NOLABA has helped secure the second annual ICSC Food for Thought Conference in New Orleans from April 10-11, 2018 at the Roosevelt Hotel.

Brenda Canada, NOLABA’s Vice President of Retail Attraction, Development and Strategy, said New Orleans is a natural fit for the conference, which launched in Austin in March 2017 and dives into strategies for using food and beverage as a retail anchor, entertainment source and traffic driver.

“We’re the ultimate foodie city, so it makes sense,” said Canada, who put together a panel in Austin on the role of restaurants and the food & beverage industry in New Orleans’ revitalization after Hurricane Katrina. “It will showcase the incredible food culture in New Orleans to a group of influential site selectors and restaurant professionals, and just reinforce our reputation as a city that is focused on exceptional food.”

The inaugural Food for Thought conference featured keynote speakers such as Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi, along with New Orleans connections like Rebecca Conwell, Senior Advisor for Economic Development to Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

The Food for Thought conference will be the second ICSC event of 2018 in New Orleans, following the Gulf South Idea Exchange, a regional deal making session that New Orleans hosts every three years and is set for Feb. 28-March 1, also at the Roosevelt Hotel.

“We’re looking forward to having people see how much progress we’ve made since the last time we had the Gulf South Idea Exchange here (in 2015),” Canada said.