NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) has received its first Downtown NOLA Award from the Downtown Development District of New Orleans (DDD). The annual award recognizes downtown New Orleans property owners, businesses, residents, workers and organizations whose exceptional accomplishments have made them outstanding neighbors delivering sustainable construction, equitable operations or inspiring events to the downtown area.
“We are truly honored to be recognized by the DDD for our commitment to excellence locally because that is at the core of Convention Center operations,” said Michael J. Sawaya, Convention Center President and CEO. “In everything we do, we strive to maximize the positive impact we make for our people and our city and minimize our impact on the environment. I am proud to see the Convention Center included among the 2023 Downtown NOLA Award recipients and grateful to our incredible staff for making us a top venue globally and a great neighbor here in New Orleans.”
The 2023 Downtown NOLA Award is the latest of several esteemed honors the NOENMCC has received this year, including:
- 2023 Venue Excellence Award from the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM)
- Eight-time regional Top Workplace by The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate (2023)
- 2023 New Orleans CityBusiness Empowering Women Award
- NOENMCC Director of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Linda Baynham recognized as one of five local Travel and Tourism Week Champions
- NOENMCC Chief Administrative Officer Alita Caparotta named one of New Orleans CityBusiness’ Women of the Year and a “Power 20” Leader in tourism and hospitality
The Convention Center also earned its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification in 2022 and received AA+ bond ratings from both Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investor Services in 2023.
The DDD drives development for downtown New Orleans and works to provide enhanced services for businesses to help elevate New Orleans as a world-class destination. An awards ceremony hosted by the DDD will recognize all honorees on Oct. 18 at the Audubon Aquarium.
About the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
New Orleans is Built to Host! With 1.1 million square feet of prime exhibit space on one level, all under one roof, NOENMCC is the sixth largest Convention Center in the United States and provides the largest single exhibit space in the country. NOENMCC is a 2023 IAVM Venue Excellence recipient and is consistently named a regional top workplace by The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. Our recent LEED Gold certification makes NOENMCC 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+M. A leading contributor to the city’s robust tourism economy, NOENMCC event activity has produced $90.1 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening.
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