New Orleans Tourism Industry, NOTMC, and NOCVB, Partners with Rex Organization to Bring Visitors to Mardi Gras

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Lea Sinclair, NOTMC, 504-491-5330, lea@notmc.com
Sarah Forman, NOCVB, 504-566-5019, sforman@neworleanscvb.com

New Orleans Tourism Industry, NOTMC, and NOCVB, Partners with Rex Organization to Bring Visitors to Mardi Gras

NEW ORLEANS - January 8, 2013 - New Orleans is known the world-over for Mardi Gras, and going forward, the city and its tourism industry will partner with the King of Carnival himself to promote the event.

When Carnival begins each year on "Twelfth Night," the city delivered a proclamation, created by the Rex organization's School of Design, to citizens around the world beckoning them to attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

"It is only fitting that the city of New Orleans join with Rex, King of Carnival, to invite visitors to our city," said Mark Romig, President and CEO of New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, NOTMC. "The Rex 2013 Royal Invitation renews a carnival tradition more than a century old."

The Rex Organization began creating its Royal Invitation in 1872 when a group of young New Orleans leaders decided to issue invitations and a proclamation, inviting all to come to the Crescent City to join in its unique Mardi Gras celebration. In the days before mass media, broadcast, and tourism industries, the beautiful art posters and brochures were distributed in railroad stations, plastered on train cars, posted in centers of commerce, and placed in public buildings around the nation in major U.S. cities.

"We are so pleased to be able to share this great tradition with our customers and friends all over the world," said Stephen Perry, President and CEO of the NOCVB. "The early officials of Rex acted much in the spirit of the CVB in the late 1800s, inviting travelers to the city for the Carnival season. We continue in that tradition today, and to be able to hearken back to the Rex organization's history and use modern technology to share their message is exciting. No other city can utilize such a document in this unique way."

The 2013 Royal Invitation incorporates artwork from 1886, inviting visitors to "gather, from far and near, to join in the many celebrations and processions which will shortly unfold under the joyful Carnival banner."

Each year, both the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau will issue an electronic version of the Invitation across the country to media, as well as over 60,000 travel trade professionals and tour operators. Both tourism corporations will feature the Royal Invitation on their website's homepage.

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About New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC)
The New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation promotes the city as a leisure tourism destination throughout the year.  Annually, NOTMC's marketing campaigns include strategic print, broadcast, and Internet advertising and public relations.  Websites: http://www.neworleansonline.com/; NewOrleansMuseums.com; RadioFreeNeworleans.com; GoNola.com. Social media: Facebook.com/NewOrleansOnline;  Twitter.com/visitneworleans. 

About the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau (NOCVB)
The New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau is a nationally accredited, 1,100-member destination marketing organization and the largest and most successful private economic development corporation in Louisiana. We help create $5.47 billion in new capital each year- more than any other business sector- by attracting millions of visitors, special events and conventions. The CVB and its members influence thousands of decision-makers and millions of visitors to choose New Orleans through direct sales, marketing, public relations, branding and visitor services at our New Orleans headquarters and offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Phoenix and five countries. Consistently recognized as one of the top five CVBs in the country, the New Orleans CVB celebrated its 52nd anniversary in 2012. For more information, please visit http://www.neworleanscvb.com/.

About the School of Design
Since Rex first paraded in 1872, millions and millions of happy residents and visitors have enjoyed the pageantry of Carnival Day in New Orleans.  The official name of the Rex Organization is the "School of Design," but it is generally referred to as Rex or the Rex Organization. "Pro Bono Publico," the Rex motto, means "for the public good" and appears on all official Rex documents. Rex places great emphasis on this motto and uses it as a basis for all of its policies, activities, and community initiatives, including the work of the Pro Bono Publico Foundation, formed in 2006. More information on the Rex Organization can be found at http://www.rexorganization.com/.