New Orleans Book Festival and New Orleans Entrepreneur Week Announce Partnership and Date Alignment

The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University and New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW) will take place during the same week this spring, creating an even bigger draw for those looking to celebrate culture, innovation, big ideas, and books. The partnership begins with NOEW’s kickoff on Monday, March 11 and with Book Fest’s kickoff on Thursday evening, March 14, 2024. Thursday, March 14 will serve as a “crossover day,” with featured programming by both events. 

The partnership will offer attendees more of what they have already come to expect from these two nationally recognized festivals—inspiration, insights, and innovation—while showcasing New Orleans as a destination for exploring new thinking, intellectual pursuits and professional opportunities. 

The New Orleans Book Festival, which will be held March 14-16, brings best-selling authors and thought leaders to Tulane's uptown campus for a multi-day celebration in one of the world’s most vibrant and culturally diverse cities. A true “Mardi Gras for the Mind,” the festival convenes readings, panel discussions and keynote speeches. It also includes a full day of fun and exciting programming geared specifically for New Orleans children and their families that promotes literacy and raises awareness of the resources and opportunities available to young readers.

“New Orleans is one of the most creative cities in the world. The New Orleans Book Festival and New Orleans Entrepreneur Week highlight the city as a hub for culture, literacy, and innovation,” said Walter Isaacson, co-chair of The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University.

New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW) – or “noh-wee!” as the locals pronounce it – is produced annually by business accelerator, The Idea Village, and is the premier event celebrating the spirit of innovation and culture in all forms across the Gulf South. 

NOEW brings together startup founders, industry experts, business leaders and more to share knowledge across innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and build vital economic connections across the Gulf South region. More than 4,100 people registered to attend NOEW last year. NOEW 2024 will be the 13th annual event, once again creating a dynamite week of keynote speeches, speaker sessions, networking events and pitch competitions. Tulane has long played an active role in NOEW in many ways; in recent years, it has hosted the semifinal round of the Tulane Business Model Competition as part of NOEW, in addition to encouraging students to volunteer at the week’s main event and co-sponsoring a BioTech Mini-Summit at NOEW 2023.  The entire NOEW 2024 week will be held March 11 - March 16. https://www.noew.org/

“This exciting partnership provides a platform for the world to see New Orleans as a true hub for thought leadership. In 2023, Tulane’s Innovation Institute brought a focus on bio tech – a critical emerging sector for our local and regional economy; in 2024 and beyond, we will continue to strategically partner with events like NOEW and BookFest to grow a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem across many sectors,” said Kimberly Gramm, who leads the Tulane Innovation Institute as the David and Marion Mussafer Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer. 

“This partnership is designed to further advance the already robust intellectual and entrepreneurial ecosystem that exists in New Orleans and continue to connect local innovation to global resources,” said Jon Atkinson, CEO of The Idea Village.

NOEW and the Book Festival offer attendees opportunities to learn from and connect with national and local personalities, authors and business leaders. Speakers at both events are known for their achievements and transformative approaches in leadership, business, entrepreneurship, media, and more. The collaboration between the New Orleans Book Festival and NOEW reflects Tulane’s core values in building community engagement, promoting literacy, conserving knowledge and bringing together the greatest minds in one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country. 

NOEW 2024 will kick off on Monday, March 11 at venues throughout the city. On Wednesday, March 13, NOEW will take over Gallier Hall for its signature day of panels, speaker sessions, and insightful discussions. This year will also feature a new dedicated “venture summit” mid-week during NOEW for both local and out-of-town high-growth startups and venture capital investors. The Idea Village’s annual IDEApitch competition, the popular NOEW event that showcases growth-stage companies competing for an investment prize, will take place Thursday, March 14, on Tulane’s campus just before Book Fest’s annual high-profile, opening keynote. 

“We are so grateful to New Orleans Book Fest and NOEW for expanding the image of New Orleans as a destination for more than just parties and parades,” said Walt Leger, President and CEO of New Orleans & Company, the organization responsible for the city’s $8 billion per year tourism and convention industry. “By bringing these events together, we’re creating a locally driven center of gravity for visitors to come to New Orleans to engage in the city’s thriving business, educational, and entrepreneurial communities,” he said.

For registration details, updates on speakers, and programming announcements for NOEW, sign-up for the newsletter at https://noew.org/. For more information on the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University visit bookfest.tulane.edu/ and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.