A Good Time and Place for a Blog

Welcome back to those of you who were regular readers of the PACE Blog in recent years. PACE 2009 is several months away, but that doesn't mean that the staff are just sitting on their hands watching the flowers bloom. Well, maybe some of us are, what with it being Spring and all and the weather finally turning a bit warmer. :-) Of course, that's just during the work day. At night when we're home with our families, we're usually thinking about PACE and what we need to do to get ready for the show in New Orleans.



We're pretty excited about heading back to "Nawlins" in February. I've personally been back there twice since Katrina, most recently last month for another conference (over St. Patrick's Day weekend to boot!). The progress that they've made in the city is truly amazing. Population is returning, as are the tourists, and both small and large "victories" are occurring on a daily basis - whether it's the extension of business hours in a local restaurant or the reopening of a refurbished building.



New Orleans still features that traditional southern charm, and that was more evident than ever on my recent trip. Residents are genuinely happy to see the visitors and the economic activity that they bring with them. Many of them went out of their way to thank me for visiting their shop or restaurant, and those that felt like chatting were really excited for the progress. To me, this grass roots information was more valuable than any "official line" from some faceless agency.



The truth is that there are still many things in the area that need to be fixed, but as with any destination city like New Orleans, tourism brings money and money fixes stuff. I did my part while I was there (especially with the fine establishments on Bourbon Street), and plan to do more in the next few months.






Keep your eyes on this space for more from the PACE folks on the upcoming show. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us via the web site at http://www.pace2009.com or by calling SSPC or PDCA directly.