New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center — Attraction in New Orleans

Attended the convention center for the Miss Universe pageant. The staff were generally regarded by several attendees as incredibly rude. The staff were hostile to guests. There was a breakdown in organization which caused guests to miss the opening of the show. Worse than that, your staff were threatening attendees. One staff member managing the entry doors was out of control, yelling, actually had brass knuckles on his hand and threatened physical violence saying “trample me and you’ll see what you get.” It was completely unacceptable behavior and the lack of proper large crowd control actually heightened the risk of injury. After the event, staff continued their abusive behavior to clear the venue but they overall need professionalism retraining. You don’t have to mistreat people to be effective at your job and you should account for time to clear the event space without resorting to such tactics especially for a global event of that scale. The patrons weren’t rowdy and drunk- they were excited pageant attendees who had traveled far and wide to support their contestants. I saw staff members even yelling at family members of contestants and those affiliated with the pageant, like costume designers. One staff member yelled at a patron who remarked that he had paid $1,000 for his ticket and expected better treatment, “well the event is done and your $1,000 is done. Get out.” There was an obvious resentment and annoyance among your staff for those attending this event- mostly tourists. Seems like a wasted opportunity for you to welcome & reinforce travelers to return to NOLA or events at your venue. And I’m not a snowflake- I’m used to bouncers and large venue staff, but your staff totally overacted to the circumstances because they didn’t have sensible entry and exit protocols in place. You had people lining up to go through non-operational metal detectors unnecessarily to manage the entry while others were just marching through inside from another entry point creating a bottle neck at the doors. Makes no sense to fail at basic operations and then abuse the guests for your...

The convention center it's self was very roomy and decorated very nice. So disappointed with the Essence Festival. In my opinion I received the best show for my money for the Essence after dark reggae concert. Only thing I didn't like being from out of town is it was standing room only. Yes, it had some VIP seating, but you would not have seen the artist while sitting and when we left we were exhausted from standing inside and out, but I wish I had just paid for all the concerts instead. Essence fest itself could've been better. First, the lines for free products were too long. They should have had two separate lines for product information/sales & free. I paid $59.90 for the beauty carnival and received the same gift or similar to the people who got in for free, only difference is I didn't have to wait in the long gen admission free line. So, save your money. We knew nothing about the my black is beautiful exhibit/stand beforehand because in order to participate, you had to come when convention center opened to get a time stamped wristband of when to return. What I expected was a separate experience from free similar to VIP because I thought I was paying for VIP. However, they should have added things like makeup/hair tutorials. At the Maui booth I did get a picture with Elle Varner which was nice. There was nice places and props for photos. Great hair journey informational exhibits. It was way too many different music playing to enjoy the many different interviews and extra concerts, but the Brandy concert at the Coca Cola booth was great. The program and Essence app was confusing on how to get to exhibits inside expo. No suggestions on how they can fix it, but it needs to change. Maybe something with directions on how to get to expos because some of the staff had no idea how to read program details or where things were located. Or, maybe more...

I recently attended a safety conference at the New Orleans Convention Center, and overall, the experience was quite positive. The learning environment provided a conducive setting for the conference, and the facility itself was well cared for, creating a welcoming atmosphere for all attendees.

However, one significant drawback was the lack of clear signage or information regarding where to obtain conference badges. Arriving at the convention center, I was disheartened by the initial confusion and the absence of clear directions. I spoke with two convention staff members who, unfortunately, knew very little about the convention and couldn't provide the guidance I needed.

This lack of information was disappointing, as it left many attendees, including myself, feeling a bit lost during the initial stages of the event. In such a large and busy venue, clear signage and knowledgeable staff are essential to ensure a smooth and efficient check-in process.

Once past this initial hurdle, the conference itself offered a valuable learning experience. The sessions were informative, and the opportunity to network with fellow professionals was rewarding. The New Orleans Convention Center's facilities were well-maintained and offered a conducive environment for knowledge-sharing and professional development.

In the future, I hope that the convention center can address the issues related to signage and staff knowledge to enhance the overall experience for attendees. Despite the initial challenges, the conference proved to be a valuable learning opportunity, and I look forward to attending again with the hope of...