"We had an amazing event in New Orleans! The first annual Electronic Services Conference (ESCon) was held in April 2009, and our attendance was nearly double what we expected. New Orleans proved to be a big draw for our group, which we learned when our attendees extended their stays to see more of the city. From site selection through the event process, the CVB partnered with us to make sure we had everything we needed. We felt that our business was valued and appreciated. On the evaluations, attendees reported that they loved being in a city where no car is needed, and that they were in such close proximity to a large number of attractions. We hope to be back soon!
- Gayle Patterson, CMP, Coordinator—Forums and Meetings, Law School Admission Council, May 2009

"We wanted to express our gratitude again for hosting our Convergence 2009 event in March!  The event was an overwhelming success, and a large part of that was due to the partnership with New Orleans.   I can’t tell you how many comments we have heard from our attendees about how accommodating and hospitable both the Convention Center staff and local hotel & restaurant staff were.  And the opportunity that we provided to our attendees to volunteer in the community with Habitat for Humanity prior to the event’s start proved to be an incredibly rewarding experience for participants and made their overall experience in the city so much more meaningful.  We look forward to being able to return to New Orleans again in the future!"
- Gina Broel, CMP, Sr. Event Marketing Manager, Microsoft Corporation, March 2009

"I wanted to thank you for helping promote our conference. You run a most efficient operation which is perhaps the best that we've experienced in all the cities where we have had conferences."
- Clif Boutelle, The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2009 Annual Meeting, April 2009

"Working with the City of New Orleans and the Morial Convention Center was one of the best meeting management experiences in my 25 years as a meeting planner. The staff at NOMCVB and ENMCC were outstanding! I have never had such service and “can do” attitudes from everyone in the city and the center! I worked very closely with engineers, electricians and internet providers/installers in the Center – they strategized with me to provide solutions that exceeded my expectations. These are not sales people – these are the actual line workers that spent time with me to discuss what I envisioned and then came up with suggestions to make it happen – all the while with the friendliest and most customer-service oriented attitudes that I have ever experienced! This is definitely not the “norm” when working in a convention center – it was amazing to me the time and effort they spent to make sure my expectations were met and exceeded.
I highly recommend New Orleans as a meeting/convention destination and the ENMCC as a venue! The teams they have at both the center and the bureau are outstanding and your every need and expectation will definitely be exceeded! Our meeting was stellar in every way, due in large part to the hospitality teams in New Orleans!"
- Vicky A. Betzig, CMP, President/Owner, Meetings Industry Consulting, Improving Meetings & Conventions, April 2009

"The True Value 2009 Spring Market was a great success in New Orleans. The Convention Center has never looked better and the energy level of the labor force made move in go smoothly. More than 150 True Value attendees volunteered working on six houses with New Orleans Habitat for Humanity. True Value provided the paint specially mixed to the house owners requested colors and we completed the exteriors of three houses.

Our welcome reception at the new Blaine Kerns Studio was a huge success with members and gave them an opportunity to experience some of the excitement of Mardi Gras and the wonderful talent available in the city. The ability to parade 2,000 people with a marching band, down Convention Center Blvd. to the site of the reception was a truly unique experience. We all felt the hospitality that New Orleans is famous for and a desire to return as soon as possible."
- Susan Katz, Director of Corporate Events, True Value Company, March 2009

"On Sunday at the closing luncheon of the Conference Planning Committee, Tricia LeBlanc told us that the Audubon Institute enjoyed outstanding numbers at all the facilities with 13,000 people visiting the Insectarium on Saturday alone. She said the weekend was a wonderful plus at both the zoo and aquarium also.

We have wonderful stories to tell … people riding the car ferry across the Mississippi River and eating at the Knights of Columbus Friday night fish fry then coming home with a box of home made fudge, teachers from the Midwest raving about the weather, folks recounting how helpful staff at all the hotels were when asked questions, the wonderful generosity of the vendors who left science lab equipment for the RSD and boxes of books and other school supplies, New England lobster folks falling in love with crawfish and catfish, street car rides and walks in the garden district field trips that folks wanted to last longer and field trip presenters who fed the participants and had shirts made for those who came to their site. I could go on and on.

As a resident of the metro New Orleans area I am thrilled with the outcome of our efforts to welcome science educators from around the world and appreciate the partnership forged between the Louisiana Science Teachers Association (LSTA) and the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau.

I hope that you have noted on the 2010 calendar that there will be a regional conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in town October 27-29. I am one of the two local arrangements managers from the Louisiana Association of Teachers of Mathematics (LATM) for this event and look forward to working with your team again."
-Jean May-Brett, MSP Program Manager, Louisiana Department of Education, National Science Teachers Assn., March 2009

"New Orleans is a charming city, and we enjoyed our time there. We were privileged to work with The Loews hotel, the Hampton Inn and Suites and the Wyndham Riverfront during our trip. They were very accommodating and absolutely fabulous to work with."
-Sara Weil, Sterling Events, PrimeTime! by Nationwide, March 2009

“The main message heard from our exhibitors was that they saw the quality buyer on the show floor, they were able to spend more face to face time with the people who they needed to see. We were welcomed and hosted by THE BEST people in all the world – your hospitality is unlike any other!!! It was my honor and pleasure to have worked with the New Orleans CVB.”
-Maria Prior, Tradeshow Director, American Fence Association’s Fencetech & Decktech, January 2009

"Congratulations on hosting a very successful PCMA. The opening and closing receptions were incredible and the concept of having all of your fabulous restaurants serve their specialties was a great idea. Everyone is talking about the receptions and how they won't be able to be topped. This was one of the better PCMA meetings."
- Judy Brazel, Director, Meeting Services, Society of Nuclear Medicine, PCMA annual meeting, January 2009

"What an absolute homerun PCMA was! What a fantastic demonstration of just how special New Orleans is and what the city has to offer! More impressive than that was the cooperation of the hospitality community and the passion for business exhibited at every turn. For those of us who know New Orleans, we were impressed. For those of us who love new Orleans, we were proud. Thank you so much for all your energy and efforts. It was a great way to start the year; a lot of fun; really creative and just plain good for business and PCMA."
- Christie Hicks, Senior VP Global Sales, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, PCMA annual meeting, January 2009

"This party in the Superdome is the single greatest, best event party I have seen in the city in the past 30 years of coming here."
- Steve Pitt, Vice President of Meetings and Conventions, National Automobile Dealers Association, PCMA annual meeting, January 2009

"From an attendee perspective, the city of New Orleans did an excellent job of welcoming PCMA members to the 2009 Annual Meeting. The service at the convention center, and all properties and venues that I experienced, was first rate. I was pleasantly surprised at how the venues worked together to welcome delegates. New Orleans showed me that it is back and ready for our convention business."
- Jeffrey D. Melin, M.Ed., CMP, Director of Education, American Epilepsy Society, PCMA annual meeting, January 2009

"The PCMA conference was great, I attended some really good educational sessions. Also, everyone enjoyed New Orleans!! Great food, great fun. Thanks again for your hospitality!!"
- Diane Waligurski, Meeting Manager, American Association of Orthopaedic Executives, PCMA annual meeting, January 2009

"You all did an exceptional job on the PCMA annual. Really showed off the city to its best. Everyone I've spoken to had a wonderful time. I know it will pay off down the road."
- Linda Cooper, CAE, CMP, Meetings Manager, American Student Dental Association, PCMA annual meeting, January 2009

"Your city did a tremendous job with the meeting and a spectacular job with the Superdome party. Congratulations, and thank you! I think everyone there was reminded of what you all are capable of….blowing people away!"
- John Folks, President, Mindingyourbusiness, PCMA annual meeting, January 2009

"It was truly a memorable evening, you could just feel the heart and soul and pride of everyone who worked so hard to make things so right. Congratulations!!!"
- Penny Moroney, Meeting Planner, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, PCMA annual meeting, January 2009

"Thank you all for a wonderful conference at PCMA. I had a FANTASTIC time."
- Willie L. Benjamin II, Assistant Director Meetings and Exhibits, American Chemical Society, PCMA annual meeting, January 2009

"The entire New Orleans hospitality community really rocked!! Congrats! The city really has an incredible 'personality' – a true creole of music, food, spirited people and colorful locals (and a “little bit crazy”) You positively impact SO many people!"
- Max Suzenaar, CEO, mindingyourbusiness, PCMA annual meeting, January 2009

"PCMA was wonderful. You guys did a fabulous job on the Superdome. Best party I've EVER been to! I can't wait to come back. Forever New Orleans!"
- Dana Priddy, Director of Meetings, American Public Works Association, PCMA annual meeting, January 2009

"Your team did an amazing job. The Tuesday night event was the talk of the town!!!!"
- Karen Malone, Vice President Meeting Services, HIMMS, PCMA annual meeting, January 2009

"I just wanted to congratulate you, and the rest of the New Orleans team, on such a successful PCMA meeting. The city looks great, everyone was geared up and ready for the onslaught of meeting planners, and the weather even cooperated. It was really fun to be back in one of my very favorite cities, and wonderful to see all the venues in such good shape. I'm sure you will be rewarded for all your hard work by having lots of new business generated due to the success of this meeting."
-Jean Ferrone, formerly with American Dental Association, PCMA annual meeting, January 2009

"A quick note of thanks. Our October 2008 "Internet2" conference at the Sheraton New Orleans, for over 600 academics, was a success. The science and engineering communities that develop high-performance networking for interactive collaboration; distributed data storage and data mining; large-scale, multi-site computation; real-time access to remote resources; dynamic data visualization, and shared virtual reality had a great time.

As the time arises, we will definitely consider New Orleans as a destination. The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau provided Internet2 with a wealth of information about the city's resources as well as helpful guidance which enabled our conference to go off without a hitch. We are grateful for their support in making our staff and our members who participated in the conference feel so welcome in this wonderful city."-Traci Downey, CMP, Program Manager, Internet 2, November 12, 2008

"New Orleans was the perfect host for our Leadership Conference. We knew that the 10,000 Starbucks partners - what we call our employees - who attended would be excited to experience the city's legendary hospitality and to have a chance to work with local residents and organizations in the rebuilding effort. The New Orleans Convention & Visitor's Bureau made us feel so welcome, working with us, local hotels and restaurants to ensure we provided our people a memorable experience that also made sense for our business." -Cliff Burrows, President, Starbucks Coffee U.S.