Location. We know it's important, and not just in real estate. That's why we're using this week's one question survey to answer a question that important to us - because it'll help us better meet your needs.

Planning for next year's conference, DRI2013, is underway! And we'd like your input on where to hold it. We've already gotten the some suggestions, including the following: New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Chicago. But we aren't limited to these cities and we'd like to hear your destination preferences. So, click here to take a quick one question survey and let your voice be heard.

In last week's one-question survey, we shared the nation of Kiribati's plans to relocate an entire country and we asked about your alternate site plans too. Specifically, we wanted to know "How did you determine the amount alternate site resource required by your organization?"

The results are in and can be found in their entirety at our DRI International LinkedIn, where we invite you to join our discussion about alternate sites. But in the meantime, here's a tidbit: Some 28 percent of respondents said their alternate site requirements are "determined by technology."

Earlier this week, DRI International was at the National Facilities Management and Technology (NFMT) Conference & Expo in Baltimore. We had quite a few visitors to our booth and some $100 cash prize winners (listed below) too. But even if you didn't get to NFMT, you can still win big! We made three articles on BCP and facilities management available to NFMT attendees, and all you need to do to get copies of those articles (written by BCP and facilities management expert Anthony Pizzitola) is ask. Send an email to brojas@drii.org and we'll make sure you get them.

The NFMT winners are Eric Vaughan of Prince Edward County Public Schools, Donald Spivey of Reit Management & Research, LLC, and Nathaniel Harris-El of DC Water. And attend DRI2012 for your chance to dig for dollars in our ever-popular "Buried Treasure" contest!

We've talked about the many things that you can do in New Orleans while in town for the conference. If you are planning to come early (for Volunteer Day) and stay on after the conference ends, there are many wonderful possibilities to intrigue and inform!

Aside from the food and the music, you can experience the history, mystery, and charm of New Orleans by taking any number of tours (for a complete list, click here). There are swamp tours, history tours, horse drawn carriage tours, ghost tours, cemetery tours, riverboat tours, and even cocktail and culinary tours. Each provides a unique and special view into what makes this city diverse and fascinating!

Many are walking tours, so wear comfortable shoes and carry a supply of water (it gets hot in Louisiana in May!). But if you'd like a relaxing ride on a street car, take a ride out St. Charles Street for $1.25 and pass the Arts / Warehouse District, the Garden District and Audubon Park.  

If parks are your thing for biking or jogging, give City Park a try (this is a street car ride from the Quarter). For more outdoor activities, there's the Audubon Zoo, the Botanical Garden (this part of the south has some amazing flowers to enjoy), as well as swamp and bayou tours...and, of course, there's golf and fishing in the area as well.

If indoor activities are more your speed, try out the Confederate Museum, the Degas House Historic Home, the Louisiana Children's Museum, the National World War Two Museum, the New Orleans Museum of Art or the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.

If you still have some energy and you want to explore the unusual, take a vampire tour or check out the voodoo temple. If you are intrigued by Mardis Gras head over to Mardis Gras World for a fun filled outing where floats are on display!

Bottom line, New Orleans has no shortage of things to do! There's haunted mansions to explore, wander through the many historic above ground tombs, take a ride on the Natchez or the Creole Queen as your paddle-wheel up the Mississippi while you listen (and dance) to jazz and eat local cuisine, listen to the clip-clopping of hooves as your carriage driver provides his commentary on the sights and sounds of New Orleans, and yes you can experience the different watering holes in the French Quarter on a cocktail tour or visit a Bourbon Distillery too!  

Enjoy the city, enjoy the conference ... and just remember, you will be shoulder to shoulder with the best and brightest in our business. Take advantage of their knowledge and experience. Exchange business cards, swap stories, compare concerns and share a Crawfish Monica or a sudsy beverage while you're at it.

Ya'll come back now. Hear.

Clyde Berger

DRI International Foundation

Director of Volunteerism

p.s. Here are some helpful sites for more information on the tours and places to visit I mentioned!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60864-Activities-New_Orleans_Louisiana.html#TtD 

http://www.neworleanscvb.com/ 

http://www.neworleanscvb.com/things-to-do/