Q & A

 

Benny Harrell
General Manager
New Orleans

Contact Benny Harrell

 

How long has TBA operated in New Orleans?

Our team has been operating in New Orleans for 29 years - with close to 100 years of collective experience!

Why is New Orleans a great destination for corporate meetings and incentives?

New Orleans has so many divine personalities - it's a challenge to know where to begin! There is so much to offer: rich in culture and history, gifted in music and cuisine, immersed in art and architecture, as well as lavished in celebration and beauty!

For Meeting Planners, the real attraction is that most associations and corporations set attendance records here when they have events in the Crescent City.

What are the best things to see and do in New Orleans?

Unlike any other North American city, New Orleans inspires and intrigues. Some of the highlights include: being the birthplace of jazz, home to some of the greatest restaurants in the world, and being an oasis of history and charm on the Mississippi River. The fun for us is mixing and matching our clients' objectives with the multitude attributes New Orleans hands us to feature.

Tell us about an unusual venue?

"Mardi Gras World" is not just a warehouse which houses the famous Mardi Gras floats; but the venue offers the perfect environment to allow a unique New Orleans experience. To set the mood for an extravaganza here, the pageantry and tradition associated with the world-famous Mardi Gras surround you and can be dressed up or down throughout your event.

When is the high season?

There are two high seasons in New Orleans: Spring (March - May) and Fall (late September through Thanksgiving).

What's hot?

The restaurants and cuisine in New Orleans are always hot! We live to eat in New Orleans. No visit would be complete without sampling some of the local specialties: jambalaya, gumbo, etouffee, po-boys, pralines and beignets. The culinary experiences play an important component to all of our events.

Music has always played an important role to the city and this only continues today for the city in a big way.

We love to incorporate history and the interest in antiques. Guests worldwide have a keen interest and our tours are custom-designed to build upon these interests.

Tell us some unique, creative ideas...

• > Second Line Parade - a festive street parade from your hotel to the selected venue is one fun way to begin or transition an evening. A brass band greets your guests in the lobby or reception, handing them strands of beads to throw to enthusiastic crowds later in the parade. Motorcycle police with their sirens wailing and beacons flashing will stop traffic on the streets as the parade sets off to Bourbon Street. Of course a street parade wouldn't be complete without colorful revelers and a pair of whimsical walking heads.
• > Transportation via Carriages - Experience the sights and sounds of the colorful French Quarter by mule-drawn carriages. We like to mix up the transportation in a program and we find guests enjoy an up-close view of New Orleans' landmarks and heritage, including iron-laced balconies, famous restaurants and galleries, the legendary Jackson square and Bourbon Street.
• > Plantation Tours - There are few places in the world where guests can feel as though you were transported back in time as they experience Southern life in historic buildings, including manor houses and slave quarters.
• > Party at the Superdome - While the possibilities are endless, TBA Global can create anything from a sit-down dinner in the center of the arena, to big-name entertainment, to Mardi Gras spectacles, and everything in between. The Louisiana Superdome offers 125 million cubic feet of interior space, which is an artist's canvas for ideas! The Dome holds the record for the largest sit-down dinner and the biggest bingo party ever.

Don't miss:

The Jazz! Jazz was born in New Orleans, where some of the world's most celebrated musicians call home (Louie Armstrong, Fats Domino, Pete Fountain, and Harry Connick, Jr. to name a few). Music is the air New Orleans breathes!

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is filled with food and fun with big-name acts as well as niche music - it can't be missed! But, if you can't make it to the Jazz & Heritage Festival, there are other festivals. Why not blend your events around some of the following: French Quarter Festival, the Satchmo Summer Festival, and Christmas New Orleans Style.

Mardi Gras must also be experienced first-hand to be truly understood!

Contact Benny Harrell