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.
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.
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.
A comparison of Indianapolis and New Orleans as tourism and convention cities.
Focus groups in Chicago, Louisville and St. Louis reacted strongly to photos of local tourism offerings like the Central Canal and the Artsgarden.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
The Gen Con Indy gaming convention and the MotoGP race are among several events the city is hosting that could produce an economic impact of $150 million, according to the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association.
The project is part of a $63.9 million operating budget board members approved for 2013, which is lower than the current year’s budget because it doesn’t include Super Bowl costs or special payments to the Indiana Pacers.
The Capital Improvement Board wants to plug a $2 million funding hole that will open up next year for the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association with the expiration of a $5.9 million grant from the owner of the JW Marriott hotel downtown.
The Indianapolis hotel market is poised to record a 10.8-percent increase in revenue per available room in 2012, according to projections from PKF Consulting. The city's hosting of the Super Bowl gave the market a huge, early lift.
The Indianapolis and Orlando metro areas both have roughly 2 million residents, but Orlando’s theme parks drive a huge convention and tourism industry concentrated around a convention center miles from its downtown.
As crowds get bigger, businesses take more notice.
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Many Austin attractions are related to its music scene and its status as a state capital and the home of the University of Texas.
The annual Fire Department Instructors Conference attracts nearly 30,000 visitors to downtown. But with Race for the Cure on Saturday, demand for hotel rooms is even stronger, particularly toward the end of the week.
About 3,200 visitors are in the city as part of the International Sleep Products Association’s biennial event, which showcases the latest technology in mattress manufacturing.
