Business Corner

Tourism

Travel South- New Orleans, LA- December 1st- 5th 

In early December we hosted the 2014 Travel South International Showcase, which was attended by 120 top international buyers as well as approximately 300 suppliers throughout the South.  The CVB along with LOT (Louisiana Office of Tourism) hosted/sponsored the opening reception at Mardi Gras World which featured Amanda Shaw and The Cute Guys, costumed revelers and fantastic cuisine.  The guests really enjoyed the event and all of the festivities that New Orleans had to offer.  

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Public Relations

West Coast Media Tour and NOJO Gala- Vancouver, CA/ Seattle, WA/ Portland, OR/ San Francisco, CA- September 14th- 20th

We often make it to the East Coast to visit media, but this year we strategically planned to touch the media on the West Coast, important markets for New Orleans. Brad Weaber and Lauren Cason spent a jam-packed week meeting with journalists in four cities (Vancouver, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco) in five days. They met with editors and writers from Vancouver Magazine, Virtuoso Life, Meetings FocusSan Francisco Chronicle, Yahoo! Travel, Smart Meetings, AFAR and many more. They also participated in a press conference with New Orleans Jazz Orchestra to promote their November concert at UC Berkeley and New Orleans as a whole.

New Orleans Jazz In New York- New York, NY- November 8th

The CVB sales and PR teams hosted more than 10 customers and three high end journalists and their dates for a night of New Orleans Jazz in New York. Guests dined with us at the Red Rooster in Harlem and encored at the famed Apollo theater, where they second-lined with Aaron Neville, Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra.   

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West Coast Media Tour Take Two- San Francisco, CA/ Los Angeles, CA- November 16th- 20th 

Vicki Bristol and Brad Weaber embarked on a second West Coast media tour in November, meeting with editorial teams at top publications in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The trip began on a high note with Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra concert at UC Berkley, followed by a private reception with patrons and invited media guests. The energy continued as Vicki and Brad met with Fodors, The Bay Area Reporter (the country’s oldest LGBT magazine) and San Francisco freelancers. They jet-setted in style to L.A. where they met with Peter Greenberg Worldwide, Playboy.com, The World Journal and Travel + Leisure – China, Association News and Sports, Conde Nast Traveler and TravelAge West. The PR department hopes to see added coverage and increased exposure for New Orleans as a travel destination as a result of this media tour

Christmas New Orleans Style- New Orleans, LA- November 20th- December 31st

Christmas New Orleans Style (CNOS) featured more than 100 events throughout the month of December. From concerts and caroling to reveillion dinners and cooking demonstrations, the season was full of cheer and festive offerings. The 2014 season was such a huge success, that several of the St. Louis Cathedral concerts were standing room only (estimated capacity 1,200).  In addition,  “12 Days of Reveillon” cooking demos were broadcasted live on WWL-TV and later posted to their website where more than 2,000 people downloaded these videos.  CVB ad campaigns on Orbitz and Travel Zoo featuring CNOS targeted last minute leisure travelers each resulting in more than 3,000 rooms nights booked to date.  In this regard, Papa Noel hotel participation increased from last year. 

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 External Affairs

Annual Holiday Party- New Orleans, LA- December 11th

The annual Hospitality Industry Holiday Party was a huge success this year! Held in the Great Hall of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the event was very well attended by members of all 3 hosting organizations – the Greater New Orleans Hotel & Lodging Association, the Louisiana Restaurant Association Greater New Orleans Chapter and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. Centerplate outdid themselves with a fantastic menu (did you try the short rib on the mac n’ cheese cupcake?) and plenty of desserts to enjoy. The NOLA Christmas Fest decorations were stunning and added just the right amount of holiday cheer to the event. Boogie Booth set up his fun green screen photography and we were entertained by the Victory Belles and Rewind.  How are we going to top this next year? 

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