New Orleans is ready for you. Click here for more information.
Click here for the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Help Heal the Heart of the Gulf Coast
The American College of Cardiology Foundation Welcomes Your Contribution to directly support…
Health Outreach Prevention and Empowerment (HOPE) Project
The Association of Black Cardiologists’ hurricane relief program
www.abcardio.org/relief.html
Providing assistance in areas of healthcare, personal needs, and logistical support to individuals and not-for-profit organizations in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast hurricane-affected region - the Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc. (ABC), is a tax-exempt charitable organization under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Greater New Orleans Medical Foundation
Of the Orleans Parish Medical Society and the Orleans Medical Society Alliance
http://opms.org/gnomf/
The Foundation seeks to improve the health of the citizens of the greater New Orleans area by educating health care professionals and the public on health care issues; supporting public health initiatives; and promoting volunteerism among medical and health professionals. The Medical Foundation is a tax-exempt charitable organization under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Contributions are welcome and further information is available on site during Exposition hours at Booth #2461, Hall D, Morial Convention Center
Also visit Hands On New Orleans at Exposition Booth #2459
www.handsonneworleans.org
Helping to organize long term rebuilding efforts in the area.
Well come on, everybody, take a trip with me. On down the Mississippi, down to New Orleans.”* Words to an oldie but goodie. It is also our invitation to you to join us for ACC.07, March 24 – 27, 2007 at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
As is normal following a catastrophic event, you have concerns about the readiness of New Orleans to handle an event the size of ACC’s Annual Scientific Session.
It has been a year since Katrina hit New Orleans. The area has made great strides in rebuilding, and ACC is committed to doing its part in helping this magnificent city.
The following outlines key information, including testimonials regarding the status of New Orleans, including photographs of post-Katrina New Orleans and of expositions held at the Morial Convention Center in the past couple of months, real stories, and city updates. We are sure you will want to join us at the Morial Convention Center in March.
Hotels
Question: Will there be enough rooms to accommodate ACC.07and i2 Summit attendees and exhibitors?
Answer: More than 27,300 out of 38,000 rooms are available. Seventy four percent of the metropolitan area hotels are open—103 of 140—and more are being renovated. Ninety of these hotels are located downtown. The American Library Association, which just finished a convention in New Orleans, blocked rooms at 28 hotels with 8,000 peak hotel room nights.
“I've been a member of this association for 22 years and we have 2 conferences a year and one of our favorite places to come is always New Orleans and we're here again. This is a good convention city for us because we require a lot of hotel space and a lot of meeting space, and you're able to meet those needs for us, quite adequately and the other side of it of course is everyone wants to come here to have a good time, and you do that really, really well. It's always refreshing to me having come into the city having heard all the news that I've heard and spend my very first evening in such a positive way because it was just, just like it always is, which is perfect…” JAN SANDERS, Director of Information Services for ALA in Pasadena, California 6/24/06.
Restaurants
Question: Will there be enough restaurant choices available?.
Answer: More than 1,000 restaurants were open as of June, 2006. Early openers of note were Galatoire's, Emeril's, Arnaud's, Bayona, Herbsaint, Restaurant August, G.W. Fin's, Bacco, Peristyle, Palace Cafe, Lilette, Brigsten's, K-Paul's, Cuvee, NOLA, Bourbon House, Broussard's and Antoine's, Acme Oyster House, Gumbo Shop, Cafe du Monde, Muriel's, Tujague's, Tommy's and Pascal's Manale. More are under renovation and will open soon.
Transportation
Question: Will it be tough to get there and tough to get around the city?
Answer: Louis Armstrong International Airport has direct and nonstop service to more than 100 cities on 17 domestic and international airlines. There are 111 daily departures, or about 67% of the 166 flights per day pre-Katrina. In fact, there were 859,040 domestic flights in June of 2005, while there were 578,322 domestic flights in June of 2006.
Providing service to New Orleans are the following: Air Canada, AirTran, America West Airlines, American Airlines, Continental, Delta Airlines, Frontier, jetBlue, Midwest, Northwest, Southwest, Grupo Taca, United Airlines, and U.S. Airways.
Question: Is there any way the Morial Convention Center will be ready for ACC.07 and i2 Summit?
Anwer: Three of the Center’s 12 halls reopened February 2006. Eight exhibit halls and associated meeting space reopened in June, and halls A through C are scheduled to open by November 2006—at which point the entire Center will be fully operational. Thirty two events have been held or are scheduled for 2006 with a projected attendance of 245,000 people and 200,000 projected room nights.
The American Library Association was the first large group in New Orleans.
The American Library Association convention was the first post-Katrina event with numbers comparable to ACC’s. The ALA meeting was held June 24 – 27, 2006 with 18,000 attendees.
“When we came in everything was ready for us, people couldn't be more helpful in the exhibit, staff in the hotels everybody has been wonderful, but the conference center has been absolutely marvelous...” AMY ROSENBAUM, President of Exhibitors Round Table, 6/24/06
“It was a big convention it was a big exhibit it was a lot of people and we accomplished our mission so we were really happy with our mission. New Orleans was fantastic. You still feel everyone is very happy, people are really sunny and the way they welcome you is fantastic so you really feel at home and that's the important thing, it's a combination of the city and the people, they are really, really nice.” SARAH BRACCESCHI, American Interest, Italian Magazine, 6/26/06.
Other Areas
Question: Besides the Convention Center, will there be no attractions or shopping available?
Answer: Many attractions reopened by the end of 2005, including the Riverwalk Marketplace, the Audubon Zoo, the Cabildo, Mardi Gras World, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and the Hermann—Grima Historic Houses. The New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park reopened in March. The riverfront Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and IMAX Theater reopened May 26 with familiar favorites such as its 19-bird penguin colony and sea otters, plus new sharks and stingrays replacing lost collections. The Riverwalk, with its many specialty stores is open for shopping.
The core of the New Orleans hospitality and tourism destinations were not flooded and today are storm-debris free, open and thriving, including the Faubourg Marginy, French Quarter, Warehouse and Arts District, Garden District/Uptown, Audubon and University section, Carrollton and Riverbend and historic Algiers, as well as Jefferson Parish (home to Louis Armstrong International Airport) and Northshore. — July 18 "State of the City" Report
Health Matters
Question: I’m worried about the health situation, if something were to happen, will there be anywhere to go?
Answer: The Health Department has worked side by side with the EPA, DEQ, CDC and other environmental organizations that have tested, retested and will continue to test land, sea and air. The results show the city is safe for citizens and visitors. Eleven hospitals including Tulane, Charity, and Kenner Regional Medical are now open.
State of the City, State of Mind
Question: How come I don’t hear anything good coming out of New Orleans?
Answer: Following are printed articles, quotes and viewpoints of how the city is doing:
While the New Orleans market continues to languish nearly a year after Katrina, its common belief people don’t want to visit a devastated city. Truth is, according to those on the scene, the city’s main tourism zones such as the French Quarter and Convention Center sustained such little damage its hardly worth noting. However, the American media’s penchant for sensationalism is perpetuating the belief that the city essentially lies in ruins. While that may be the case in districts such as the 9th Ward -- a neighborhood tourists never enter -- its certainly not the case in the city’s main corridors. “New Orleans Back in Action” 7/28/06 Glenn Haussman of Hotel Interactive
“Without doubt, New Orleans has been and continues to be a top destination for large groups that want first-class entertainment, food, facilities and service, and a truly unique cultural experience. With the help of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitor's Bureau and the city's world-renowned hospitality, our recent sales conference was a huge success…. We toured the city, stayed in luxury accommodations, ate at fabulous restaurants and experienced authentic New Orleans entertainment at its best. Maritz' sales force is thrilled to report back to clients that New Orleans is open for business, and ready for their next incentive trip or meeting.” - Christine Duffy, President and CEO, Maritz Travel Company, June 14, 2006
We at ACC hope you will attend ACC.07and i2 Summit in New Orleans. Please check back for new highlights on the status of New Orleans.
“Say, hey, a hey, hey, yeah!”*
*New Orleans by Guida/Royster, sung by Gary U.S. Bonds 9/60