The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) has unveiled a new logo, a fresh, modern look to reflect a vibrant future filled with excitement and growth. As the convention center recovers from two years of reduced travel in the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns and the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, the refreshed logo amplifies that New Orleans is Built to Host.
“This is a new design for a new era,” said Convention Center President Michael J. Sawaya. “The 
city is bouncing back, and we are thrilled to host conventions and other events that are already having a positive impact on local businesses.”
The debut of the new visual identity coincides with an extensive physical transformation already in progress. Major sustainability upgrades, interior and exterior modernizations, and plans to develop 39 acres of adjacent riverfront property — these projects are all part of the convention center’s ongoing $557 million Capital Improvement Plan. The new logo reflects these sweeping changes while also referencing iconic elements of the facility’s history, but with a new twist.
In the center of the new logo is a stylized depiction of an iconic art piece by sculptor Patrick Marold at the convention center’s plaza entrance. Titled The Alluvial Mirror, the name is a nod to the building’s historic location on the riverfront, where a sandy beach once naturally formed from the river’s alluvium — a word of Latin origin meaning a deposit of clay, silt, and sand left by flowing water, typically producing fertile soil.
The new logo also depicts the peaks of the Crescent City Connection bridge which has spanned the Mississippi River for over 60 years. Dramatic views of the bridge and the river will be very important in the center’s upcoming improvements. The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center’s name forms a block at the bottom of the logo, a visual representation of its foundational position as one of New Orleans’ largest economic drivers. A leading contributor to the city’s robust tourism economy, the convention center’s event activity has produced $90 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening, including $5.7 billion in new tax revenue for state and local governments.
The new logo retains elements from the previous version paying tribute to both the convention center’s namesake and to the city of New Orleans — each of which are central to the identity of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The facility was first renamed in 1992 in honor of Ernest N. Morial, the first African American mayor of New Orleans. In 2008, the name was formally changed again to emphasize how New Orleans’ unique character influences and shapes the center’s mission.
Designed by the convention center’s Creative Services Manager, Eric LeBlanc, the new logo will have a phased rollout starting with digital and electronic assets such as web pages and email signatures, followed gradually by paper and physical assets. Click here for more details: https://mccno.com/new-logo-faq/.
