I just finished exhibiting at the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery’s (ASAPS) Aesthetic Meeting. It was a great meeting with lots of traffic to our exhibit booth. One of our biggest draws was our charging station – an idea for whom our Marketing Director gets credit!
This was my first time exhibiting at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. It’s a grand building with a great facade but I was surprised how far it is from everything. For example, with most conventions, the hotels tend to be close to the convention center. But in New York, while there may be some closer ones in development, the largest most accommodating hotels are 8-11 blocks away. And I’m not talking, short blocks, these are really long blocks! There was a shuttle service but not dependable enough to plan your trip to the Javits center so I took a cab back and forth each day.
So it got me thinking…what makes a great convention city? You want a city that is an interesting destination, has a large convention center to accommodate large exhibits and crowds and many hotels nearby so you can walk if you choose. But let’s expand on the idea of what makes the city an interesting destination. You’re looking for a city that has entertainment in the way of casinos or bars or great sightseeing and excellent food. And if it’s not too expensive, then that’s just gravy. So if you take all of these characteristics: good food/drink/entertainment/sightseeing, a large exhibit hall with hotels nearby in a city that’s very “walkable” and inexpensive, you’d have the greatest convention city in the US. Well, in my opinion, hands down, scoring an ‘A’ in every category I mentioned above, New Orleans is the best choice for your next convention!
Aside from some of the best, most interesting food in the world, you can still get a beer for a $1.50 or a mixed drink for $5. Hotel prices are reasonable, the downtown area is relatively small with short distances between the convention center, French Quarter and the casino. And where else can you take a tour of a beautiful plantation home and go bow fishing in the same day (bow fishing requires an air boat with bright lights shone into the water at night that allows you to see the fish that you want to “catch” with a bow and arrow – sounds ridiculous, I know, but it’s an unforgettable experience). For all of these reasons, I think I’ve made my case – New Orleans is the best convention city in the US!
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