NADA Convention Registration Now Open

New Orleans is back – the site of the 2009 NADA Convention & Exposition January 24-27. And the Big Easy is ready for dealers to return. "The heart and the core of New Orleans, its commercial and its cultural core and its tourism and hospitality industry looks better than it did before the storm," says Stephen Perry, president and CEO, New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. The NADA convention committee recently met in New Orleans to see firsthand the city's progress. "New Orleans is definitely ready for the dealers to come back," says Annette Sykora, NADA chairman.

Convention registration is now open. In recognition of tough economic times, registration fees and hotel rates have remained unchanged, and discounted airfare is available. More than 700 exhibitors, 150 dealer workshops, a heavy-weight lineup of speakers and an additional half-day of workshops, including "Lifeline to Profit$" (offered both Friday and Tuesday), are slated for the NADA convention.

In 2007, New Orleans hosted 7.1 million visitors. Since Hurricane Katrina, $700 million has been invested in new hotel renovations. More restaurants (913) are open in the city today than before Katrina. And the French Quarter is cleaner than ever. "It's amazing how clean the French Quarter is," Sykora says.

The theme of the NADA convention is "Committed to Community." Putting the theme into action, the NADA Charitable Foundation contributed $400,000 in May to the Brees Dream Foundation (founded by Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints quarterback) to complete the restoration of the athletic fields at Lusher High School, the city's largest public high school.

New Orleans has been a favorite NADA convention city for more than 30 years. The cultural experience of New Orleans continues to flourish, as it has for centuries. The city is the birthplace of jazz and the place of some of the world’s most popular musicians – from Louis Armstrong to Lenny Kravitz.

The most celebrated and historic core of the city – including the French Quarter, Faubourg Marigny, Central Business District, Warehouse and Arts District, Magazine Street, Garden District, Audubon Park and Zoo and St. Charles Avenue – is thriving. "From the time you enter the city, you can see that everything has been revitalized," says Jeff Carlson, chairman of the NADA convention committee.

Click here to register online or for more information.

Click here for the video that shows just how much progress New Orleans has made since Katrina.