via Joan Eisenstodt of the MIMlist, the following people are safe:

Bourbon Orleans
Linda Bastion
Nadine Hoover
Chris Sanders
Tara Brooks

Canal Place
Terri Lamonte

Whitney
Maria Roussel

Joan says Kent Wasmuth is also safe.

Just read this article in Forbes on the economic impact of Katrina on New Orleans. A snip:

“Visitors to New Orleans spend $5 billion per year, and 40% of that number is convention and meeting business,” says Donna Karl, vice president of client relations for the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, who spoke from Chicago, where she had been forced to evacuate. “Tourism is the No. 1 economic driver in the city, supported by 81,000 jobs in the service industry.”

Karl estimates that New Orleans loses half a billion dollars in visitor spending for every month that the city is not operational, and it’s facing several months of inactivity now.

“For September, October and November, tourism to New Orleans will be crippled for sure,” says Bobby Bowers, a vice president at Smith Travel Research, a Tennessee-based information provider to the lodging industry. He says that room revenue for those three months last year exceeded $268 million–and that’s not including spending on meetings, food and beverages, and leisure activities.

From the Katrina Disaster Relief TSEA Web site. Check in with the site regularly for updates.

RESCHEDULED DATES AND VENUES FOR UPCOMING GULF COAST EVENTS
For those of you who have upcoming events scheduled in the Gulf Coast region, TSEA is providing the following listing of rescheduled dates. This information is changing on a minute to minute basis, so be sure to confirm all events with the show organizer before making any changes or plans. (Please Note: TSEA is not responsible for errors, changes or other actions.)

BreakBulk Transportation Conference & Exhibition
Location: New Orleans Marriott Conference Center, New Orleans
Date: September 7, 2005 - September 9, 2005
Relocation: Postponed
Rescheduled Date: TBA

AWMA Distribution Summit & Business Exchange
Location: Ritz Carlton New Orleans, New Orleans
Date: September 12, 2005 - September 15, 2005
Relocation: Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne in Miami, Florida
Rescheduled Date: September 12, 2005 - September 15, 2005 (same dates)

National Hardwood Lumber Association - NHLA Annual Convention
Location: Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, New Orleans
Date: September 14, 2005 - September 17, 2005
Relocation: TBA

2005 Home Equity Lending Conference
Location: Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, New Orleans
Date: September 18, 2005 - September 21, 2005
Relocation: JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, Phoenix, AZ
Rescheduled Date: September 18 - 21, 2005

American Society for Microbiology
Location: Ernest Morial Convention Centre, New Orleans
Date: September 21, 2005 – September 24, 2005
Relocation: Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC
Rescheduled Date: December 16, 2005 – December 19, 2005

Dam Safety ‘05
Location: Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, New Orleans
Date: September 25 – September 29, 2005
Relocation: Orlando, FL
Rescheduled Date: September 23-27, 2005

Int’l Association of Diecutting & Diemaking - IADD Annual Meeting
Location: Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi
Date: September 22, 2005 - September 24, 2005
Relocation: Cancelled for Biloxi, Location TBA
Rescheduled Date: Either October 13-15, 2005 or October 20-22, 2005

Maintenance Planning and Scheduling
Location: Was To Be Determined, New Orleans
Date: September 26, 2005 - September 28, 2005
Relocation: Unknown

RFID, Tracking and Barcoding for Hospitals
Location: Hotel Inter-Continental New Orleans, New Orleans
Date: September 26, 2005 - September 28, 2005
Relocation: Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown, Atlanta, GA
Rescheduled Date: September 27 - 28, 2005

The Health Care Cost Management Conference
Location: Hilton New Orleans Riverside, New Orleans
Date: September 26, 2005 - September 27, 2005
Relocation: Unknown

NCDC Annual Conference and Exposition
Location: New Orleans Marriott, New Orleans
Date: October 2, 2005 - October 5, 2005
Relocation: Monitoring Situation.
Rescheduled Date: Not rescheduled as of 9/1/05

59th Annual Sweet Adelines International Convention and Competition
Location: Hyatt Regency New Orleans, New Orleans
Date: October 4, 2005 – October 8, 2005
Relocation: Detroit, Michigan
Rescheduled Date: October 4, 2005 - October 8, 2005 (same dates)
Association of Millwork Distributors - 42nd Annual Convention
Location: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans
Date: October 7, 2005 - October 11, 2005
Relocation: Monitoring Situation.
Rescheduled Date: Not rescheduled as of 9/1/05

2005 IEEE/PES Transmission & Distribution Conference & Exposition
Location: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans
Date: October 9, 2005 – October 12, 2005
Relocation: Postponed until Spring 2006.

Food Marketing Institute - FMI Internal Auditing Conference
Location: Chateau Sonesta - New Orleans, New Orleans
Date: October 09, 2005 - October 12, 2005
Rescheduled Location: Not being Relocated.
Rescheduled Date: Expect the Sonesta to be operational by conference date.

Int’l Public Management Assn for Human Resources - IPMA-HR Conference
Location: Hyatt Regency New Orleans, New Orleans
Date: October 15, 2005 - October 19, 2005
Relocation: No plans to relocate.
Rescheduled Date: Monitoring Situation.

APICS 2005 International Conference and Exposition
Location: Ernest Morial Convention Centre, New Orleans
Date: October 16, 2005 - October 18, 2005
Relocation: Monitoring Situation.

SIA Small Firms Conference & Exhibits
Location: Hyatt Regency New Orleans, New Orleans
Date: October 19, 2005 - October 21, 2005
Relocation: Researching alternative location.

The NACS Show 2005
Location: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans
Date: October 29, 2005 - Nov 01, 2005
Relocation: Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV.
Rescheduled Date: November 15-18, 2005

Community Action Partnership
Location: New Orleans Marriott Hotel
Date: August 30–September 2, 2005
Relocation: in New Orleans (contingent upon hotel availability and readiness of the city and the infrastructure).
Rescheduled Date: January, 2006

Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN)
Location: Hyatt Regency New Orleans
Date: September 22-25, 2005
Relocation: Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Rescheduled Date: October 26-30, 2005

Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT)
Location: New Orleans
Date: September 14 – 18, 2005
Relocation: San Jose McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, California
Rescheduled Date: September 14 – 18, 2005 (same dates)

National Electrical Contractors Association
Location: New Orleans
Date: Sept. 16-20, 2005
Relocation: Cancelled and will not be rescheduled for 2005.

New Orleans Dental Conference
Location: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center New Orleans
Date: September 14-17, 2005
Relocation: Cancelled
Rescheduled Date: Unknown

The Trade Show Exhibitors Association has set up a disaster relief fund. Go to the TSEA site to learn more or make a donation.

From the press release:

In the wake of the devastating disaster and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Rosen Hotels & Resorts of Orlando, is offering residents of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama affordable lodging in order to help ease their situations.

For a reduced rate of $39.95 per night, plus 11.5% tax, residents of those affected states can stay at one of four Rosen hotels in Orlando and the surrounding area. The rate includes a room with two double beds, an in-room microwave, mini-refrigerator and coffee maker. A daily breakfast buffet is included for up to two adults, plus three children under 12 years old, per room.

The participating hotels are the Quality Inn International, 7600 International Dr., Orlando; Rodeway Inn International, 6327 International Dr., Orlando; Quality Inn Plaza, 9000 International Dr., Orlando; and Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista, 8442 Palm Parkway, Lake Buena Vista.

This just in from HSMAI: Experts to address impact of hurrican Katrina on travel and tourism and the ROI of sales and marketing at the 5th annual HSMAI/NYU Industry Strategy Conference, to be held in NYC on Sept. 15. From the press release:

Laurence S. Geller, president and CEO of Strategic Hotel Capital, Inc. and other leading industry experts will headline the agenda addressing the impact of Hurricane Katrina and the issues surrounding ROI in today’s rapidly changing landscape for sales and marketing strategies at the Fifth Annual Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI)/NYU Industry Strategy Conference. The conference takes place in New York on Sept. 15, 2005 at the Westin New York at Times Square from 11:30am - 4:30pm.

They must have had to scramble like big dogs to put this together so quickly, but it’s so important to not get too caught up in the immediate chaos to really be able to think about what this means to our industry longer term.