Louisiana is a world unto itself, offering authentic destination experiences drawing from the state’s spicy cultural milieu, from Cajun and Creole cuisine to a music melting pot that is the epitome of American cross-pollination.
Following is a dive into the unique aspects of four of Louisiana’s most popular meetings destinations, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport-Bossier and Lake Charles, and the major new meetings and events offerings in each.
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New Orleans
As a tier-one meetings destination and global tourism draw, New Orleans always has something brewing, and the Crescent City has been making big headlines recently, including earning a UNESCO City of Music designation, one of only 10 in the U.S.
Also on the accolades and recognition front, three New Orleans restaurants, Emeril’s, Sainte-Germain and Zasu, have recently received Michelin stars.
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Topping the meetings and conventions news is the $763 million transformation of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the new 339-acre River District starting to emerge adjacent to it.
The convention center is benefiting from major interior renovations, capital projects and technology improvements, along with a new “cool roof” that provides superior energy efficiency and protection from high winds. The 1,000-room Omni New Orleans Convention Center is targeting to open by 2030 across from the convention center.
As famed New Orleans chef Emeril Lagasse would exclaim: “BAM!”
The new and renovated news out of New Orleans doesn’t stop with the big convention district project, however, with one of the other major happenings including the opening of the Fairmont New Orleans—bringing the storied Fairmont name back to the city—this summer, featuring Delmonico by Emeril Lagasse and Café by Emeril Lagasse in its four-venue F&B offering.
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Occupying 18 floors in the 31-story historic former Bank of New Orleans Building, Fairmont New Orleans highlights include the following:
- 250 guest rooms (floors 20-31), including 48 suites and 34 Fairmont Suites
- 20,000 square feet of meeting space
- Nine event rooms, including two 4,000-square-foot ballrooms
- A two-story rooftop bar, lounge and pool complex
- A 10,000-square-foot spa and wellness center
This month, the city is opening 2.2 miles of new waterfront space named Governor Nichols Wharf that was previously a warehouse area.
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“It was an old industrial riverfront and it’s now going to be a public park, plazas, lawns and staging,” said Stephanie Turner, senior vice president, convention sales and strategies, New Orleans & Company. “Groups can have events there with views of the city that no one, including locals, have seen, and it’s going to be run by our friends at the Audubon Nature Institute.”
Turner said other New Orleans tourism and MICE news includes the following event venue openings:
- The Museum of Illusions, an immersive, group-friendly attraction located in JAX Brewery
- The 15,000-square-foot The Misi event space, offering riverfront views of the Mississippi River for up to 400 on floors 3 and 4 of the historic JAX Brewery building
- The 8,000-square-foot Josephine on Napoleon in Uptown operated by New Orleans restaurant legend Dickie Brennan & Company
- A 216-room Element extended-stay hotel connected to the soon-to-open Fairmont New Orleans
- Renovations at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside and New Orleans Marriott
- A $7.5 million expansion of the National World War II Museum, which also launched the Sanderson Leadership Center offering tailored executive leadership programs
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And one massive New Orleans event not to be missed is Sail 250, which will join other major U.S. cities in celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with tall ships from around the world calling in the Port of New Orleans May 27-June 1.
Baton Rouge
The state capital, Baton Rouge offers that authentic slice of Louisiana culture without the epic hustle, bustle and general bacchanalia of New Orleans.
“Ours basically fits the pace that meeting planners and associations can come for to relax and go down those memory lanes,” said Geraldine Bordelon, senior vice president of destination sales, Visit Baton Rouge, referring to the many historic lures of the city, including museums and historic buildings and landmarks.
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Bordelon said Visit Baton Rouge is keen on customizing itineraries for groups, who often meet at the Raising Cane’s River Center Convention Center, with 70,000 square feet of exhibition space located on the banks of the Mississippi River and served by seven hotels. The complex also offers a 19,000-square-foot ballroom, 17 meeting rooms, a 10,000-seat arena and a 1,900-seat performing arts theater.
“We don’t just cookie-cut our presentations and proposals; we try to customize based on the need,” she offered. “We have an experience department that shares ideas on how we can take the experience for the client and the attendees to a different level, to where we’re bringing in either a Cajun band or a second line downtown; we’ve done several of those going from a hotel to the convention center.
“We’ve done a marching band to all the different attractions and we’ve done different little bites here and there with all the museums,” Bordelon added, “and we’ve also opened up a convention or the exhibits with a second line.”
Bordelon said many attendees love seizing Instagrammable moments in front of a backdrop with baby alligators, all vetted through the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
“They take a picture and they’ve got the whole Louisiana experience all rolled into one,” she said. “We’re not bringing them to the swamp; we’re bringing the swamp to them.”
On the new and renovated front, Baton Rouge welcomed Bally’s Baton Rouge Casino & Hotel in December, replacing the former Belle of Baton Rouge riverboat casino with a 10-story, 242-room land-based casino that is part of a $160 million redevelopment of downtown.
A destination with several riverfront and land-based casinos, Bordelon said the city offers plenty of non-gaming hotel options, too, such as a Crowne Plaza, Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center and Marriott brands such as the Baton Rouge Marriott, Renaissance, Autograph Collection, Element, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites and Residence Inn.
Being the state capital, Baton Rouge traditionally draws a lot of state associations but is actively courting more corporate business as well as larger tradeshows, with recent successes including Kampgrounds of America, Delta Waterfowl Duck Hunters Expo and the Gulf Coast Food & Fuel Expo convenience stores event.
A major offsite venue is the four-floor Red Stick Social, located in a former icehouse and offering pickleball, two floors of bowling, a downstairs bar and stage. The facility can accommodate up to 1,000 and also features a rooftop space and outdoor bars.
[Related: How Baton Rouge Can Give Your Meeting an Authentic Louisiana Experience]
The destination just launched Baton Rouge Cruises riverboat tours that can offer customized programs such as intimate dinners or lunches for up to 60 as it meanders down the Mississippi.
“You get an opportunity to be able to experience authentic Louisiana in Baton Rouge because you get a little of everything—we love that and that’s how we sell it,” Bordelon said.
Shreveport-Bossier City
The northern dual destination of Shreveport and Bossier City also excels in presenting authentic Louisiana culture—from its more-rural side—but is also spreading the word about a food scene that ventures far beyond the Bayou State.
“We have all of your traditional Louisiana foods and your Cajun culture that you’re looking for, but we also have stuff that’s unique to our destination,” said Emma Boone, public relations/digital content manager, Visit Shreveport-Bossier. “One thing we’re focusing on this year is our authentic international food. We have a really large military population, so we have tons of international food.
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“We also have a few chefs that are award-winning,” she added, “such as James Beard semifinalist chef Hardette Harris [Us Up North restaurant], who is the author of the Official Meal of North Louisiana, a curated menu celebrating the region’s distinct agricultural and cultural foodways established by the Louisiana State Legislature in 2015.”
Boone said Shreveport-Bossier offers small-town charm but with larger-city amenities, such as six casinos and a wealth of restaurants. As the two cities are separated only by the Red River, many may not know that they are in fact two separate municipalities, with Shreveport offering the Shreveport Convention Center and attached Hilton Shreveport. Bossier City—which allows open containers of alcohol in public—is known for its restaurants and East Bank Arts District, including live music venues, axe throwing and two breweries.
Shreveport just launched a Show Me Your Badge promotion that grants attendees offers in downtown to lure them outside of the convention district. The city also just opened Canteen Park, an open-air venue that can hold nighttime events in an artsy area downtown.
Major venue news includes a multimillion-dollar renovation of Shreveport’s event-ready Walter B. Jacobs Nature Center, a 24,000-square-foot facility dedicated to telling the story of Caddo and Bossier parishes, with interactive exhibits that include live animal displays, a bird of prey aviary, five miles of hiking trails and outdoor spaces that celebrate the natural beauty of the parishes.
Bossier City welcomed the Live! Casino in 2025 and Bally’s recently purchased Sam’s Town casino in downtown Shreveport, which is planned to include a 1,000-room-plus hotel with space for meetings.
Other venue news includes the 2025 opening of Bossier City’s Chasing Aces, a golf-and-entertainment venue that is popular for group outings, as well as the Roots Cultural Center, a creative hub that cultivates local culinary, visual and performing arts talent.
Lake Charles
Located in southwest Louisiana near the Texas border, Lake Charles is called Louisiana’s Playground and is where Cajun culture combines with Texas flair. Vibrant festivals, bold Creole flavors and lively entertainment coexist with the region’s serene bayous and unspoiled Gulf beaches to provide a singular meetings experience.
The destination offers more than 83,000 square feet of convention space at the Lake Charles Event Center along with venues that can accommodate up to 8,000 attendees.
Popular offsite activity options include paddling scenic waterways, exploring the Southwest Boudin Trail or Creole Nature Trail, and incorporate charter fishing, golf and casino entertainment. Many meetings incorporate Cajun and Creole dining experiences into their programs.
Attractions include the new Port Wonder and Mardi Gras Museum, and live music at Panorama Music House.
On the hotel front, a new 154-room Hilton Garden Inn with 19,000 square feet of meeting space, designed to function as the city’s first true convention center hotel (Lake Charles features many gaming resorts), is expected to attract more regional conferences following its targeted early 2027 opening. A 3,500-seat amphitheater is in the works and also expected to open in early 2027.
