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Ann Tuennerman is the founder of Tales of the Cocktail, an annual culinary festival celebrating the history of the cocktail in New Orleans. She has planned, implemented and promoted the event since its inception in 2003. Tales of the Cocktail, through Ann’s leadership, has attracted thousands of visitors to New Orleans and has hosted culinary and cocktail professionals and celebrities as presenters at the event. Top liquor brands and national magazines sponsor Tales of the Cocktail and the festival has garnered national media coverage all five years.
Tales of the Cocktail was created as the first anniversary celebration of the New Orleans Original Cocktail Tour. Rogers is also the founder of the Cocktail Tour, which started in 2002, and is currently operated by Gray Line New Orleans.
In 2006, for Tales of the Cocktail’s fourth year, Ann formed the New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society to preserve New Orleans’ dining and drinking history, raise funds for the hospitality industry and produce the annual event. Currently, Ann works with the Society to further its mission and to produce Tales of the Cocktail, generate media attendance and coverage for the event and New Orleans, and attract visitors to the city to attend it.
During a three-month temporary move to New York City in 2005, following Hurricane Katrina, Ann was hired as an Account Executive with Bratskeir and Company, a marketing and public relations firm that represents 25 clients and their leading national brands. Ann worked with illy Coffee for Bratskier, planning multiple consumer and media events in the New York City area.
As the founder and owner of Sponsor One, a full-service sponsorship and event marketing company, Ann has helped multiple clients in the New Orleans and Gulf Coast area including Cox Communications, Audubon Nature Institute, The National D-Day Museum and The New Orleans Children’s Museum. Most recently, Ann planned and implemented the 20th Anniversary celebration for Abita Beer as well as the Red Bull Regional Meeting held in New Orleans. She enjoys working with companies in the hospitality insdustry. Ann planned launch parties and media relations for Arnaud’s Restaurant’s newest bar, French 75, and assisted in the planning and media relations for the grand reopening of Morton’s The Steakhouse in New Orleans. Ann also works with Harrah’s New Orleans in marketing their venues Masquerade, Riche, 528 Jazz Club and with the production of Hats the Musical.
Prior to Ann’s founding of Sponsor One, she was Promotions & Marketing Director/Event Marketing/New Business Development Director for WVUE-TV, FOX-8 News. While at FOX-8, Ann founded and developed the FOX Event Marketing Division. Ann has also worked as a media buyer for an advertising agency, as a promotions director for New Orleans radio stations and was the first franchise owner of Three Dog Bakery.
Ann’s accolades include being named a “Woman of the Year” by New Orleans City Business in November 2004, and as a “Top 40 Under 40” by Gambit Weekly in 2004. In 2005, she was named to the “Power Generation” by New Orleans CityBusiness. Tales of the Cocktail won an award from the American Marketing Association New Orleans Chapter for “Best Consumer Special Event.” The New Orleans Original Cocktail Tour won “Most Creative Tour” from Gray Line Worldwide during their annual awards in 2002. Ann also won several awards during her career at FOX-8 including New Business Director of the Year and the first ever FOX-8 Spirit Award.
Ann received a BA in Marketing and a Certificate in Event Marketing and Management from the University of New Orleans. Ann was the first person in the United States to receive an Advanced Diploma in Sponsorship Marketing from the European Sponsorship Consultants Associations.
Ann enjoys running marathons and has completed four in the last three years. She has also participated in two Half Iron Man Triathlons, which involve swimming, biking and running. Downtime for Ann is spent with her husband Paul Tuennerman, at their 13-acre property outside of New Orleans with their two dogs.
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