New Orleans
Welcome to Cvent’s Meeting and Event Planning Guide to New Orleans, made for meeting professionals. As a top year-round tourist destination with a reputation as a warm and gracious host, New Orleans has attracted some of the largest conventions and events in the world. Knowing that most of the city's 22,000 hotel rooms are located in and around downtown and the French Quarter, convention planners have no problem arranging convenient lodging for attendees.
Whether an event needs all the exhibit space in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the more intimate meeting rooms of a French Quarter hotel, or the special ambiance of a Mississippi River steamboat, New Orleans has the perfect space to create a successful and memorable gathering. Invite attendees for an extravagant cocktail party in the historic Elms Mansion, decorated with hand-carved marble, 24-karat gold sconces, and elegant hardwood floors. Host a seated dinner in one of Pat O’s on the River’s two modern function spaces, the Grande Terrace and the Promenade, both of which afford spectacular views of the Mississippi River. Choose from one of 14 distinct private dining rooms at Antoine's Restaurant, which date back to 1840 – it’s the country’s oldest family-run restaurant. Antoine’s various dining rooms showcase memorabilia from many distinguished patrons including Judy Garland, President Roosevelt, and Pope John Paul II. New Orleans offers endless unique venue possibilities!
In addition to offering numerous special New Orleans event venues, the city is also the site of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, long recognized as one of the top convention centers in America. After $60 million in restoration work and several million more in renovation upgrades, the facility boasts 1.1 million square feet of contiguous exhibit space. Planners know it for its excellence in providing cutting-edge technological features such as state-of-the-art lighting, video and audio production facilities, satellite linking, video conferencing, and webcasting capabilities. Best of all, the center's award-winning catering staff prepares exceptional food in step with a city famous worldwide for its cuisine.
Located in the New Orleans Arts District, the New Orleans Morial Convention Center is in the middle of dozens of art galleries and museums and within walking distance of hundreds of restaurants, shops, bars, and jazz clubs in the French Quarter. It's easy for visitors to connect with river cruises, walking tours of the city's beautiful historic districts, boat tours of swamps, and nighttime tours of the haunted hotels and restaurants of the French Quarter. Also scattered throughout the city are world-class museums such as The National WWII Museum, the Louisiana Children's Museum, and the New Orleans Museum of Art, which opened its doors in 1911 and is home to one of the nation's largest glass collections. The Audubon Zoo is one of the top zoos in the country, and the Aquarium of the Americas is rated among the top 5 in the nation.
New Orleans is also home to top research institution Tulane University, located in the Uptown District. The headquarters of Fortune 500 giant Entergy Corporation calls New Orleans home, and many companies, including Harrah's, Capital One, Popeye's Fried Chicken, Smoothie King, Zatarain's, GE Capital, Chiquita, and Globalstar, have a significant presence in the city.
Weather and Seasonality
Located on a bend of the Mississippi River about 110 miles upstream from the Gulf of Mexico, New Orleans has a subtropical climate. Like the tropics, summers are hot and humid with highs around 90°F. However, the winters are cooler than those in the tropics, with average temperatures around 55°F in January, the city's coldest month.
Annual precipitation averages 63.5 inches per year. From July to October, tropical winds can bring high tides and heavy rains to the area. The months of June to November constitute hurricane season. The best time to visit New Orleans is in the spring, when temperatures are still mild and precipitation is at its lowest.
| Month | High/Low °F | Seasonality |
|---|---|---|
| January | 62°/43° | Medium |
| February | 65°/46° | High |
| March | 71°/52° | High |
| April | 78°/58° | High |
| May | 85°/66° | High |
| June | 89°/71° | Low |
| July | 91°/73° | Low |
| August | 90°/73° | Low |
| September | 87°/70° | Low |
| October | 80°/60° | Medium |
| November | 71°/50° | Medium |
| December | 65°/45° | Medium |
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