Is Phoenix Rising a reaction to Hurricane Katrina?
Not directly. Several of our organizing team members are local to the area, and were very positive about New Orleans as a conference location long before the hurricanes of 2005. We considered a number of cities for Phoenix Rising. It was clear upon exploring the French Quarter, however, that New Orleans wasn’t just our first choice, it was our only choice because of its connection to our themes, its remarkable venues, and unique culture. In fact, the opportunity to hold the majority of our programming in a single hotel combined with a walk of a few short blocks to the historic French Quarter meant that we could hold a centralized conference while still offering attendees the chance to explore New Orleans.
