Local boat, RV show changes format to widen audience
For the first time in its 26-year history, the Indianapolis Fall Boat and RV Show will include an auction open to the public. Event organizers think it will draw bidders from far and wide.
Meeting & Event Planning
Articles
Long way to go to fill expanded Indiana Convention Center
Eighteen months after the expansion opened, indicators of success are mixed.
Crafting Indianapolis’ convention biz took guts
Ex-Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association chief Bill McGowan weighs the pay-off.
Demand for hotels, tickets spike as NCAA regional looms
Downtown hoteliers are expecting a sellout this weekend, and ticket brokers are reporting a spike in ticket prices even though Indiana University is playing elsewhere.
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.
Big Easy Super Bowl attraction crowds fall short of Indy’s
Attendance this year for the Super Bowl-related NFL Experience and downtown village in New Orleans fell far short of what was achieved in Indianapolis last year.
COTA: Uber-improvement made to high-tech conference calls
Service offers call summaries, easy speaker identification and even fun hold music.
Mahern wants council members to disclose free game tix
The Indianapolis City-County Council is poised to approve a huge increase in ticket taxes on professional sports, and one council member wants to make sure those voting on the hike disclose the freebies they get for Pacers and Colts games.
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.
More companies planning holiday parties, survey says
A new survey shows 83 percent of companies polled plan to host holiday parties this year, up from 68 percent a year ago.
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.
Lucas Oil Stadium meeting revenue expectations
Roughly four years after it opened its doors in late 2008, Lucas Oil Stadium appears to have crossed the threshold of dollars that its creators anticipated from hosting events beyond the scope of the Indianapolis Colts.
Event-planning vet Maribeth Smith has impressive resume
Maribeth Smith’s introduction to the world of event planning sure was a doozy—coordinating the city’s first significant Final Four in 1991. In the 20 years since, Smith has planned some of Indianapolis’ biggest soirees, highlighted this year by several events surrounding the Super Bowl, which helped cement her status as one of the city’s leading meeting planners.
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.
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.
Hamilton County hotels report stronger occupancy
Helped in part by the Super Bowl, the county’s occupancy rate increased 8.4 percent, to 63 percent, compared with the first six months of 2011, according to a report by Tennessee-based Smith Travel Research.
Indiana county ready for fair after grandstands fire
Temporary metal bleachers have been built along a track at the Shelby County Fairgrounds to replace the 133-year-old wooden grandstands destroyed in an arson last month.
Carmel event firm sold, relocated to Castleton
EventzPlus, besides hosting large gatherings, will also offer daily office space rentals to small business owners.
Overlapping downtown events give hotels a boost
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.
NFL borrows from Indy’s Super Bowl playbook
League officials said a Super Bowl Village like the one in downtown Indianapolis will now be a requirement for future cities hosting the big game.