The holiday season is upon us, which includes the national marking of Small Business Saturday on Nov. 29. How do local businesses promote what their offerings in a way that translates to sales? Two media experts from Tulane University’s School of Professional Advancement (SoPA) join us on Biz Talks to share their top tips for success.

A former funeral home on Camp Street has been transformed into Delaporte Manor — described by its creator, Andrew Preble, as part haunted house, part immersive theater and part escape room. Only running until Nov. 8, tickets are going fast for this one-of-a-kind attraction. In this week’s BizTalks, Preble — who has run an escape room business called Escape My Room in New Orleans for 10 years — shares all the creepy details along with his thoughts on the challenges and future of live entertainment.

From Oct. 23-27, New Orleanians will have special access to more than 130 top films from around the world — including 19 world premieres — that reach across every age, genre and interest. The action at the 36th annual New Orleans Film Festival will also continue off the screen at elaborate parties, workshops and meet and greets hosted at venues throughout the city. On this week’s BizTalks, New Orleans Film Society Interim Executive Director Dodd Lewis and Artistic Director Clint Bowie provide an inside scoop on the hot tickets — and how you can get one free.

For more information and to purchase tickets to the 36th Annual New Orleans Film Festival, visit neworleansfilmsociety.org.

On Oct. 16, the Jefferson Performing Arts Center will host the 15th annual Economic and Real Estate Forecast Symposium, a full-day event presented by the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors (NOMAR) and its Commercial Investment Division (CID). In this week’s BizTalks, NOMAR Symposium committee member Paul Richard and symposium speaker Michael Sherman offer a sneak peek into where the discussions will go on this year’s theme — “Breaking Ground: The Emergence of a New Economy.” For more information and tickets to the Real Estate Forecast Symposium, visit nolaforecast.org.

A new, free event created by and for young Black women business leaders across Southeast Louisiana is happening on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The event, entitled Power in Our Hands: An Afternoon for Young Black Entrepreneurs, is the latest project from a local nonprofit called Women With a Vision. Program Manager Kennadi Robinson explains how this marketplace/entrepreneur showcase/networking hub is seeking to grow local entrepreneurs ages 13-25 and what that growth could mean for a future economy.  

Link to RSVP for Power in Our Hands: An Afternoon for Young Black EntrepreneursPower In Our Hands Eventbrite

That’s the name of the new report just released by independent local research organization Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR). President and CEO Rebecca Mowbray shares the shocking things not required to be included in the budget, why we need to include them, and why now is the perfect time to get it done right. 

Link to BGR Candidate Q&A https://www.bgr.org/report-index/candidate-qa-reports-october-11-2025-primary-edition-mayor-city-council-sheriff/

Click here to read a mobile-friendly summary of BGR’s new report, New Orleans Needs a Sustainable Budget to Meet Residents’ Demands, and download the full report .

Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, is coming to town to speak at the New Orleans chapter’s first-ever housing innovation forum, Still Rising, which will be held Thursday, Sept. 18, at Nieux Society.

In this week’s episode, he shares his unique global view on the status of affordable housing, how the organization is getting creative to meet them, and the top things New Orleans can do to mitigate its challenges.

For more information and to purchase tickets to Still Rising: A Forum for Housing Innovation, visit https://habitat-nola.org

This week we talk to a member of the famed musical family the Batistes, Ryan Batiste, about how and why he founded L.O.C.A.L.S. Fest — a festival designed to support the local economy and cultural landscape. The free festival returns for its sixth year at Armstrong Park this Saturday, September 13, from 11 a.m. To 7 p.m. 

Formed following Hurricane Katrina with the goal of replacing the 100,000 trees lost in New Orleans, NOLA Tree Project has planted more than 86,000 trees across the city with the help of more than 125,000 volunteers. As the weather cools, Executive Director Connie Uddo explains how local businesses and individuals can join in making a tangible difference in the health and beauty of the city in just a few hours.

Just two years ago, Kevin Pedeaux went from being a vendor at St. Roch Market — one of only two historic city-owned public markets left in the city — to running the market.

In this week’s Biz Talks, he shares some surprising insights about the market and details on a big event coming in September.