Press conference at PCMA Convening Leaders 2026 highlights major hospitality investments and innovative meeting experiences
 

PHILADELPHIA– January 13, 2026 - During PCMA Convening Leaders 2026, New Orleans & Company and the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center officials will host a press conference spotlighting the city’s continued evolution as a premiere meetings and conventions destination. The briefing will take place Tuesday, January 13 at 11:15 a.m. within The District at PCMA, hosted inside ADM’s MO-B mobile broadcast unit.

Stephanie Turner, Senior Vice President of Convention Sales and Strategies at New Orleans & Company; Jim Cook, President and CEO of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center; and Elaine Williams, Chief Commercial Officer of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, will share updates on the significant investments, new venues, and cultural assets that reinforce why New Orleans is Built To Host complex, high-impact meetings.

Held during PCMA’s milestone 70th anniversary Convening Leaders conference (CL26), the press conference aligns with the event’s theme, “Making History, Together,” and highlights how New Orleans blends legacy, momentum, and unity to deliver exceptional attendee experiences. The conversation will be livestreamed to the adjacent Convene stage, extending its reach to a broader Convening Leaders audience.

“New Orleans continues to raise the bar for meetings,” said Stephanie Turner, Senior Vice President of Convention Sales and Strategies at New Orleans & Company. “Our hospitality community is investing boldly in spaces, infrastructure, and experiences that make it easier for planners to execute with confidence while giving attendees something meaningful, memorable, and authentic. New Orleans is Built To Host.”

“From transformative improvements at the Convention Center and major investments along the riverfront to once-in-a-generation projects like the Omni New Orleans hotel, we are deliberately building for what planners need next in our city. Combined with our citywide focus on sustainability and global efforts to elevate New Orleans to a worldwide stage, these investments reinforce our commitment to delivering a fully integrated, walkable meetings experience,” said Jim Cook, President and CEO of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

New developments discussed may include:

  • More than $1 billion in hospitality investments currently underway across New Orleans, including major renovations and new hotel developments that expand meeting space, enhance sustainability, and elevate the guest experience
  • New and reimagined gathering spaces which blend historic architecture with modern design and production capabilities for memorable off-site event
  • A transformed riverfront experience, with a $30 million investment creating 2.25 miles of contiguous park space along the Mississippi River, connecting the Convention Center, downtown, and surrounding neighborhood, and adding to New Orleans’ walkability
  • Global cultural recognition, including New Orleans’ designation as a UNESCO Creative City for Music and the MICHELIN Guide to the American South
  • Sustainability and community impact initiatives, from large-scale infrastructure investments to programs like Recycle DAT and coastal restoration efforts like CRCL’s Oyster Shell Recycling.

About New Orleans & Company

New Orleans & Company is the official destination sales and marketing organization for New Orleans’ tourism industry. Founded in 1960, our mission is to inspire, promote and encourage travel to our city for the economic, social and community benefit of New Orleans and its people. Our vision is to ensure that New Orleans remains the most remarkable, unique, and welcoming city in the world. For more information, visit us at neworleans.com or on social media @VisitNewOrleans or @NewOrleansandCo. 

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. 

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jessica Holtzman (onsite)
New Orleans & Company
jholtzman@neworleans.com
201-953-2634

Kelly Schulz
New Orleans & Company
kschulz@neworleans.com
504-421-0962