Phoenix-- The leadership of the International Association of Special Investigative Units (IASIU) meeting here said yesterday that the group's conference scheduled for next year in New Orleans is still a possibility.
The organization's next annual seminar is currently booked for Sept. 7-10, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans, which sustained major damage from Hurricane Katrina.
Views of the hotel located near the Superdome, with its windows blasted out and curtains waving in the wind, were shown frequently during television news coverage at the height of the storm.
John McHale, IASIU counsel and meeting planner, said that while the association is scouting secondary locations, the Hyatt in New Orleans "has first shot" at hosting the meeting, which this year has drawn more than 1,000 attendees.
Mr. McHale said no final decision has been made and "we need to give [the Hyatt] an opportunity to get ready."
He said currently all meetings at the Hyatt have been cancelled until March 31. While the damage was extensive, Mr. McHale noted that the hotel before the storm hit had scheduled a major refurbishing to begin Dec. 1.
Catherine Gicker, IASIU vice president, said that before this year's conference began, only 16 people had canceled their reservations after the hurricane.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.