by Emily Olson
The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (MCCNO), located at 900 Convention Center Boulevard, is the sixth largest convention city in the United States. It was named after the city’s first Black mayor, and the name of the city was added to its official title in 2008.
The convention center covers nearly 11 city blocks, and its 3 million square feet of space includes 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space. The center boasts 140 meetings rooms, a 60,000-square-foot column-free ballroom, an additional 50,000-square-foot ballroom and a 4,000-seat theater, which was built as part of the facility’s 2006 renovation.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the MCCNO became one of the two most important shelters for hurricane survivors. The other was the Louisiana Superdome. In the aftermath of the hurricane, survivors were left without power, water, food, medical supplies and proper sanitation, but they were safe from the storm and flooding that swept the city during the tragic event.
The MCCNO has been host to nearly 3,000 events since its first building opened in 1984 as part of the Great Hall of the World’s Fair. In 2018, the MCCNO Authority adopted a capital improvement plan that will renovate the facility and build a hotel connected to the center. Also part of the plans is a 7.5 acre park that will span the length of the facility in order to give convention goers a picturesque spot to relax outside. They Authority planned to complete the upgrades in 2020, but has delayed its completion.
The facility is owned and governed by the state of Louisiana.
