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2005 New Orleans Bowl Lets The Good Times Bowl in Lafayette, LA
Oct 12, 2005
Author: Sam Joffray
2005 New Orleans Bowl Lets The Good Times Bowl in Lafayette, LA

The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation announced today that the 5th Annual New Orleans Bowl, the first game of the 2005 college bowl season, will be held December 20th in Lafayette, LA at Cajun Field. The change of venue, prompted by hurricane damages to the Louisiana Superdome, was facilitated by a group effort between the GNOSF, the New Orleans Bowl Committee, the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, the Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission, and the University of Louisiana Lafayette.

The decision to move the game to Lafayette involved a coordinated effort between leaders from both communities, who worked on logistics through the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as well as the lifecycle of Hurricane Rita. Jay Cicero, President/CEO of the GNOSF, and the New Orleans Bowl staff quickly identified Lafayette as the host for this year's game, "The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation has been unwavering in our desire to keep the New Orleans Bowl in Louisiana. Everyone's patience and diligence through this process has been phenomenal, and we are all excited about the payoff. Lafayette provides a number of key elements we wanted in a host city. Most importantly, it compliments the unique culturally rich backdrop and Cajun hospitality that our participating teams and visitors are accustomed to, and the spirit of our Bowl that cant be found anywhere other than South Louisiana. Additionally, by keeping the bowl next door, our economic development mission for the State of Louisiana can be realized in a region that is hard at work in the aftermath of the recent storms."

Lafayette has seen its share of residue from both South Louisiana hurricanes, including the unexpected demands on the hospitality industry. Billy Ferrante, Executive Director of the New Orleans Bowl, worked with local leaders to tackle the key issue of housing for the event, "At a time when forecasting hotel room availability throughout our region seemed impossible, the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission put forth a Herculean effort to guarantee availability for our teams, bands, broadcast partners, fans, and special events. Now, we are now looking forward to working with the City of Lafayette, the CVC, the Chamber, and the University, in a Host Committee capacity as they continue to take ownership of this event as if it were their own." Working to secure the more than 3500 rooms required to stage the event, Karen Primeaux, Convention Marketing Manager for the Lafayette CVC, welcomed the challenge, "We are honored to host such a prestigious event in Lafayette and we are looking forward to a full house at Cajun Field on December 20th. The city of Lafayette has incredible Cajun and Creole cuisine, great attractions and over 4,000 hotel rooms within the city."

Setting the stage for the move, University President, Dr. Ray Authement, and Interim Director of Athletics, David Walker, made available the University of Louisiana Lafayette's 31,000 seat Cajun Field, and pledged invaluable operational support to help in the logistical transition for the Bowl. Dr. Authement spearheaded the local effort, "I am delighted that we were able to find hotel accommodations and other amenities so the Bowl could be held in Lafayette. There are a lot of similarities between New Orleans and Lafayette. Though we are not the same in size, Lafayette is rich in culture and highly respected for its' food and music." On the generous offer of support, The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation's Cicero added, "We cant put a price tag on the value of local expertise, and we certainly want to tap into the best resources available. After serving as the local host to large scale events since 1988 (Super Bowls and Final Fours included), our staff knows the value of, and is looking forward to, relying on Lafayette talent to help us stage a great game that showcases this region, creates a memorable event for the players and fans, and has a positive economic impact on this city."

In addition to an overall M–M economic impact for the local economy, media exposure surrounding the Bowl will deliver an immeasurable positive media and public relations value. While continuing to celebrate and honor the soul of New Orleans, The City of Lafayette, ULL, and Cajun Field will all be featured as the centerpiece of ESPN's national broadcast of the game, which will match the Sun Belt Conference Champion against a Conference USA opponent. Kickoff is set for 7:00 CST.

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For more information, contact:
Sam Joffray
Media and PR Director
1450 Poydras Street, Suite 918 New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 525-5678 FAX: (504) 529-1622
Cell: (504) 234-3207sjoffray@gnosf.org