Advance Registration for Annual Conference Suggests Ten Percent Drop from Orlando in '04
-- Library Journal, 6/22/2006
Will the American Library Association's (ALA) Annual Conference in New Orleans, the first major conference in the city since Hurricane Katrina hit last September, work, attract a healthy crowd? As of June 16, one week prior to the conference, 9047 people had registered for the conference, which represents about a ten percent drop from the 10,127 figure for the conference in Orlando in 2004. ALA had all along been prepared to compare the New Orleans numbers to another southern city, rather than the more popular Chicago, where the conference was held last year. Total attendance in Orlando was 19,575; last year, in Chicago, the attendance was 27,800. As of the May 19 deadline, 425 people from areas severely impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita had signed up for free registration. A small number of exhibitors are bringing smaller contingents and have opted for smaller booths, said ALA Executive Director Keith Fiels. Given concerns about health care in the city, Fiels said that conference planners had ensured that two first aid centers will be installed in the Morial Convention Center. He said attendees have been advised to make arrangements for airport pickups in advance, given possible shortages of cabs. The city's largest cab company has about half the number of cabs on the road as a year ago, though there's less local demand, as well.
Given the large number of organizations announcing grants to support post-hurricane libraries, Fiels said, "I think there will be a significant benefit here. We spend a lot of time working on the image of librarians. This certainly runs contrary to the stereotype: we're willing to go into New Orleans and make a difference." Also, journalist and author Cokie Roberts will keynote the closing session, on Tuesday from 8 to 9 a.m. In the past few days, visitors may be concerned by news of the Louisiana National Guard's deployment to New Orleans. The city's Convention and Visitor's Bureau (CVB) issued a statement saying that the historic areas and tourism core are safe, and the National Guard is "being brought in to the city to provide assistance to the New Orleans Police Department in desolated areas of the city." Added the CVB, "Contrary to reports in the national news, the recent reprehensible murders of five youths in the city occurred at 4:00 a.m. in the sparsely populated Central City neighborhood miles away from the Central Business District, French Quarter, Convention Center and Warehouse Arts District."
