What do you think of when you think about innovation?

Is it new technology? New ideas burning across society like a meteor? Connections between people that create lasting change and vibrant cultures?

The American city that most personifies celebrating innovation is not found in Silicon Valley or in Silicon Alley. New Orleans is unlike any other city in America, and that’s why we’re proud to host the INNO conference here, on April 29th to May 2nd, 2019.

New Orleans is a City of Renewal

New Orleans is a city of renewal, adaptation, and inclusion. Heck, even our bands have names like the Rebirth Brass Band. We’ve always served as a gateway between America and the Caribbean, and our culture is a beautiful fusion of French, Spanish, Caribbean, African, and American influences. In this city that thrives on change, that unique and eclectic New Orleans culture stays the same.

New Orleans is a city of innovation, as any fan of jazz, blues, and all other musical genres that built upon them can tell you. Want to see an example of true innovation, collaboration, and durability? Look at the way that we rebuilt ourselves stronger than ever after Hurricane Katrina. We showed the world how people can come together to creatively solve their problems and rebuild not only infrastructure but community and culture.

Maybe it is because of the long history of multiculturalism in our city, or because of the constant give-and-take battle to keep the Mississippi within its banks. We understand how to adapt, collaborate, and innovate to create great new things in New Orleans.

That’s why New Orleans is the perfect hometown for a global community of innovators and collaborators.

A Tech Hub for the Gulf South

Here in NOLA, we’re busy thriving, not just surviving. We’ve become a center of technological development and entrepreneurship in the Gulf South.

Organizations like Idea Village, Propeller, and Launch Pad have helped our homegrown innovators connect with the training, talent, and capital they need to build their businesses form the ground up.

Together, we’ve gone from the Big Easy to the Silicon Bayou.

And now, at INNO, we invite you to join a community of innovators from around world: based in New Orleans, and steeped in New Orleans values.

Jazz Fest: Capturing the Spirit of New Orleans

We decided that it was high time that New Orleans organized its own innovation conference. And when, but in the week between Jazz Fest weekends, could be better to celebrate this city along with a global community of innovators?

The annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival celebrates the global impact that our city has had on music. This festival brings major stars and up-and-comers together to honor our city’s cultural heritage and share music both old and new. After Hurricane Katrina, Jazz Fest became both a rallying call and a homecoming for so many people in our city. Musicians from New Orleans and around the world came together to support the city, including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Dr. John, and Bruce Springsteen.

Jazz Fest is also living proof of the enduring appeal of our city, drawing about half a million attendees each year from around the country and the globe. New Orleans culture has always been about celebration and togetherness, whether we’re forming second lines and Jazz funerals or celebrating Mardi Gras.

And, Jazz Fest is NOLA culture writ large and condensed into two action-packed weekends. The week between? Why, that’s a time of true magic and serendipity. And we invite you to come find out why.

So we’re looking to bring together the global INNO community right in the middle of Jazz Fest.

Join Us at INNO – A Uniquely New Orleans Conference

Want to see what New Orleans is all about, while meeting fellow innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors… And maybe even catching an iconic act at Jazz Fest 2019? It sounds like INNO might be right up your alley.

We are the first truly NOLA-owned conference to bring together innovators from around the world for multiple days of collaboration, inspiration, and partnership.

Share your vision. Meet new strategic partners. Discover a new investment opportunity. Find the capital you need to keep innovating.

Celebrate New Orleans’ tradition of innovation and join us April 29-May 2 2019.