The city of New Orleans will host the 51^st annual American Truck Dealers (ATD) Convention & Expo next January.

“There’s a limited number of hotel rooms available at the Hilton Riverside, which is the ATD headquarters hotel, so we’re encouraging dealers to register as soon as possible,” said ATD Convention Chairman Steve Parker. “A benefit of staying at the Hilton Riverside is that ATD dealers, managers, spouses and relatives can attend the daily continental breakfasts and evening receptions sponsored by Eaton.”

Keynote speakers include Philip Byrd, incoming chairman of the American Trucking Associations; Lt. General Russel L. Honoré (Ret.), commander of the Joint Task Force Katrina and Global Preparedness Authority, who led the Department of Defense response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana; and ATD Chairman Dick Witcher, chief executive officer of Minuteman Trucks in Walpole, Mass.

The ATD convention runs concurrently with NADA from Friday, Jan. 24 to Monday, Jan. 27 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, which was renovated earlier this year.

Dealers will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with their manufacturer executives at 11 franchise meetings and with exhibitors in the ATD Zone on the expo floor. ATD-NADA University will be offering seven workshops for truck dealers and their managers. The ATD Super Workshop, featuring Stu MacKay, president of MacKay & Company, is scheduled on Friday, Jan. 24.

The annual ATD Sunday Gala will be held at the historic New Orleans landmark restaurant, Arnaud’s, which is located in the French Quarter.

ATD attendees can attend any of the NADA general sessions and workshops. Steve Forbes, chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media and NADA Chairman David Westcott, a new-car dealer in Burlington, N.C., will deliver keynote remarks on Saturday, Jan. 25. J.R. Martinez, an injured Army veteran and winner of the 13th season of ABC's “Dancing with the Stars,” will provide an inspirational address on Sunday, Jan. 26.

The Big Easy has recently undergone major restoration projects, including $800 million in hotel upgrades, $77 million in street improvements that includes a new streetcar line connecting the Sports District to the Central Business District and French Quarter and a 55 percent increase in the number of restaurants over the past seven years.

ATD attendees who register by Oct. 7 will receive a $150 discount off the onsite registration rate. Online registration for the ATD convention is now available. For more information or to register, visit www.atdconvention.org.

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