Feb. 10, 2006

Trip Durham, NACMA First Vice President

I have just returned from a quick Convention site survey in New Orleans. I wanted to pass along my impressions of the hotels and of the city of New Orleans.

I must admit that flying into the city, I felt sorrow for the residents of New Orleans for the events of this past year, and naturally so. But in downtown, I saw the spirit of the people and their drive to energize the Quarter. When I left New Orleans I was inspired and proud knowing that NACMA was going to be part of the city's future.

I am overtaken by the resolve of that city. From what I saw and from the things I heard, the storm indeed is a tragic part of New Orleans history. But the movement forward in creating a future is inspirational. The hotels were staffed with smiling faces.

The infrastructure of the city (from a tourist perspective) seems strong.

And the Quarter has music coming from just about every door way. The areas that were most impacted will not ever be seen by attendees.

Sure, there are scaffolds and there is restoration work in surrounding blocks, but nothing that a visitor would not chalk up as being "normal" if there were not a storm.

Attending Convention in June will be our way of volunteering, albeit, in a different way. In New Orleans, we will immerse ourselves in continuing education and networking, while assisting the economic recovery of a very special part of our country. Some of us at the time of the storm wanted to help but we could not put our arms around just how to contribute. By attending Convention this year, you will do your part as an American citizen.

Make your reservations for either the Sheraton or the Marriott as soon as you can. My wife and I are making plans now and I am looking forward to seeing you all in New Orleans this summer.

Trip Durham
NACMA First Vice President
Associate Director of Athletics
Elon University

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Dave Marmion, CABMA President

I wanted to take a few minutes to update you on the Executive Committee's recent site visit to New Orleans. Going in I was skeptical to say the least, even after the positive report given by NACDA. However, I can now say I was pleasantly surprised. The area we were in, the French Quarter and Canal Street, were virtually unchanged from what we could see.

In fact, if you had lived in a cave for the last year and went to visit the French Quarter, I'm not sure you would even realize Katrina happened. Sure there are less people, and some of the shops are not yet open because their workers have not been able to move back yet due to the shortage of affordable housing, but in general the area is alive and active, and will be even more so in June. The only real evidence of Katrina I witnessed was seeing all the blue tarped roofs below as I flew into the airport.

As for our hotel, it was in great shape and looks as though it sustained no damage at all. We toured the meeting spaces and were very pleased with what we saw. Since that is where we spend 90 percent of our time, Katrina should really have no effect on our Convention.

I say all this to ensure you that this year's Convention should be just as successful as those in the past. If you were considering skipping it this year because of the location, please don't use that as an excuse, or you will regret that you did. I'm looking forward to going back there this June. I hope to see you there too.

Dave Marmion
CABMA President
Assistant AD - Finance
Wake Forest University