There is no such thing as a forgettable event in New Orleans. The city does half the work for you. But between the humidity, the festival calendar, and a convention center big enough to have its own zip code, this is not a place you can plan on autopilot. Here is what event planners should know about badges here, and where to send your attendees the second the last session lets out.
Planning an event in New Orleans
The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center stretches more than a mile along the Mississippi and holds over a million square feet of contiguous exhibit space, which makes it one of the largest halls in the country. That is why the big national shows keep coming back, and also why your registration line can get long enough to need an actual strategy. Plenty of business happens outside those walls too, at the Hyatt Regency, the Canal Street hotel properties, the Caesars Superdome for anything stadium-sized, and at venues you genuinely cannot replicate anywhere else, like Mardi Gras World, where your reception happens surrounded by parade floats.
Then there is timing, which is where out-of-town planners get humbled. Convention season runs January through May, takes the summer off because it is hot and it is hurricane season, and picks back up September through November. Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest are glorious and will also complicate every hotel block, venue hold, and freight window you have. If your dates land anywhere near either one, lock everything down early and thank yourself later.
A quick word on New Orleans: This is a city where the coffee has chicory in it, strangers say hello, and a brass band can break out on a Tuesday afternoon for no particular reason. Your attendees will show up expecting good food and leave talking about the whole thing. Lean into it. The events that work here are the ones that let the city be itself instead of trying to keep everyone in the ballroom.
Choosing badges that survive New Orleans
Now the unglamorous part. Humidity is the thing nobody warns you about. New Orleans stays damp for most of the convention season, your attendees are walking between venues in it, and receptions have a way of spilling into courtyards. Uncoated paper badges soften, curl, and eventually tear right through the slot punch. If your event runs more than a day or has any outdoor component at all, 30 mil plastic or paper in a rigid holder will look dramatically better on day three than bare cardstock will.
- Multi-day conventions: 30 mil plastic shrugs off repeated handling, re-entry scans, and damp air.
- Pre-registered conferences: 18 pt paper gives you full-color branding at the lowest cost per badge when your list is locked.
- Outdoor receptions and second lines: Plastic, or paper in a holder. Assume the badge gets wet eventually, because it will.
- Staff and crew: The 2.125 x 3.375 mini reads at a glance and stays out of the way on a busy floor.
Ordering timeline
Custom badges print within 5 business days of proof approval, then ship. Custom lanyards run 10 to 12 business days after proof approval plus shipping, so lanyard artwork is the piece to finalize first. Work backward from your in-hands date rather than your show date, and remember the convention center's advance warehouse wants freight well ahead of load-in.
If your event falls near Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, or French Quarter Fest, build in a buffer. Street closures and freight congestion in the Quarter and Warehouse District are very real, and a delivery that is routine in October is anything but during a festival week.
Things to do in New Orleans
Here is the good news: attendee free time takes care of itself here. The National WWII Museum is a short walk from the convention center and deserves every one of the hours you give it. The surrounding Warehouse and Arts District is full of galleries and restaurants and runs at a noticeably calmer tempo than the Quarter, which is itself just a stroll or a streetcar ride away.
Send people to Frenchmen Street, not Bourbon Street. That is where the working musicians actually play, at The Spotted Cat, d.b.a., and Snug Harbor, and it is a ten minute walk from Jackson Square. During daylight hours, the St. Charles streetcar rolls through the Garden District under an oak canopy past houses that have been standing since before the Civil War, with Magazine Street a few blocks over for shopping and a long lunch.
On food, the honest answer is all of it. Beignets and chicory coffee at Cafe du Monde. Oysters at Casamento's or Felix's. Gumbo and etouffee more or less anywhere. A roast beef po'boy from a neighborhood shop, which will absolutely ruin your shirt and be worth it. If your group only gets one real dinner, book it now, because the good rooms fill weeks ahead during convention season.
Give your New Orleans attendees a badge that still looks sharp on the last day, and an event they will be talking about long after they fly home.
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FAQs: Event Badges & Things to Do in New Orleans, LA
Where can I get custom event badges in New Orleans, LA?
Billy's Badges prints and ships custom paper and plastic event badges to New Orleans and the surrounding parishes. Orders print within 5 business days of proof approval and ship to your venue, hotel, or the convention center's advance warehouse.
How far in advance should I order badges for a New Orleans conference?
Give yourself at least two weeks before your in-hands date for badges alone. If custom lanyards are in the order, make it three to four weeks, since lanyards take 10 to 12 business days after proof approval plus shipping. Add extra room for events near Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, or French Quarter Fest, when getting freight into the Quarter and Warehouse District turns into its own project.
What badge material holds up best in New Orleans humidity?
30 mil plastic, without much of a contest. New Orleans stays humid through most of the convention season, and uncoated paper badges soften and tear at the slot punch after a day or two of handling. If you want paper for the cost or the print quality, pair it with a rigid badge holder, especially when outdoor receptions are on the schedule.
Are eco-friendly event badges available?
Yes. Badges are digitally printed with biodegradable ink, with no printing plates and no chemical developing. Material options include FSC-certified cardstock, heavyweight 100% recyclable paper, rPET lanyards, and recyclable badge holders, all shipped in sustainable packaging. Read more about our sustainability practices.
What is there to do near the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center?
The National WWII Museum is within walking distance and is the standout by a mile. The surrounding Warehouse and Arts District has galleries, restaurants, and a quieter feel than the French Quarter, which is itself a short walk or streetcar ride away. Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, and Cafe du Monde are all reachable on foot from most convention hotels.
Where should attendees go for music and food in New Orleans?
Point them toward Frenchmen Street rather than Bourbon Street. The Spotted Cat, d.b.a., and Snug Harbor are where working musicians play most nights of the week. For food, beignets at Cafe du Monde, oysters at Casamento's or Felix's, and a roast beef po'boy from a neighborhood shop cover the essentials. Dinner reservations fill weeks ahead during convention season, so book early.