The Ernest N. Morial Convention
Center in New Orleans hosted 43 events in 2006 that drew a
total of 181,595 attendees, slightly more than half of what the
center drew in the first eight months of 2005, prior to Hurricane
Katrina. The related economic boost to the city, per a report
released by the University of New Orleans, was $719.4 million.
The internal revenue
service has increased the mileage rate for automobile
business travel in 2008 to 50.5 cents per mile, up from 48.5 cents
in 2007.
The European
Commission has released its annual blacklist naming
airlines that fail to meet safety regulations, as well as any
carriers banned from operating within the European Union. The full
list can be found at ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban.
Crowne Plaza properties grew by 51 percent
during the first nine months of 2007, making it the fastest-growing
U.S. upscale hotel brand. Twenty hotels, representing 6,000 rooms,
were opened in that period; another 34 properties are in the
pipeline.