Indiana Comic Con draws record crowd, plans to return next year
Attendance for the third annual Indiana Comic Con was up more than 4,000 and the event’s economic impact increased by $1 million, according to local tourism officials.
Conventions
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New hotel boosts downtown Muncie tourism business
Only three months in, Muncie's most recent major investment to its downtown corridor seems to be luring hundreds of people who otherwise might never have visited.
Visit Indy sets annual record for hotel room bookings
Hotel rooms booked by Visit Indy rose to a record in 2015. But the number of bookings from out-of-state organizations plummeted by more than 100,000, possibly because of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act controversy.
Survey: Religious freedom law costly for convention business
Indiana might have lost as much as $60 million in hotel profits and other economic benefits when a dozen groups decided against hosting conventions in Indianapolis last year possibly because of the controversy surrounding the religious freedom law.
Indy fends off rivals, signs multiyear NFL Combine pact
Indianapolis has hit pay dirt with a multiyear deal intended to keep the lucrative NFL Scouting Combine here through 2020, just as competition to host the high-profile event intensifies.
PRI expo hits gas on attendance, keeping exhibitors busy
The Performance Racing Industry expo’s attendance over the weekend in Indianapolis surpassed 55,000, as exhibitors reported best-ever sales.
Growing Gen Con event to use Lucas Oil Stadium in 2016
The annual gaming convention, considered the largest of its kind, attracted 61,423 individuals for 197,695 visits in August, marking its sixth straight year of growth.
Conference frustration leads to business that helps companies pick best events
In January, Kristin Eilenberg launched Lodestone Insights and has built up a team of 15 people feeding a searchable, sortable database of more than 4,100 conferences around the world.
Expand the Indiana Convention Center again?
The Indianapolis gathering place is ready for its fifth addition, say the city’s top convention promoters.
More events, more people give Georgia Street new life
The section of Georgia Street west of the fieldhouse was conceived as a way to create an eye-catching Super Bowl pedestrian zone in 2012. The challenge since has been to find a sustainable role for the venue.
FCC: Firm pays $750K settlement for blocking Wi-Fi signals
Regulators have reached a settlement with Smart City Holdings LLC for blocking consumers' Wi-Fi signals at convention centers around the country, including in Indianapolis.
LOU’S VIEWS: Great game hunting at Gen Con 2015
For my annual Best of Gen Con list, here are 11 tabletop games to please hobby gamers while not being too intimidating to those who haven’t stretched far beyond Apples to Apples.
Gen Con sets its sixth straight attendance record
In its 13th year in Indianapolis, the annual gaming convention, which ended Sunday, outrolled its previous record-setting attendance by 9 percent, marking its sixth straight year of growth.
Gen Con’s CEO calls for broader LGBT protections
The CEO of a massive gamers' convention said Thursday that organizers are "shopping the show" to other cities and could relocate after 2020 if lawmakers don't expand protections for gays and lesbians.
Once-fringe Gen Con powers game industry
Indy’s annual Gen Con convention has become a powerhouse in the growing $880 million international hobby game business—and a boon for homegrown gaming startups, including Plowgames.
Indianapolis to host high-profile confab for U.S. mayors
The conference is expected to draw presidential candidates and national media because it will come not long before the Democratic and Republican national conventions.
State helps city lock up FFA convention until 2024
Indianapolis will host the National FFA Convention & Expo every year from 2016 to 2024 under an agreement to be announced Wednesday morning by state and local officials.
FFA negotiating with Indy to extend convention stay by three years
National FFA Organization officials have canceled their option to conduct their massive annual convention in Louisville from 2019 to 2021, and would like Indianapolis to host it for nine straight years.
Art hotels seeing payoff from galleries
Will hotel guests pay more to sleep under a Picasso or eat inside a piece of art posing as a bamboo hut? Some hoteliers say they already are.
Church recommits to 2017 Indy convention after law flap
A Christian denomination that pulled a convention from Indianapolis amid the furor over a new Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act is bringing the meeting back to the city after the law was amended.