Technology, location, cost help Baton Rouge land planetarium conference

The Irene W. Pennington Planetarium was able to compete to host the biennial 2012 International Planetarium Society Conference because its technology ranks among the best in the world, while the convenience of its downtown location helped seal the deal, officials say. Planetarium director Jon Elvert, a past-president of the IPS, traveled to Toulouse, France, to convince organizers to take a serious look at Baton Rouge. The River Center, Shaw Center, and the downtown Hilton and Sheraton hotels will all participate in the conference, and all are within walking distance of the planetarium on River Road. Optional tours will include trips to LIGO, an observatory in Livingston Parish, the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise in Lafayette, plantations and the French Quarter. Elvert says the cultural heritage of south Louisiana was also a draw. “San Francisco [another finalist] had a strong proposal,” he says. “I really didn’t think we would come this far. In retrospect, it does make sense.” Geraldine Bordelon, sales director with the Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, says the Capital Region is cheaper to visit than a first-tier convention city. Bordelon says downtown hotels will be booked solid for the convention. Past hosts have included London, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Wichita, Kansas. The 2010 conference will be held in Alexandria, Egypt. The planetarium conference will come a few weeks after another big tourist event for the city: the return of the United States Bowling Congress’ annual tournament, which will start in early 2012 and go into July.—David Jacobs