As the 15^th annual Essence Music Festival approaches, the preparation for such a large-scale show becomes just as important as the event itself.

The festival, held July 3-5 at the Superdome, is packed with concerts featuring some of the biggest names in music as well as various seminars.

Organizers expect their “party with a purpose” to draw more than 270,000 attendees and add about $100 million to the local economy.

“Given the current state of our economy, we’re trying to give them the best bang for their buck,” said Dawn Baskerville, the executive editor of Essence magazine.  ”We’re always prepared for Essence Music Festival. As soon as we complete one we’re in preparation for the next year.”

Essence magazine is a main organizer (and sponsor) of the festival. Baskerville said that months of planning and logistical work goes into making each year an enjoyable event.

The Superdome will host five simultaneously playing concerts on each day of the festival. The main stage will showcase the feature acts. And other artists will be performing in four separate, smaller club rooms called super lounges. Concert-goers will have access to both the main stage and super lounges.

The festival’s main stage will feature artists such as Beyonce, John Legend, Maxwell, Anita Baker, Robin Thicke, Lionel Ritchie, and Al Green just to name a few.

Some of the artists scheduled to perform in the lounges include Keri Hilson, Solange, Eric Benet, Ryan Leslie, Raphael Saadiq and the Blind Boys of Alabama.

Along with the concerts in the Superdome, another vital component of the Music Festival is the “empowerment seminars.” These free seminars, held in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, run the duration of the festival. This year’s seminar hosts include Roland Martin, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Dr. Juanita Bynum, Bill Cosby, Steve Harvey, and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

 ”It’s a multimillion dollar project,” she said.

Mary Beth Romig, the director of communications and public relations for the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Burea, said that this year’s festival has a certain significance.

“It’s an anniversary year. We look to see as many visitors as we’ve had in the past. No matter what has happened people still come to New Orleans,” Romig said. “We certainly believe the Essence festival will have a strong attendance;, we count it as a major event. We always roll out the red carpet for this event. It gives us a good lure to draw visitors to the city.”

To promote the event, the Visitors Bureau did a lot grass-roots marketing, print advertising and plenty of outreach to journalists, Romig said.

The festival has been held in New Orleans in all but one of the last 15 years. In 2006 it was moved to Houston after Hurricane Katrina left the Superdome and much of the city in ruins.

Organizers said they were committed to bringing the festival back to New Orleans.

Bill Curl, who has been the spokesperson for the Superdome for 32 years, said he does all he can to make  the event a success.

“The people enjoy the event so much. It’s the biggest thing of the whole week. I love seeing the expressions on people’s faces,” Curl said.” It’s not a normal event. It’s a truly unique event that takes a great deal of preparation.”  

With such a busy weekend of festival related activities, the Superdome needs a big staff to keep up. The Superdome has a pool of part-time staff that works year round, but for the Essence Music Festival an additional 600 to 800 workers are brought on as ushers, ticket takers and parking lot attendants, Curl said.

 ”The festival gets more exciting every year,” Curl said. “The Superdome is a building with tremendous history, and people get that sense of history every time they come to the Superdome.

The New Orleans Police Department is also preparing for the  festivities.

“The Music Festival is like any event in the dome,” said Lt. Andre Menzies, likening it to other major events held at the Superdome, such as the Bayou Classic football game, the Sugar Bowl and Circus.

“People will know that they are safe,” Menzies said, speaking of the police department’s stepped up-efforts during festival weekend.”We’re the best at what we do.”

Baskerville called it a “guaranteed feel-good weekend.”

“We want you to party and have a good time, but we also want you to leave fulfilled,” she said. “If anything, it’s a party with a purpose. We are also uplifting each other, mind, body and spirit. It’s about connecting with your community.”