by Kerstan Szczepanski, ECN
The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (900 Convention Center Blvd. New Orleans, LA) opened in 1985. The venue was named after Ernest N. Morial, New Orleans first African American mayor. While not the largest convention center in the US, it does have the largest exhibit hall—1.1 million square-feet of space, contiguous on one level. There are 140 additional meeting rooms, a 4,000 seat theater, and two ballrooms: The Great Hall, a 60,000 square foot column-free ballroom, and a 30,000 square foot junior ballroom. The center is the sixth largest convention facility in the nation and annually ranks in the country’s top ten facilities that hold the most conventions and tradeshows.
The convention center has a transportation center along Convention Center Blvd. This location provides drop-off locations for buses, shuttless, rideshares, and taxis all without interfering with boulevard traffic. It is the first phase of a liner park development along the street.
The convention center has a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, an achievement in sustainability in building design. Certified by the US Green Building Council, the convention center is the largest LEED-certified project in Louisiana, the largest convention center in the US certified LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance (O+M), as well as the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certification under LEED v4.1 O+M. With this certification, the center raises the bar on building standards for energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality and waste reduction for projects of its size.
With well over 20,000 hotel rooms within a 15 minute walk of the convention center, there are plenty of places to stay. This includes the Hampton Inn & Suites New Orleans Convention Center and the New Orleans Marriott Warehouse Arts District, which is directly across the street.
The venue hosts the New Orleans Home & Garden Show, ATD24—the world’s largest learning and development conference—and the International WorkBoat Show.
New Orleans is a 24-hour party city with a rich 300 year old diverse culture: the birthplace of jazz, the home of the French Quarter, and creole and Cajun cuisine. Any convention-goer and exhibitor will have more than enough to choose from when it comes time to relax after the show.
This story originally appeared in the Q2 2024 issue of Exhibit City News, p. 78. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/ecn_q1_2024.
