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BIZ FORWARD
BUS INE SS E S DI S CUSS TH EIR ROAD TO RECOV E R Y
UNP R ECEDENTED TI M ES CAL L FOR UNP R ECEDENTED M EA SUR ES. As our city, our state and the world adjust to ever-shifting standards of normalcy, businesses are finding innovative ways to adapt and position their teams for continued success. While the road to recovery may be paved with uncertainties and challenges unique to each industry, one thing is certain: New Orleans is no stranger to resiliency, and our professional community has all the expertise, prowess and determination needed to emerge stronger and more prosperous than ever. In this exclusive section, Biz New Orleans asked business leaders about their tactics for readjusting, working remotely and staying focused on their corporate missions during the historic COVID-19 pandemic.
S P ON S OR E D
B I Z F O R W A R D : T H E R OA D TO R E COV E R Y
VI RTUAL EVENT & MEETI NG MANAGEMENT
New Ways to Meet Innovative options in event hosting will pave the way for safe, engaging gatherings in New Orleans.
N O CC I I S A N E W O R L E A N S B A S E D D M C
(Destination Management Company) that provides virtual, in-person, and hybrid event or meeting needs. With over 30 years of industry experience creating memorable and successful events, NOCCI is known for its ability to host creative, and enjoyable conferences, conventions, festivals, and meetings, whether online, in-person, or both. The company and team prides itself on operating with integrity and enjoys well-established relationships with Louisiana’s finest and trusted suppliers. NOCCI is committed to excellence in planning, production, and delivering within the client’s budget every time. The team’s efforts go above and beyond to meet the specific needs of clients and their unique events. NOCCI is capable of handling virtual, in-person, and hybrid events as small as 10 participants or as large as 80,000. How has the pandemic aff ected your company and what do you foresee for its future in the event planning industry? NOCCI has erupted on the scene as the Gulf South leader of virtual and “hybrid events,” as we were the first to become Certified Virtual Event & Meeting Management Specialists. We have now successfully planned and managed many local and national turnkey Virtual Conferences & Meetings. We recently became Certified in Pandemic Meeting & Event Design. This provides us the know-how to ensure that the highly popular “hybrid” and in-person events we plan are held to the highest level of
protocol and safety. NOCCI collaborated with event and meeting planners from all over the country on the best way to tackle the new era of the hospitality industry we now know. This will help us focus on the parts that are critical not only to surviving in the short-term but creating a sustainable model for the future. Additionally, we saw the need to assist excited, yet struggling couples as they’re attempting to plan their weddings during the pandemic. NOCCI has developed a website of local partnerships offering all-inclusive, turnkey Micro Wedding Packages at MicroWeddingsNOLA.com. What role is your company playing in the recovery of the larger hospitality industry of New Orleans? NOCCI is deeply invested in seeing our city’s hospitality industry thrive. We are nothing without our partner businesses—they are our backbone. We have focused 100 percent of our sourcing needs on local companies and do not outsource to national companies. Our city, our culture is immensely important to us, and we infuse as much New Orleans as possible into each event we manage and produce. We have also joined forces with BRACE and NOLA Hospitality SAFE to help enforce protocol to protect the health of our industry’s people. How w ill the New Orleans event and meeting industry move forward and thrive in the months and years to come? We are hearing from our national conference and meeting clients that, while they are still motivated and excited to come to town, they will be coming in smaller numbers. The beauty in this is that now all-sized, beautiful New Orleans hotels can really shine while hosting these hybrid meetings. NOCCI is currently meeting with hoteliers to provide the necessary tools to transform a small to medium in-person event into a turnkey hybrid experience with live streaming to the attendees unable to join in person at this time. Everyone wins with this type of event thanks to longer room blocks and to the conventions that treat the in-person event as an incentive program and spend lavishly. The clients win because they get to explore any and all of our unique New Orleans hotels for their events that they may not typically experience with a larger group size.
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NOCCI is deeply invested in seeing our city’s hospitality industry thrive.
N I CO L E T U S A VP, SALES & MARKETING
NOCCI 1340 POYDRAS ST. #2130 • NEW ORLEANS • (504) 888-7608 • NOCCI.COM