Readers of New Orleans CityBusiness, a Louisiana-based weekly business newspaper, named the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center as the top winner of the Best Event & Meeting Facility category in the 2023 Reader Ranking Awards. The awards have provided a look at the companies and services that CityBusiness readers rate highly across a wide range of categories for the past seven years.
The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center boasts 1.1 million square feet of prime exhibit space on one level, all in one room. It is the sixth-largest convention center in the nation and provides the largest single exhibit space in the country. The convention center is also the largest LEED-certified project in Louisiana and the largest convention center project in the U.S. certified under LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance, as well as the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certification under LEED Gold v4.1 O+MA. A leading contributor to the city’s booming tourism industry, the center’s event activity has produced $90.1 billion in economic impact since its opening in 1985.
“This award inspires us to keep raising the bar and exceeding expectations in the events industry,” says Convention Center President Michael J. Sawaya in a prepared statement. “We would like to thank the thousands of business professionals who voted to recognize us as a premier [sic] event destination in New Orleans. From our new LEED Gold Certification to the creation of new safety-focused teams within the convention center, to our continued financial strength, we appreciate the recognition for our strides in improving our facility.”
The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is an eight-time recipient of New Orleans Top Workplace honors by NOLA.com/Times-Picayune, as well as a four-time recipient of the New Orleans CityBusiness Best Places to Work Award.