. Excitement Builds for Upcoming Events 

New Orleans is gearing up for major events such as the Super Bowl, which Leger described as "a special time to have an event like that." With the city's exceptional hospitality and infrastructure, featuring 26,000 hotel rooms downtown and key venues like the French Quarter, Superdome, and Ernest N. Morial Convention Center all conveniently located, New Orleans is more than ready to host its 11th Super Bowl. 

For Turner, the preparation involves more than just the Super Bowl. She highlighted the ongoing commitment to excellence in hosting a wide array of meetings and conventions. “Our team alone commits 1,000 meetings a year,” Turner shared, underscoring the city’s capacity and enthusiasm for accommodating events of all sizes, from the National Automobile Dealers Association to medical meetings and beyond. 

 “In 2024, of the 250 largest meetings that rotate around the United States, we were third,” Turner said. 

2. Sustainability Takes Center Stage 

A key trend in the meetings and conventions sector is sustainability, and New Orleans is at the forefront. The convention center, retrofitted to be Gold LEED certified, is a testament to the city’s commitment. Sustainability and giving back remain top priorities for event organizers, Turner said. 

3. Plugging into Authenticity 

Leger touched on the authenticity that New Orleans naturally offers, which has become increasingly valuable in today’s event industry. “There’s a lot of talk about authenticity,” he said. “We don't really know how to not be authentic.  With the music and the food and the other things that bring people together in our community, that's just how we live our lives there.” This authenticity allows visitors to effortlessly integrate their themes with the rich culture of New Orleans, enhancing the overall experience of their events, he added. 

4. Looking Ahead 

New Orleans continues to evolve with exciting new developments, such as the much-anticipated Omni Hotel, a new convention hotel that is set to break ground in 2025, and the extensive renovations of the convention center and Superdome.  

“A hotel like this at the convention center is a long time coming and the whole community is really rallying around that and the over $1 billion development in the River District, which is just next to the convention center,” said Leger. “The almost $550 million renovation of the convention center itself is ongoing in pieces over the course of the next couple of years.” 

In this city, every meeting is treated with the same importance and care as a Super Bowl, Leger said. "We really try to stay focused on delivering consistently throughout the year in and year out," he said. 

Main image: Scenes from outside the Superdome in New Orleans on Monday, Feb. 3. Photo: Catherine Koppel