[ON LOCATION] LISA SIMUNDSON
Super Bowl LIX has yet to be played, but New Orleans—hosting for the 11th time on Feb. 9—started celebrating early with a press FAM that included media representatives from around the world.
When it comes to visiting the Crescent City, the familiar touchstones seem eternal—the French Quarter, Mardi Gras, beignets with cafe au lait, jazz, street performers and streetcars. Not to mention a dining scene stretching across the globe and the centuries, from Creole and Cajun to European, African and Caribbean.
“We take the history in New Orleans and combine it with innovation, and what we’re innovating is our meeting space,” says Walt Leger III, President and CEO of New Orleans & Company, pointing to the renovated Superdome and the new tower at the reflagged Caesars New Orleans, our host hotel, as evidence of the city’s focus on group business—a fact driven home on this recent FAM.
Turning 50 is no doubt a milestone—maybe an unwelcome one to many people—but for the Superdome, now the Caesars Superdome, it signaled a new beginning. Officially opened in 1975, the venerable and architecturally unique structure underwent a massive half-billion-dollar re-do that started in 2020 and was finished in time to kick off the 2024-2025 NFL season.
What was renovated? In this case, it might be easier to talk about what wasn’t changed—the building’s exterior design was left intact.
“We couldn’t touch the outside,” Mike Hoss, “Voice of the Saints” tells us. The WWL Radio announcer for the New Orleans Saints was our guide for a Superdome tour and was a font of Superdome facts—including its standing as the largest fixed dome structure in the world, a distinction that almost changed after repairs following Hurricane Katrina when the idea of a new retractable roof stadium was floated. In the end, the dome prevailed.
“We call this building ‘the living room of New Orleans.’ It’s become part of the social fabric of this city,” Doug Thornton, Executive VP of ASM Global, which manages the Superdome, tells the press group at lunch. “We’re in what we call the Sports District. The Convention Center is in the Convention District and the French Quarter [is in] the Leisure District…with 27,000 hotel rooms in between.”
The latest round of renovations, accomplished over four years of off-seasons, removed a ramp system and replaced it with elevators and escalators—reclaiming 100,000 sf of space—while also widening concourses and adding new bathrooms, walkways, entrances and exits; a new WiFi system; new standing room-only platforms; and new field-level end zone boxes.
Beyond the NFL games, the Superdome is a destination of choice for private events, with available space in the clubs, lounges, on the concourses or right on the field. The industry reps addressing our group expect the Big Game in February to shine a bigger spotlight on the city known for its trademark phrase, “Built to Host.”
On Super Bowl Sunday, “we’re auditioning for the next 10 years,” says Michael Hecht, President & CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc., the economic development agency for southeast Louisiana.
We got a small taste of the escalating excitement here at an NFL game that Sunday. In their first game with a new coach, the Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons in the Superdome as fans chanted the signature “Who Dat.”
Another major facility in downtown New Orleans is halfway through a substantial renovation—the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, whose $557 million transformative Capital Improvement Plan, including an energy-efficient roof, has already led to a LEED Gold certification, making Ernest Morial the largest convention center in the world to boast that designation.
With about 50 percent of the renovation completed—including a pedestrian park spanning the length of the Center—lobbies, meeting rooms and pre-function spaces are being enhanced with colors and themes to match the original design. Plans also call for the development of a new $1B mixed-use business and residential neighborhood and the commitment, with a $500M investment pledge by Omni Hotels & Resorts, to build a 1,000-room headquarter hotel. “We believe in investing and reinvesting to further our brand,” said Adam Straight, COO, during our tour. “Following the capital improvements, we’re expecting a $282-million economic impact annually.”
Offsite venues for group gatherings in New Orleans run the gamut from attractions and restaurants to parks and museums. In the latter category, the National WWII Museum stands out for its original artifacts and immersive exhibits, which also provide the backdrop for private events.
Subtropical New Orleans has a sultry summer, but the weather usually cooperates for outdoor events should your group want to tour City Park then have lunch in the Botanical Garden. But expect to be windblown when visiting the observation deck at Vue Orleans, offering 360-degree, Instagrammable views of the city and the Mississippi River. Meanwhile, literally hundreds of restaurants offer private and semi-private areas for groups, including Louisiana’s first Nobu at Caesars New Orleans and Dakar NOLA—available for buyouts—whose Senegalese tasting menu features multiple courses served family style.
Just in at press time, a new study found that 88 percent of the top 250 conventions in the country will meet in only 20 cities—and New Orleans ranked third behind only San Diego and Orlando in number of meetings hosted. The study, conducted in 2024 by 2Synergize, LLC, Destinations International and Simpleview, analyzed the largest conventions of 2,700+ or more hotel rooms on peak night.
neworleans.com/meeting-planners; caesars.com/caesars-new-orleans/hotel