New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to Host Pitch Competition with Exciting Award for Local Small Businesses

“WIN 2.0: Pitch Smart, Win Big” Offers Entrepreneurs In-Store Visibility to Nearly 800K Annual Visitors

NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) is now accepting applications for WIN 2.0: Pitch Smart, Win Big. On May 23, this special event will give small businesses an opportunity to pitch their shelf-ready retail product to be sold inside the Convention Center.
Hosted by the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority’s Small & Emerging Business (SEB) Program, the WIN 2.0 event will be a high-energy, Shark Tank-style pitch competition where business owners can pitch their retail products to a panel of judges. The judges will evaluate pitches and select a winner based on market viability, branding and scalability. The winning company will have the opportunity to sell their product inside Dutch’s Corner, the Convention Center’s in-house convenience store.
“WIN 2.0: Pitch Smart, Win Big is more than just a competition—it’s a celebration of the small businesses that are the heart and soul of New Orleans. It’s a chance for them to showcase their products to the millions of visitors who come through the Convention Center each year,” said Alita Caparotta, Interim President & CEO of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. “We live in a city that thrives on innovation, resilience and entrepreneurial spirit, and the Convention Center firmly believes in championing local businesses. This pitch competition will be a potential game-changer for small businesses looking to gain exposure with a wider audience.”
WIN 2.0: Pitch Smart, Win Big is May 23, 2025. Entrepreneurs can submit their product here by May 2, 2025.
The Convention Center has a long-standing commitment to supporting local small and disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) through its SEB Program. Since 2019, the NOENMCC has awarded $43 million in contracts to SEB and DBE vendors. The SEB program has launched several initiatives to make it easier for vendors to access new business opportunities, such as the quarterly “WIN with NOENMCC” networking events and the SEBconnect website and app. The SEBconnect platform makes it easier for local companies to access the most up-to-date information about available contracts and jobs with the Convention Center and other local organizations.
To explore opportunities within the Authority’s Small & Emerging Business Program, visit exhallnola.com.
About the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC)

New Orleans is Built to Host! With 1.1 million square feet of prime exhibit space on one level, all under one roof, NOENMCC is tied for the sixth-largest convention center in the United States. NOENMCC is a 2025 Exhibitor Magazine Centers of Excellence recipient and is consistently named a regional top workplace by The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. A recent LEED Gold certification makes NOENMCC the largest LEED-certified project in Louisiana and the largest convention center project in the U.S. certified under LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance, as well as the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certification under LEED Gold v4.1 O+M. A leading contributor to the city’s robust tourism economy, NOENMCC event activity has produced $90.1 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening.

About the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority

The Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority’s (Authority) exclusive mission is to finance, construct and operate facilities in order to attract and conduct conventions, trade shows and other events that support and expand the economy of both the State of Louisiana and New Orleans Region. The Authority is composed of a 13-member board of commissioners, ten appointed by the Governor of Louisiana, and three appointed by the Mayor of New Orleans. Since 1985, event activity at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center has produced $90.1 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening, including $5.7 billion in new tax revenue for state and local governments.

###