Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority expected to start comprehensive search for new CEO
submitted by the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
NEW ORLEANS – Michael J. Sawaya, president and CEO of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOEMCC) announced on Thursday that he will assume the role of president and CEO of the Audubon Nature Institute after the first of the year.
“We cannot thank Mike enough for his leadership in honing the mission and vision of our Convention Center and propelling us to the top of the national conventions, meetings and events market,” said Russell W. Allen, president of the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority. “As we continue to build on our shared achievements and push for further innovations and advancements in our industry, we wish Mike unbounded success at Audubon.”
“The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and Mike have been an invaluable partner to New Orleans & Company as we have positioned our city as a top-tier convention destination that is Built to Host and brings immense value and real benefits to New Orleanians,” said Walt Leger III, President and CEO of New Orleans & Company, the official destination sales and marketing organization for the New Orleans tourism industry. “In our work together, we’ve cultivated and maintained strong relationships between our hospitality and tourism sector and the businesses that return year after year to host some of the most complex and impactful meetings in the nation. We are thrilled for Mike and thrilled for Audubon, and I am confident we will continue to accelerate this important work with the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center under his successor.”
At the Convention Center, Sawaya has driven major advancements for the facility, including a $557 million transformative Capital Improvement Plan, nationally recognized sustainability initiatives that led to a LEED Gold certification, the development of a new $1 billion mixed use business and residential neighborhood and the commitment, with a $500 million investment pledge by Omni Hotels & Resorts to build a 1,000-room headquarters hotel.
“Serving as the leader of this Convention Center for the past six and a half years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my long and blessed career,” said Sawaya. “Together, we have achieved incredible success, and I am immensely proud of the work we have accomplished together as a team – enhancing our facilities and our services to remain a premier hub for conventions, exhibitions, and events and setting the standard for excellence in our industry.”
Commissioners of the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority are expected to launch an extensive national search process for the next president and CEO.
The Audubon Nature Institute operates a family of 10 museums and parks dedicated to nature including the Audubon Zoo and the Audubon Aquarium.
About the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
New Orleans is Built to Host! With 1.1 million square feet of prime exhibit space on one level, all under one roof, NOENMCC is tied for the sixth-largest convention center in the United States. NOENMCC is a 2025 Exhibitor Magazine Centers of Excellence recipient and is consistently named a regional top workplace by The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. A recent LEED Gold certification makes NOENMCC the largest LEED-certified project in Louisiana and the largest convention center project in the U.S. certified under LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance, as well as the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certification under LEED Gold v4.1 O+M. A leading contributor to the city’s robust tourism economy, NOENMCC event activity has produced $90.1 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening.
