Contact: Diane Lyons

ACCENT on Arrangements, Inc.

504-524-1227

dlyons@accentoca.com

New Orleans Business Rises Above the Tide

Three Days After Katrina ACCENT on Arrangements, Inc.

Was Back Up And Running and Securing New Business

NEW ORLEANS, LA – December 15, 2005 – Three days after Katrina devastated New Orleans, ACCENT on Arrangements, Inc., a New Orleans company that provides professional meeting management services, tours, special events and on-site customized children's programs worldwide, was back up and running producing events and programs across the country and securing new business.

Committed to the clients they had cultivated and the services they promised, ACCENT's Management Team located in three different states conducted business from personal email accounts, thumb drives and cellular phones until the company's server could be retrieved from New Orleans. Ten days after Katrina, ACCENT established an interim office at the Louisiana Technology Park in Baton Rouge and completed it first post-Katrina program – a flawless children's program for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation in New York as scheduled. ACCENT has continued seamlessly producing programs in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, DC and even Montreal, Canada.

“We felt it was our obligation and responsibility to continue to serve our clients,” said Diane B. Lyons, President ACCENT on Arrangements. “They purchased our services and we made a promise. We were determined to provide the highest quality service even if we were working off of dining room tables and out of the local coffee shop until we could find office space and set up our server.” “We consider ourselves lucky that our clients have supported us, believed in us and trusted that would get the job done despite our personal losses,” continued Lyons.

ACCENT has found that good things can come from the country's largest natural disaster. Since Katrina and Rita, ACCENT has seen a huge growth in its children's programs as companies are looking for ways to help their employees. ACCENT has set up several temporary child care centers throughout Louisiana for various clients. The temporary child care centers allow the employees of ACCENT's clients to focus on getting back to work while their children are educated and entertained in a safe environment.

In November, ACCENT returned to its New Orleans office and is one of the only surviving fully operational Destination Management Companies. The influx of additional work and undamaged office space has enabled ACCENT to hire additional staff and continue thriving.

“Piece by piece, we are coming back. I know we will be a better company, our employees will be better people and our city will be a better place to live. As a company, we are proud to call New Orleans home,” Lyons said.

ACCENT on Arrangements, Inc. is a privately held corporation with the primary interest of planning, managing and supervising group activities to include spouse/guest programs, team building activities, special events, entertainment and décor, transportation services, speaker programs, hospitality staff and VIP services as well as age- appropriate, curriculum-enriched children's program and events. Headquartered in New Orleans, ACCENT was founded in 1991 by Diane B. Lyons and has grown from a 2-person company to a worldwide company with 10 full time employees, 6 project managers, and more than 100 part-time employees handling more than 100 programs per year in every major meeting city nationwide including Canada and the Caribbean. The management team of ACCENT has more than 50 years of combined destination management experience with a history of producing corporate and association meetings.