City boosts 2011 convention sales 13 percent
The Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association booked nearly 735,000 hotel room nights in 2011 for conventions and meetings.
Tourism & Hospitality
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Indiana fair concerts going to expanded coliseum
The Indiana State Fair Commission decided Thursday to permanently move its outdoor grandstand concerts indoors and authorized spending $3.8 million to help prepare their new home: The Pepsi Coliseum located nearby on the north side Indianapolis fairgrounds.
Downtown businesses make adjustments for Super Bowl weekend
Downtown businesses that are not in tourist-dependent industries are girding for Super Bowl weekend, hoping their spot in the big game’s storm shadow brings only a light dusting of logistical, scheduling and personnel hassles.
Workers sue 10 hotels, allege wage violations
The lawsuit alleges that the hotels and subcontractor Hospitality Staffing Solutions regularly failed to pay employees for all the hours they worked and forced them to work off the clock without breaks.
Outlying Super Celebration sites prepare for fans
Twenty Super Celebration sites — selected by the Indianapolis Super Bowl XLVI Host Committee with visitors in mind — include seven located outside the metro area in Anderson, Bloomington, Columbus, Lafayette-West Lafayette, Muncie, Richmond/Wayne County, and Shelbyville.
Premium prices sought for parking during Super Bowl
Fans who come to downtown Indianapolis on Super Bowl Sunday had better be prepared to pay some big prices to park during the big game.
Throng of volunteers involved in staging Super Bowl
The city’s biggest event of the year will be run almost entirely by an army of volunteers. Some 8,000 volunteers are helping to execute the preparations for the Super Bowl, which is expected to draw 150,000 visitors.
Performers set to take to streets
Indianapolis has its occasional street musician or juggler, but the Super Bowl will bring out a new breed of performer–more theatrical, more cutting-edge. Local arts supporters hope the taste will leave city officials and residents wanting street theater year-round.
Indy tourism officials launch Super Bowl ad campaign
The Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association has launched a 25-day, $100,000 ad campaign to lure visitors to the city in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. The campaign targets the Chicago, Cincinnati and Louisville markets.
Local home and flower shows make Super Bowl shuffle
The company that produces both the Indianapolis Home Show and the Indianapolis Home & Flower Show said a Super Bowl-related scheduling conflict led it to combine the shows this year.
City to host NFL awards event on eve of Super Bowl
The NFL will announce its annual league awards, including Most Valuable Player, in a two-hour prime-time special, "NFL Honors," to air on NBC on Super Bowl eve, Feb. 4.
Children’s Museum attendance hits another record
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis set an attendance record in 2011 with 1.27 million visitors, topping the high mark it set the previous year by 9.4 percent.
Fieldhouse promoters have high hopes for first tennis event
Pacers Sports & Entertainment and local tennis officials are hopeful a tennis event featuring Pete Sampras and Todd Martin at Bankers Life Fieldhouse will be a springboard to much bigger tennis events, maybe even a Davis Cup match.
Chicago mimicking Indy sports strategy
Tourism leaders in Chicago are launching an initiative some observers think is a direct shot at Indianapolis. In October, the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau formed its own sports commission and fed it $300,000 in startup cash.
Live Nation quietly unveils downtown basement venue
Live Nation is quietly ramping up the schedule for a new 500-seat venue in the basement of Old National Centre. Managers are putting off the grand opening until after Indianapolis recovers from Super Bowl fever.
Near-east-side Super Bowl efforts go beyond the big game
For a Super Bowl-related initiative to revitalize Indianapolis’ near-east side, the hardest work will come after the Feb. 5 game.
Openings launch new era for Indianapolis tourism
The $275 million Indiana Convention Center expansion was completed in January, and the 1,005-room JW Marriott opened the following month.
Far-flung areas court Super Bowl spending
Downtown will be the focal point of Super Bowl XLVI, but communities from Zionsville to Columbus are aggressively pursuing some of the money visitors are expected to shower on the region.
City announces street closures for Super Bowl
Several streets in downtown Indianapolis, including part of Monument Circle and those surrounding Lucas Oil Stadium, will be closed in the few weeks leading up to the Super Bowl on Feb. 5.
City tourism generated $3.6B in 2010, study says
An Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association study shows the amount of tourism dollars last year increased by $120 million from 2009. The city also attracted more visitors in 2010.