The International Disaster Conference & Expo Convenes in New Orleans January 17-19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2012

The International Disaster Conference & Expo Convenes in New Orleans January 17-19
Conference management to stage the most comprehensive disaster management industry conference and exposition ever

WHAT: The International Disaster Conference & Expo (IDCE 2012)

WHERE: New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (MCCNO), Halls C-D

WHEN: January 17-19, 2012

DETAILS: The International Disaster Conference and Exposition, to be held January 17-19, 2012, will bring together emergency management, homeland security and disaster industry professionals from the public and private sectors around the world to share lessons learned and forward thinking regarding the policies, procedures and best practices shaping disaster preparation, response and recovery, loss mitigation, business continuity and more.

This annual event, initiated by the MCCNO in partnership with Imago Tradeshows, positions New Orleans as the best practice model for crisis management. Featuring the most renowned speakers and showcasing the latest equipment and technology from around the world, this conference and tradeshow also establishes the state of Louisiana as the center of excellence for disaster management (preparation, response, recovery, mitigation). This is the first comprehensive disaster management industry conference and exposition of this magnitude. "This relationship represents a new model for the convention center industry, which is common in Europe and provides New Orleans with the benefit of a long term commitment. We are excited about the opportunity to bring together public and private groups to share information on a subject on which Louisiana is known as an authority," said Bob Johnson, president/general manager of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The IDCE 2012 exhibition hall will feature more than 200 companies offering the latest in disaster industry technologies and techniques. Some of the products on display are Gorilla Design's Disaster Relief Unit, a self-sustaining emergency shelter created out of a 20' x 8' shipping container that can be shipped anywhere in the world and arrive turnkey, ready to inhabit; FloodSax's sandless, self-inflating bags, a flood defense system that could revolutionize the control of damage from flooding; Mathews Specialty Vehicles' disaster management vehicle, offering such capabilities as decontamination, medical relief and mass evacuation; and Earth Networks' solutions for emergency management agencies, including real-time weather visualization and how impending conditions will impact response and recovery efforts.

The event is expected to attract over 20,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors and present a direct annual impact of $20 million within its first five years.

WEBSITE: www.internationaldisasterconference.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/#!/idcexpo
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_182591001779997
LINKEDIN: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/International-Disaster-Conference-Expo-3777737?mostPopular=&gid=3777737
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/user/IDCENewOrleans

MAJOR EVENTS (All events held at MCCNO, Hall C unless noted otherwise):

• Tues, Jan. 17, 8:30 a.m.: Welcome Address: Gov. Bobby Jindal - Louisiana (invited)
  
• Tues, Jan. 17, 9 a.m.: Key Note Address: Craig Fugate FEMA Administrator: Private Sector Resources in the Emergency Management Plan; the Public-Private Partnership
• Tues, Jan. 17, 10 a.m.: Honorable Tom Ridge - CEO Ridge Global; First Director DHS; former Governor of Pennsylvania: DHS and the Face of Emergency Management 10 Years Later
• Tues, Jan. 17, 11 a.m.: Mark Merritt - President, Witt Associates; Former Special Assistant to the Associate Director for the Response and Recovery Directorate: Global Preparedness Issues
• Wed, Jan. 18, 10 a.m.: Speaker Meir Elran, Senior Research Fellow and Director, Homeland Security Program and Co-Director, Israeli Society and National Security Program - Societal Resilience as a Key Response to Terrorism: An Israeli Perspective
• Wed, Jan. 18, 3-5 p.m.: Panel Discussion on Mass-Sheltering - Moderated by: Harold Hansen (IVMA). Panelists include Ann Palmer, Red Cross; Frank Poe, Executive Director of GWCC; and Bob Johnson, Executive Director of MCCNO
• Thurs, Jan. 19, 9-10 a.m.: Speaker Burl Cain, Warden of Louisiana State Penitentiary - Angola and the 2011 Floods: The Largest Maximum Security Prison Evacuation in American History
• Thurs, Jan. 19, 1 p.m.: LTG Russell Honore - Creating a "Culture of Preparedness" in America

EXHIBIT HALL: MCCNO, Hall D
HOURS: Tues, Jan. 17 - Wed, Jan. 18: Noon - 6 p.m.
Thurs, Jan 19: Noon - 4 p.m.

PRESS ROOM: MCCNO, Hall C, Room 219
HOURS: 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
IDCE: Sandra Moreland, 404-310-4059, Sandra@morelandgroup.net
New Orleans CVB: Tara Letort, 504-566-5019, tletort@neworleanscvb.com; Kelly Schulz, 504-421-0962, kschulz@neworleanscvb.com; Jennifer Day-Sully, 773-909-2514, jday@neworleanscvb.com
MCCNO: Rosalie Mortillaro, 504-582-3027, rmortillaro@mccno.com

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