Dear Friends of New Orleans & Company,

For those of you who were not in New Orleans this past weekend, we missed you! The 2022 NCAA Men’s Final Four, the largest event held in New Orleans since the start of the pandemic, was a resounding success by all accounts. The enthusiastic crowds, games, fan events and the spirit of our culture were on full display and it was spectacular.

The Final Four weekend coincided with New Orleans’ own Jon Batiste winning five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. Batiste was the most-nominated artist during this year’s Grammys, with nominations in 11 categories. See his video here about our beautiful sensory city that will leave you longing to return.

Forbes Magazine said it best, “the big winner of March Madness will be New Orleans.” No city in the country is better equipped to host such complex events and we proved it in the past few days.

Also, we celebrate the return of Hogs for the Cause for its 14th annual event, April 1-2, which saw record-breaking fundraising, large crowds, and nationally recognized musical talent. The event raised $2.6 million for pediatric cancer research.

From April 8 – 13,  we will welcome the largest gathering of cancer researchers anywhere in the world since COVID. New Orleans is honored to host the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting, which will bring 14,000 attendees from 73 countries and nearly 500 exhibitors. The AACR Annual Meeting is the focal point of the cancer research community, where scientists, clinicians, other health care professionals, survivors, patients, and advocates gather to share the latest advances in cancer science and medicine.

Then comes our spring festival season that has not been on the calendar since 2019. The French Quarter Fest and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival are expecting record crowds.

Cruise ships departing from the Port of New Orleans are packed, as are restaurants, shops, music clubs and cultural attractions. Our COVID numbers remain low and all restrictions for masks and vaccine mandates have been lifted.

New Orleans truly is back! We can’t wait to see you soon in the Cultural Capital of the South.

Sincerely,
Stephen Perry President and CEO New Orleans & Company