2026 NEW ORLEANS CONFERENCE AGENDA
Economic Development, Public Works Conference, Feb. 11-12, 2026
Infrastructure | Social Media Disasters | Public Works Timelines | Sales Tax Revenue | Site Selectors | Crime Prevention | Data Centers | HubSpot | Disaster Preparedness | Workforce Development | Innovation Districts | Cyber Security Risks | Child Care | AI | Strategic Planning | Attainable Housing | Community Marketing
Wednesday, February 11th, 2026:
11:00 AM until 1:00 PM – Registration At host hotel
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
2nd Floor
1:00 PM Until 1:20 PM – Welcome To Mardi Gras
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
1:20 PM Until 1:25 PM – Spotlighting Lane’s Flight, Our Charitable Cause to support childhood cancer clinical research
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
Childhood Cancer Research Support
1:30 PM Until 2:00 PM – Crazy FDI and Reshoring Stories: Growing Jobs, Reducing Risk and Creating Sustainable Economic Impact
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
2:05 PM Until 2:25 PM – Parade of Partners
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
2:30 PM Until 3:00 PM – social media do’s, don’ts, and disasters. When citizens go rogue online, whispers become community-wide rumors. Everything you need to know about digital marketing in 2026.
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
3:00 PM Until 3:15 PM – COFFEE BREAK
3:15 PM Until 4:00 PM – Public Works: Timeline Truths Economic Development Projects Don’t Want to Hear
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
4:05 PM Until 4:25 PM – “The Movement 2.0″ Providing Support & Connections To Assist Economic Developers With Their Biggest Problems
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
4:30 PM Until 5:00 PM – Grow Sales Tax Revenue In Your Community With Retail Recruitment
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
5:30 PM Until 7:30 PM – Opening Night Reception
New Orleans Musical Legends Park
311 Bourbon Street
Mini Muffuletta, Boudin Balls, Meat Pies, Shrimp Remoulade, Stuffed Mushrooms, Beignets, and Oyster Station
Thursday, February 12th, 2026:
9:00 AM Until 9:45 AM – Site Selectors Panel 1: Hear From The Leading Consultants Helping Corporations Locate New Facilities
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
9:50 AM Until 10:30 AM – What is the business community’s role in Crime Prevention?
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
10:35 AM Until 11:15 AM – What Communities Need to Know about Recruiting Data Centers: Tax Revenue, utility infrastructure, etc.
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
11:20 AM Until 11:50 AM – From Bourbon Street to Boardroom: HubSpot Hacks for Lead Generation in Economic Development
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
11:50 AM Until 1:30 PM – LUNCH BREAK
Lunch On Your Own (We don’t feed people hotel conference food in New Orleans, have lunch on your own at one of Next Move’s favorite restaurants nearby).
Next Move’s Favorite Lunch Spots Within Walking Distance Of Conference (Mother’s Does Not Accept Reservations, All The Others Do, So Reserve Now):
- https://www.lukeneworleans.com/ (Fresh Seafood, In Conference Hotel)
- https://www.domenicarestaurant.com/ (Upscale Italian)
- https://www.brennansneworleans.com/ (Classic New Orleans brunch)
- https://www.mothersrestaurant.net/ (Old Fashioned Creole Cooking)
- https://herbsaint.com/ (Upscale French style)
- https://www.desivegasteaks.com/ (Lunch Steakhouse)
- https://www.galatoires.com/ (New Orleans Staple, Founded In 1905)
- https://www.dragosrestaurant.com/ (Charbroiled Oysters)
Insyteful’s Ray Methvin is hosting an interactive box lunch session in the 2nd-floor meeting room for the first 20 attendees who sign up before the conference. This Lunch and Learn, titled “Community Marketing 101: Building a Foundation for Success,” is aimed at offering basic foundational marketing guidance.
To sign up, please email Ray at rmethvin@insyteful.com
Thursday – 3rd Floor
Thursday – 2nd Floor
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
2nd Floor
1:30 PM Until 2:00 PM – Disaster Preparedness: How To Prepare Your Community For The Unthinkable. Joplin, Missouri, EF-5 Tornado Case Study
1:30 PM Until 2:00 PM – Workforce Development: Understand The Skillsets Of Your Workforce With ACT Workready Communities
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
2nd Floor
2:05 PM Until 2:35 PM – Research Parks And Innovation Districts: What Cities, Regions, And States Need To Know To Grow Their Tech-Based Economies
2:05 PM Until 2:35 PM – Cyber Security Risks Economic Development, Organizations, Municipalities, & Local Governments Are Facing & Best Practices In Training To Mitigate Against Cyber Security Risks
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
2nd Floor
2:40 PM Until 3:10 PM – Everywhere The University Of Tennessee Innovates
2:40 PM Until 3:10 PM – From Shortage To Strategy How Communities Are Addressing Child Care To Compete For Talent
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
2nd Floor
3:15 PM Until 3:45 PM – How AI Is Affecting both site selection and the management of economic development organizations
3:15 PM Until 3:45 PM – Strategic Planning Best Practices Economic Development and Chambers of Commerce
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
2nd Floor
3:45 PM Until 4:00 PM – BREAD PUDDING BREAK
3:45 PM Until 4:00 PM – BREAD PUDDING BREAK
3:45 PM Until 4:00 PM – BREAD PUDDING BREAK
4:00 PM Until 4:30 PM – Attainable Housing, A community Challenge
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
4:35 PM Until 5:15 PM – Site Selectors Panel 2: Hear from the leading consultants helping corporations locate new facilities with a special emphasis on infrastructure
Hilton Saint Charles
333 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
6:30 PM – Closing Reception
Residence Inn
360 St. Charles Ave.
3rd Floor
Raw Oysters, Jumbo Louisiana Shrimp, Red Beans & Rice With Smoked Andouille Sausage, Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya, Muffulettas, Poboys, New Orleans Meat Pies, Fried Chicken Tenders
Wednesday
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM – Registration
1:00 – 1:20 PM – Welcome to the Mardi Gras
1:20 – 1:25 PM – Spotlighting Lane’s Flight – Our Charitable Cause Supporting Childhood Cancer Clinical Research
1:30 – 2:00 PM – Crazy Reshoring Stories: Growing Jobs, Reducing Risk, and Supercharging Tax Revenue
2:05 – 2:25 PM – Parade of Partners
2:30 – 3:00 PM – Social Media Do’s, Don’ts, and Disasters: What You Don’t Know About Digital Marketing in 2026
3:00 – 3:15 PM – Coffee Break
3:15 – 4:00 PM – Public Works: Timeline Truths Economic Development Projects Don’t Want to Hear
4:05 – 4:25 PM – Ally in the Arena: Elevating Municipal, Public Works, and Economic Development Leaders Through Advocacy
4:30 – 5:00 PM – Grow Sales Tax Revenue in Your Community with Retail Recruitment
From Bourbon Street to Boardroom: HubSpot Hacks for Lead Generation in Economic Development
4:40 – 5:00 PM –
5:30 – 7:30 PM – Opening Night Reception
Thursday – 3rd Floor
9:00 – 9:45 AM – Site Selector Panel 1 – Hear from leading consultants helping corporations locate new facilities
9:50 – 10:30 AM – Do Economic Developers Have A Role in Crime Prevention?
Workforce Development: Understand the Skillsets of Your Workforce with ACT Work Ready Communities
10:35 – 11:15 AM – Attainable Housing: An Economic Development Challenge
11:10 – 11:40 AM – Research Parks & Innovation Districts: What Cities, Regions, and States Need to Know to Grow Their Tech-Based Economies
11:40 AM – 1:30 PM – Lunch
1:30 – 2:00 PM – Disaster Preparedness: How to Prepare Your Community for the Unthinkable
2:05 – 2:50 PM – Everywhere UT Innovates – University of Tennessee partnerships advancing innovation
2:55 – 3:25 PM – How AI Is Affecting Both Site Selection and the Management of Economic Development Organizations
3:25 – 3:40 PM – Bread Pudding Break
3:40 – 4:15 PM – Data Center Panel: What Communities Need to Know About Recruiting Data Centers
4:15 – 5:00 PM – Site Selector Panel 2 – Leading Consultants With a Special Emphasis on Infrastructure
6:30 PM – Closing Reception
Thursday – 2nd Floor
10:00 – 10:30 AM – Do Economic Developers Have a Role in Crime Prevention?
10:35 – 11:05 AM – Strategic Planning Best Practices for Economic Developers
11:40 AM – 1:30 PM – Lunch
1:30 – 2:00 PM – Perspectives from Two Past Local Economic Developers Turned Workforce Training Professionals
2:05 – 2:50 PM – From Shortage to Strategy: How Communities Are Addressing Child Care to Compete for Talent
2:55 – 3:25 PM – Strategic Planning Best Practices for Chambers of Commerce
