New Orleans
Conventions Consider Las Vegas
Representatives of several
conventions and trade shows scheduled to occur in
New Orleans within the next 30 to 60 days have contacted
local travel officials to ask about moving their
events to Las Vegas.
Because the fall is already a busy local convention
period, it's unlikely any events soon will shift
here from the Big Easy.
Terry Jicinsky, senior vice president of marketing
for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority,
said Wednesday that the authority's Washington bureau
has in the past two days fielded calls from "less
than a dozen" show managers who asked about
local hotel and convention center space.
The authority is working to help those groups wherever
possible, but Jicinsky added there probably is not
enough space available for Las Vegas to take on
more events on short notice.
"It's slim pickings from a logistics standpoint,"
Jicinsky said. "My guess is most of the (New
Orleans) events will be postponed or canceled."
Last year, New Orleans was the nation's fifth-busiest
trade show destination, as ranked by Tradeshow Week
magazine. It hosted 12 of the 200 largest U.S. trade
shows in 2004, trailing only Las Vegas (38 shows),
Chicago (18), Orlando, Fla. (18) and New York (14).
The Associated Press on Wednesday said officials
in Atlanta also have fielded calls from trade shows
affected by Hurricane Katrina's damage to New Orleans.
The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors
Bureau will not have power at its office for at
least three to four weeks, its Web site said Wednesday.
The bureau hopes to open an alternate office in
Baton Rouge, La., sometime next week.
"Our ability to work with and contact our
member hotels and other member companies is severely
impaired," the bureau's Web site said. "Please
be patient with our wonderful suppliers and properties
who are under incalculable stress at this time.
"There are no means currently of bringing
groups together to discuss strategic issues. Public
safety issues are the dominant concern at this time."
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