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Update on New Orleans: Are Good Times RollingAgain?One of the biggest parties in the world is happening right now, MardiGras, in one of our very favorite cities in the U.S.: New Orleans.We decided to check how the city is doing almost 10 years after Katrinaand 5 years after the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

We talked to the Convention and Visitors Bureau, ISES NOLA andEvent Pros Take Action and their local partner, St. Bernard Project. Wecontacted The Data Center, an organization that tracks economic andpopulation statistics in Louisiana and publishes The New OrleansIndex.

New Orleans Population decrease. The population of NewOrleans fell from 484,674 before Katrina (April 2000) to an estimated230,172 after Katrina (July 2006) — a decrease of 254,502 people anda loss of over half of the city’s population. By July of 2012, thepopulation was back up to 369,250 — 76% of what it was in 2000.Source: The Data Center, August 28, 2014

The Data Center examined economic factors, population inclusion

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aspects across and inclusive of socioeconomic and racial spectra,quality of life and sustainability factors. In the latest available completeNew Orleans Index (August 2013), they came to the following Conclusion:Despite all the shocks it has endured, New Orleans may be on a pathtoward long-termsuccess. {} The economy is a current strength of New Orleans.Diversification is happening withtraditional industries (such as shipping and tourism) and newerknowledge-basedindustries (such as higher education, insurance agencies, and heavyconstruction andengineering) expanding despite the Great Recession. Entrepreneurialactivity is takingoff. {} Improvements in quality of life are being enjoyed across themetro. The presence ofarts and culture organizations in the city has never been stronger.When coupled withentrepreneurship trends, it is clear the metro is a creative place. Thereis no doubt that a commitment to improving amenities, such asrecreational programs and education, is helping to solidify NewOrleans’ identity as a unique place.

Good news, indeed! In fact, Forbes ranked New Orleans at the top ofthe list for Where Working-Age Americans Are Moving! (Source: NewOrleans CVB).

Samantha Lister, VP of Communications for ISES NOLA concurs:"New Orleans is a city with a strong sense of culture and community. Not much is going to keep us down for any length of time. WhileKatrina put a large dent in our population it didn’t do anything todeter the love and passion we have for the city and bring it back to itsformer glory. We as a city and as a hospitality/tourism destinationhave been back and booming for years. We have hosted the SuperBowl, NBA All-Stars, WWF Ultimate Championship, the PGA ZurichClassic, thousands during Jazz Fest and millions every year duringCarnival and Mardi Gras to name a few. We are a convention citydestination that can offer history, sights and most importantly flavorsthat no other city in the country has. We have expanded our airportand street car lines. Here hospitality is the local’s everydaypersonality. Everyone is family and happy to see you.It has been 10 years, are families all back and in their homes? No, westill have many community involvement organizations that arefinishing resident’s houses even 10 years later due to lack of funds,governmental red tape, ownership paperwork for families who have

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2 of 8 5/13/16, 9:14 AM

lived in the same house for 4 generations, etc. The difference is thattourists, conventions, guests don’t see those areas unless they arelooking for them specifically. The French Quarter, City Park,Audubon Zoo and Aquarium, St. Charles Avenue, the shopping districton Magazine Street, our amazing restaurants like Commander’sPalace, K-Paul’s, Restaurant August, Bayona are all here and havebeen open serving guests pouring in over the last 9 years.The BP Spill affected our seafood market. Our city thrives on seafoodand we push to keep everything local. While during that time we hadto outsource product it didn’t close our restaurants or lesson the greatflavors that our city is known for worldwide. Your article title shouldread: Update on New Orleans: Good Times Continue to Roll!"

But as mentioned above, not everyone has recovered!Our friends at Event Pros Take Action in partnership with St.Bernard Project are still rebuilding homes in New Orleans, nearly 10years after the flood.

©St. Bernard Project - 2015: A street in the lower 9th Ward

Chris Fehrenbach, Director - Community Outreach and VolunteerDepartment at St. Bernard Project:"We are only 10 years into a recovery process that is estimated totake 15 to 20 years. We work with marginalized communities; poorfamilies with small children, the elderly, the disabled and veterans.Our organization has currently 120 families on the waiting list. AfterKatrina, 65% of affected families became victims of contractor fraudthat occurred during the desperate post-flood situation. There werelots of scams. Families gave their FEMA money to fraudulent

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©EPTA

contractors who either did a very bad repair job or just stole themoney outright. The victims have no recourse. The perpetrators areeither bankrupt or in jail; or they simply vanished. The families areleft with unrepaired homes. Others had to spend their FEMA moneyon more pressing medical bills. Many of our clients were sickly andelderly before the flood. They got worse after the storm. There are stillthousands who have not returned home. Event Pros Take Action isinstrumental in helping us! They work tirelessly to raise funds,through Crowdrise and fundraising events very year. You reallyunderstand the impact EPTA's work has at the Welcome Home Partieswe hold to welcome families back. Present and past volunteers and thehome owners celebrate together. Naturally, EPTA's parties are thebest (He laughs). It's hard to heal without a home. EPTA brings peaceand joy back to these families!"

Susie Perelman, Co-Founder and President of EPTA and Owner ofMosaic, Inc. (with Larry Green, Co-Founder and Vice President ofEPTA and CEO of Rentals Unlimited):"This year will really be big for us in New Orleans. In addition torebuilding homes, our volunteers will contribute to four eventsinstead of two this summer. Led by Mark Wells of Hello-Florida andEvan and Jordan Carbotti of Perfect Surroundings, we will furnishhomes for two special families, AFR Event Furnishings has alreadydonated all the needed furnishings for them! This year, We arepartnering with ISES Live with a " stay and work component" at theirconference! In addition to repairing homes, David Merrell, of AOOEvents, will organize a special celebration with Covenant House, andDavid Price, of Rentals Unlimited, will work on a special project with


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©EPTA

Liberty's Kitchen, a Nonprofit organization training at-risk youth inculinary arts.”

FUNDING IS NEEDED! Chris Fehrenbach: "It takes $25,000 per house to repair a home."

EPTA has a goal of $50,000 they need to raise to bring twomarginalized families back home!

You can participate and lend support by making an onlinedonation towards their fundraising campaign, Crowdrise!Sell tamales, pedal your wares or do whatever it takes - butplease help!


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All EPTAevents inNewOrleanswill takeplaceAugust

22-25, 2015.

While there, check out all The Big Easy has to offer our industry!

Arielle Desse from the New Orleans Convention and VisitorsBureau was so kind to share the latest Convention Bureau Reportfigures:

The number of annual visitors has increased from 3.7 million in2006 to 9.28 million in 2013, with the highest visitor spending in cityhistory. This fact is further supported by the numerous travel awardsthe city has received, including ConventionSouth Magazine readersvoted New Orleans the “Most Meetings Friendly” destination inDecember 2014. Readers selected for their favorite destinations onsocial media in October 2014.

· New Orleans is a culinary capitol of the world. Despite declines inpopulations, the number of restaurants in the city has more thandoubled with currently more than 1,400 restaurants in operation.

· There have been billions of dollars in new investments including$336 million to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and $90 million toimprove the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center(MCCNO). The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center isembarking on an ambitious new venture that will revitalize the City’sriverfront. The Convention Center District Development Project,situated on 47 acres upriver from the Center, calls for construction of anew “headquarters” hotel, a linear park along Convention CenterBoulevard, outdoor entertainment, arts and cultural venues and newretail and housing options.


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· MCCNO is the sixth largest and one of the most technologicallyadvanced convention facilities in the country, boasting 1.1 million-square-feet of contiguous event space, more than 140 differentmeetings rooms, two exquisite ballrooms and customizable auditoriumspace. A recent $52 million renovation added the 60,000-square-footGreat Hall, a large outdoor pedestrian plaza, interior and exteriorbalconies and energy efficient LED lighting system that can becustomized to nearly any desired color combination. The Great Hallcontains four divisible spaces and 25,000 square-feet of pre-functionspace. The grand entrance overlooks a high-definition, customizablevideo display board welcoming each guest.

· New Orleans can overcome anything. The city is America’scomeback story. All eyes are looking forward to the city’s tricentennialin 2018, when we’ll be the best, brightest and most talented300-year-old in history.

Good Times really continue to roll!

Laissez les bons temps rouler!Janet

POSTED BY THENEWSFROMEVENTWORKS AT 5:00 AM

LABELS: 10 YEARS AFTER KATRINA, 5 YEARS AFTER BP SPILL, EPTA, EVENTPROS TAKE ACTION, ISES NOLA, LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL. LAISSEZ LESBONS TEMPS ROULER. NEW ORLEANS, MARDI GRAS, ST. BERNARD PROJECT

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