New Orleans has wrapped up another Essence Fest and successful 4th of July weekend. So what's next for the city's important hospitality industry?
There are a few things that will help stave off the summer doldrums, said Mark Romig, Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer at New Orleans & Company, the city's tourism and convention agency.
"We move into August, we have a very busy convention schedule, much busier than it was last year," said Romig.
Romig said they have been hard at work to sell professional associations and trade groups on choosing New Orleans for their meetings, as the convention sector has been slower to recover from the pandemic compared to the rest of the tourism industry.
"We have more than a half-dozen conventions and associations that are meeting in the city," said Romig. "It's very competitive as you know and our team, led by Stephanie Turner, has really done a yeoman's job getting out to the national community and reminding them (of) all the great reasons why we're built to host."
And there are events still to come on the summer calendar that should keep things busy.
"Of course we have White Linen Night, we have Satchmo Fest, and then we move into the fall, all of the sudden, it will be Saints season," said Romig.
