Come to the Crescent City on April 29 – May 2 (note the shift from summer to spring) for the 2012 GRA Annual Policy Conference hosted by the Bureau of Governmental Research and the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana. Guests will stay at the cosmopolitan International House Hotel in the American Sector (downtown New Orleans) just two blocks from the French Quarter.
2012 Conference panels are expected to cover a range of state and local government topics such as health care, ethics and anti-corruption efforts, and the great charter school experiment in New Orleans. The conference panels will take place right between the two weekends of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The festival is second only to Mardi Gras on New Orleans’ lively events calendar. So come early or stay late to enjoy one of the finest music festivals in America. (For more information, see www.nojazzfest.com.)
Long known as America’s most interesting city, New Orleans has only become more interesting as it rebuilds from the worst disaster in the nation’s history. Long infamous for government corruption, it has in recent years been reborn as a laboratory for significant reforms and urban redevelopment. For government researchers, few cities offer such rich material for an on-site visit. Then there are the simple charms of this old French colonial city, whose spirit is lovingly preserved both in its historic architecture and in its joie de vivre.
Guests who stay at International House for the 2011 GRA Policy Conference will pay only $150 per night plus tax. Reservation information is forthcoming. For now, you can discover International House at www.ihhotel.com.