Long way to go to fill expanded Indiana Convention Center
Eighteen months after the expansion opened, indicators of success are mixed.
Conventions
Articles
Crafting Indianapolis’ convention biz took guts
Ex-Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association chief Bill McGowan weighs the pay-off.
IUPUI to show off elaborate game at Gen Con
The entire Indiana Convention Center will be the stage for the game, which uses video mapping and projectors that will create a large crystalline display showing the game results. The four-day Gen Con event begins Thursday.
Crowd funding taps passionate fan base for fantasy figurines
A growing number of small game companies will join a pantheon of industry titans starting Aug. 15 at the Gen Con Indy gaming convention. The small guys are there largely because they can get the money they need to keep themselves alive via the fundraising technique known as “crowd funding” or “crowd sourcing.”
HENEGAR: Proposed panhandling ban appears unconstitutional
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana believes in the power of the First Amendment to give the powerless a voice. Our constitutional right to free expression allows us to confront our greatest challenges, including poverty and homelessness.
San Diego tourism market significantly larger than Indy’s
A side-by-side comparison of the tourism and convention industries in Indianapolis and San Diego.
LOU’S VIEWS: The critics are coming … the critics are coming
Journalists from San Francisco to D.C. and from New Haven to New Orleans descend on Indy for a first-ever critical mass of theater.
QUICK HITS: More people visit Philly than Indy despite similar tourism budgets
Philadelphia offers strong historical draws and a plethora of downtown restaurants.
Is Indianapolis becoming too expensive for conventions?
A recent tax increase coupled with cut-rate competition from other cities has Indianapolis-area convention and meeting officials fretting about losing a longtime cost advantage.
City’s tourism agency reports strong 2012
Indianapolis’ hosting of the Super Bowl last February seems to be paying off for Visit Indy, which says the exposure the city received from the game is translating into more visitor interest.
Deal to save racing show had many twists, turns
In a matter of a few months, operators of the Performance Racing Industry show and its upstart rival, the International Motorsports Industry Show, went from being bitter rivals to merging—a deal that will return the world’s largest motorsports trade show to Indianapolis next December.
Tourism generated $4B for city last year, study says
A study released Thursday says the tourism industry in Indianapolis had an economic impact of nearly $4 billion in 2011, a 10-percent increase from the previous year.
Nation’s largest motorsports trade show returning to city
The Performance Racing Industry Show will return to Indianapolis for five years starting in 2013, bringing about 40,000 guests and millions of dollars of visitor spending with it.
Big Easy bests Indy in all but promo costs and visitors
A comparison of Indianapolis and New Orleans as tourism and convention cities.
Potential visitors eye Indianapolis attractions
Focus groups in Chicago, Louisville and St. Louis reacted strongly to photos of local tourism offerings like the Central Canal and the Artsgarden.
Shortage of nonstop flights imperils convention biz
Indianapolis’ dwindling number of nonstop flights—especially to the West Coast—threatens to stunt the city’s convention business just as officials are marketing the expansion of the Indiana Convention Center and downtown’s hotel market.
Report: Indy visitors pay high taxes for travel
Visitors pay among the highest travel taxes in the nation when they come to Indianapolis — 17 percent on hotel rates, 15 percent on rental cars and 9 percent on meals.
Filling the FFA gap in Indianapolis
Local tourism officials have known for nearly four years that the National FFA Organization annual convention will leave Indianapolis temporarily after an anticipated 55,000 members clad in their trademark blue corduroy jackets descend on the city for their confab Oct. 24-27.
LOU’S VIEWS: Big game hunting at GenCon
Break out of the Monopoly/Scrabble rut with these new games
City’s convention agency changing to more ‘hip’ name
The Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association is changing its name to Visit Indy and dramatically altering its logo to appeal to leisure travelers as well as meeting and convention planners.