KATRINA FORCES CONVENTION BACKUP PLAN

Matthew Enis

MADISON, Wis. -- The International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association here may be forced to relocate its 2006 Seminar and Expo, which is scheduled to take place at New Orleans' Ernest N. Morial Convention Center June 11-13 next year.

IDDBA joins hundreds of industry groups grappling with difficult decisions about large trade shows in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. While they want to help New Orleans regain the tourism and business travel dollars that the city will need to rebuild, the organizations recognize that it will be months or possibly years before New Orleans can play host again.

"This is a horrible, horrible situation, and most of us feel heartsick and helpless," said Carol Christison, executive director of IDDBA, referring to the general devastation caused by Katrina.

Christison said IDDBA was making every effort to be supportive of the city, but that the reality of the situation requires a backup plan.

"You hear on the news that [New Orleans] may not be safe in terms of sanitation for possibly eight months, and our show is nine months away," she said. "We believe it will be at least three to six months before the city can assess what its capabilities will be, and in the meantime, we're looking at some Plan B options, so that if it's necessary to move, we'll have some place to go. When you're looking at 500,000 square feet of exhibit space, you can't move that overnight."