Gen Con’s expansion to Lucas Oil is test for conventions
Gen Con is the biggest and highest-profile convention to use both the stadium and convention center since the 2011 expansion—and others are watching to see how it works.
Anthony Schoettle
Articles
Cavaliers’ NBA title big score for local merchandising firm
MainGate Inc. is anticipating a solid six-figure payday as one of about 10 NBA-licensed companies selling Cleveland Cavaliers merchandise in the wake of the team’s NBA title over the Golden State Warriors.
Car dealer says ‘you have to fall in love with the customer’ to sell
After eight years selling vehicles at a downtown Lafayette Ford dealership in the 1950s and ’60s, Bob Rohrman motored out on his own with a single used-car dealership on a gravel lot on Sagamore Parkway. Rohrman hasn’t looked in his rearview mirror since.
Speedway executive readies for key role at Rio Olympics
Leading up to the Brickyard 400 in July, Allison Melangton will be working 16 hours a day. Those will be relatively light days compared to the hours she’ll work in August coordinating gymnastics coverage for NBC.
Indy lands convention with 50,000 visitors, $35M impact
Primerica Inc.’s annual gathering will be one of the city’s five biggest conventions in 2017. The deal came together in a matter of weeks, which is exceedingly rare in the world of mega-conventions.
Pacers converting seven suites into new ‘intimate’ club-like space
The city’s Capital Improvement Board approved and will pay for the $2.8 million project at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Restroom neutrality becomes hospitality sales tool
Only 1 percent of the events booked over the last year at the Indiana Convention Center asked for gender-neutral bathrooms, but hospitality experts say it’s a big and growing issue.
State grants $2M to build Fieldhouse tunnel to Pacers’ new training center
It will cost $900,000 to open Delaware Street for tunnel construction and to repave the road, and another $1.4 million to build the underground portion of the walkway, according to a state filing.
Whistle while you work: Colts try high-tech football to curtail fumbles
The Colts are one of four NFL teams using footballs with pressure sensors and sonic cues to help players keep a solid grip on the rock, according to the inventor of the new product.
WRTV shutting down its Hometown Sports & News network
In a blow to local sports fans, WRTV Channel 6 is shutting down its Hometown Sports & News network and replacing it with a national syndicated network called Grit that features a lineup of action movies and westerns.
Major renovation for downtown Marriott to run ‘tens of millions’
The revamp of the 622-room Marriott is meant to bring the hotel up to the same standards as the JW Marriott a block to the west. The latter’s owners have agreed to buy the former for $165 million.
‘Zero-waste’ Natatorium aims to make big splash
IUPUI and Natatorium officials have embarked on an ambitious initiative to assure that at least 90 percent of the waste generated at the newly renovated building is either recycled or composted.
CNO changes course with Monumental Marathon sponsorship deal
Monumental Marathon Executive Director Blake Boldon called the three-year title sponsorship deal with CNO Financial Group “a game-changing sponsorship.”
Indy 500 wrap-up: Merchandise sales hit record, toilets taxed, media might move
Speedway officials are taking stock of the facility’s performance on Sunday. While merchandise sales surged to an all-time high, many commodes backed up. Converting the media center to hospitality space also has been discussed.
Indy 500 TV ratings skyrocket locally, slip nationally
Indianapolis was the highest-rated market with a 33.6 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. That equated to a jaw-dropping 360,530 households. But viewership nationwide for the milestone event ebbed.
Lifting of Indy 500 blackout creates questions in local ad community
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s decision to call off the local television blackout could have a big impact on WRTV, Emmis Communications and race-day advertisers.
IMS Productions races beyond motorsports
The company created to broadcast the Indy 500 is using innovations to diversify its customer base and fuel double-digit percentage growth.
Indy 500 general admission ticket prices soar on secondary market
General admission tickets available at the Speedway box office for $40 as late as Tuesday afternoon were selling for more than triple that amount on the secondary market by Wednesday morning after the race became a sellout.
Local firefighters part of history-making Indy 500 pit crew
A crew that includes two U.S. Navy Seals, four firefighters and a police officer will be the first group composed entirely of non-IndyCar Series crew members to compete in the Pit Stop Challenge. If they win, they have no intention of keeping the prize money.
State fire marshal: No limits on tickets IMS can sell for Indy 500
ABC says Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials are in the driver’s seat on deciding whether the local television blackout will be lifted on the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in 66 years.