Event Registration Trends: Turning ‘Late Arrivals’ Into ‘Early Birds’
Attendees waiting until zero hour to register for an event isn’t exactly new. A recent study by Maritz, however, shows there’s been a definite uptick in this practice over the last few years. Their research found 22 percent of attendees wait until the final week before a show to register...
DMCs are an Untapped Resource for Meeting Profs
A Destination Management Company (DMC) could be the secret ingredient for meeting professionals cooking up their next event. These destination partners are dedicated event professionals who have expert local knowledge of their areas...
Marketing New Trends: How to Market a Virtual Event
It used to be that virtual events were under-utilized and oftentimes an under-developed option for event marketers. After 2020, that all changed. Virtual events were forced to up the ante. And new technology helped make that happen by enhancing the attendee's experience...
Diane Lyons of ACCENT New Orleans Honored with Entrepreneur Award from Smart Meetings
ACCENT New Orleans president and founder Diane Lyons has been named a recipient of the esteemed 2024 Smart Women in Meetings Award by Smart Meetings. This coveted recognition by Smart Meetings, a leading media company...
ACCENT New Orleans DMC Welcomes New Director of Operations Theresa Vivirito
Destination Management Company ACCENT New Orleans proudly announces the addition of Theresa Vivirito as its new Director of Operations. A seasoned professional with a diverse background in the hospitality industry, Theresa brings a...
Hospitality Partners Deliver Food and Supplies to LASPCA
In a collaboration between ACCENT New Orleans DMC and local hospitality partners, the Besties Collection Drive donated 22 boxes of food and supplies to the Louisiana SPCA. The Windsor Court and another dozen hotels participated in the effort...
Event Planning Visionary Diane Lyons Honored With Lifetime Achievement Award
ACCENT New Orleans, a distinguished event and meeting planning company rooted in the heart of the vibrant city, proudly announces the recognition of its visionary founder, Diane Lyons, who has been honored with the esteemed DMC Network...
Making the Most of Meetings in the Big Easy
With a rich history, exceptional entertainment, colorful attractions and festivals, extraordinary dining and abundant meeting space, New Orleans is the place for great meetings and events. Always a popular destination, New Orleans welcomed...
2023 Women to Watch
Diane Lyons, CMP, DMCP, is known in the New Orleans hospitality industry as a “mover and a shaker” and a special event and meeting planner with deep-rooted connections. Her company, ACCENT New Orleans Inc., has been...
18th Annual DMC Spotlight
We asked, you decided: with travel and destination events being a top priority for so many after the years of pandemic isolation we all endured, DMCs are having a moment, and they deserve recognition. Here are some of the biggest brands in the DMC world—the experts with insider access to the best destinations on earth...
The Conference Queen of New Orleans
From staging parades in the French Quarter for thousands of conventioneers to orchestrating fireworks displays over the Mississippi River, planning intimate dinners at world-famous restaurants and hosting business...
The "Big Easy" is Built to Host
New Orleans is a vibrant city with lively jazz music, authentic Cajun food and a vibrant nightlife. This atmosphere, couples with the increase in bleisure travel, where conference and meeting-goers add on vacation...
Best Four-Week Challenge Event
Drew Brees Isn’t the Only One who can Throw a Hail Mary in New Orleans – 300 Person Event Planned and Executed in Two Weeks...
Honesty is the Best Policy in the Meetings Industry
The word “ethics” may not be heard all that often in everyday conversation. But ethical questions come up all the time. Is there anyone involved in planning meetings who hasn’t experienced problems with an event due to...
NFL Approves 2024 Super Bowl in New Orleans
The big game is a boom for small businesses and minority and women-owned businesses. Diane Lyons is president of Accent New Orleans, a full-service event management business. Her company worked the last 7 Super Bowls...
Creating WOW Experiences for Clients
Chances are, yes! That's why today we are going to talk to someone who creates “wow” experiences for her clients every single day and learn about how she does it. Host, Mary Foley speaks with Diane Lyons, the president, and owner of...
Longest-Standing Local, Woman-Owned DMC
ACCENT New Orleans, Inc., a DMC Network Company has remained an impressive leader in the event and meeting planning arena since 1991. Diane Lyons, founded the company with the goal of serving as an expert local resource and guide to...
Diane Lyons Named A 2016 Power of Women Honoree
Diane B. Lyons, CMP, DMP, President of ACCENT-DMC, Inc., was selected by the American Red Cross as one of ten honorees for its 2016 Power of Women celebration recognizing extraordinary volunteers and community leaders...
Festigals ‘Girlfriends Weekend’ Empowers, Enriches and Entertains
Women are leaving their men at home and heading downtown for FestiGals, a four-day festival for women by women, in and around Hotel Monteleone. “FestiGals is about empowering and enriching women while adding that New Orleans flair..."
New Orleans Remains the Main Driver of the State's Expanding Meeting Industry
Louisiana boasts three distinct meeting experiences. New Orleans offers boisterous non-stop revelry, omnipresent jazz and some of the world’s finest restaurants. Baton Rouge oozes Southern charm and provides a variety of unique meeting venues. Shreveport-Bossier, whose slogan...
NOLA ChristmasFest returns to Crescent City, brings first indoor ice-skating rink since 1980s
"To see how happy locals are is so exciting. Most of us haven't skated since the last time the ice rink was open at the plaza in the '80s, so this is really been fun," said Diane Lyons, with NOLA ChristmasFest...