The 2021 New Orleans Blastoff has been postponed to May 1-2. All the tournament details follow.
Accordingly, we have reserved the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center for Saturday, May 1, and Sunday, May 2, 2021 for the Blastoff.
We understand that this may cause conflicts for some teams and we realize May 1-2 is not part of a three-day weekend. However, we won’t be coming off a holiday season and subsequent COVID surge. Additionally, many of us will be vaccinated by then.
We hope every team will be able to come to the tournament in May. Club directors — and club directors only — if you cannot participate in May, we will be giving full refunds (minus the processing fee if you paid by credit card). Instructions for refunds will come soon.
We had in place every safety protocol imaginable and were as prepared to put on the Blastoff as you could ever imagine. But these are circumstances beyond our control.
However, we are not just optimistic, but extremely confident that we will have the greatest Blastoff ever the first weekend of May and we can’t wait to see you there.
When: Saturday, May 1, and Sunday, May 2, 2021
Where: New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
Halls B, C, D & E
900 Convention Center Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70130
Admission: $10 per person. We are still working on our attendance policy – we hope to be able to accommodate all spectators – and will update this as soon as possible. Parents, chaperones, and team representatives must pay admission. Players and rostered coaches do not pay.
Safety Protocols: See the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center safety and cleaning procedures here.
Masks: Masks that cover the nose and mouth are MANDATORY for all coaches, officiating teams, off teams, and spectators. Anyone not wearing a mask will be asked to either put one on or leave the event. If you are a person who won’t or can’t wear masks, please stay home and watch the tournament on Baller TV.
Get Your Blastoff Hotel: We are not a stay-to-play tournament, but please reserve your rooms at one of our Preferred Properties.
Wave Times: We will announce them the week before the tournament.
Schedule: The official schedule will be posted at advancedeventsystems.com. The schedule is always subject to change.
BallerTV: Every match on every court will be streamed live at BallerTV.com
Parking and directions: Click on this link. The best rates are in the MNOCC lots across from Hall H between Calliope and Henderson.
Trophies and Medals: Age-group champions and runners up should report to the awards/photo area immediately after their respective title matches.
Rosters: Teams can only compete if they have a completed AES Blastoff roster printed out to present to the officials at each match. There are NO exceptions. There is no pre-tournament check-in or meeting. Club directors and coaches are responsible for this. We will not be able to assist with this on site, so please get your rosters completed and have printed copies with you for each match.
T-shirts: Every player, coach and team rep gets a free T-shirt from the Louisiana Governor’s Games. T-shirts may be picked up in the Convention Center at any point during the weekend. You must present a roster when picking up so we can be sure you get the accurate number of T-shirts.
Not allowed: Outside food, coolers, tables, chairs or audio speakers. That includes phones on speaker, bluetooth speakers and portable speakers.
Chairs: CHAIRS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE CONVENTION CENTER.
Lost and Found: We will do our best to keep what pops up at the championship desk.
Questions: email Lee at [email protected] or call Lee at (225)-802-2133.
Download the AES Xpress App for all scheduling information!
