New Orleans convention center in festival business

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New Orleans convention center in festival business
08.21.09
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS --

With an empty field and halls quiet in the dog days of summer tourism, the New Orleans Convention Center is putting on a festival. The Tailgate and BBQ Festival runs through Sunday.

General manager Bob Johnson says hurricane season brings a slowdown in the convention business. Three of the region's worst storms - Betsy in 1965, Camille in 1969 and Katrina in 2005 - all hit in August or September.

Katrina and the recession squashed plans for a 500,000-square-foot expansion planned on 26 acres next to the center. So that lot is available for festivals.

Steve Schmader, chief executive of the International Festival & Events Association, says other facilities, including sports stadiums, are trying to find similar uses for their idled property.