State Fair planners expecting record crowds
Indiana State Fair organizers are anticipating this month’s longer fair will attract a record
crowd, but they are setting modest expectations.
Tourism & Hospitality
Articles
Small town, budget hotels hold own in difficult economy
While the local hotel industry is being rocked by the current economy, budget hotels and those in the small towns surrounding
Indianapolis are actually seeing gains. Properties affected by the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400 and Big Ten Tournament
are among the losers.
Lawmakers cut state tourism office’s budget in half
Destinations throughout Indiana no longer can count on a state marketing campaign to help drive summer crowds. Lawmakers who
passed a budget during the special session at the end of June sliced the state’s annual contribution
to the Indiana Office of Tourism Management in half—from $4.8 million to $2.4 million.
A new centerpiece for city’s convention strategy: medical, science groups
The Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association is putting together an all-star corporate consortium to make the city
a hub for medical and life sciences conventions, meetings and trade shows. The ICVA began running the initiative
full-speed this year and already has signed deals to bring 40 medical meetings to Indianapolis through 2015, including annual
meetings for the American Association of Diabetes Educators in 2012 and the American College of Sports Medicine and American
Chemical Society in 2013.
Indianapolis hotels feel pain of national slump
Hotel occupancy rates are way down in Indianapolis, as they are elsewhere, but local operators and national analysts think
the city is in a good position to bounce back when the economy improves.
ICVA hires White Lodging vet for sales position
Hotel sales and marketing executive Michelle Travis is joining the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association
as vice president of sales.
Ambrosia to open downtown restaurant in former BadaBoomz site
The owner of the popular Broad Ripple Italian restaurant Ambrosia plans to open a location downtown on the first floor of the Hampton Inn along Maryland Street.
LOU’S VIEWS: Thrill parks offer rides of our lives
This week, three of my fellow IBJ scribes join me in picking our favorite area amusement park rides
Earle Travel Co. perseveres despite flu scare, recession
Earle Travel Co. has been weathering challenges as the recession has deepened and H1N1 influenza spiked
earlier this year. Those problems have nearly capsized many travel agencies, but co-owner Kelly Shea said Earle’s business
slumped only 8 percent last year.
Westfield moves ahead with sports facility plan
A study commission has concluded that a major development involving a new youth-sports complex would be viable for Westfield,
the city announced this morning.
Conrad Indianapolis adding wine bar, sidewalk dining
Plans are in the works for a wine bar called Tastings that would take the first-floor corner space at the Conrad Indianapolis.
The $1 million project would add an entrance to the luxury hotel at the northeast corner of Washington
and Illinois streets and include a total of 80 outdoor seats along both streets, in the shadow of the
Artsgarden.
National cycling event pulled from Velodrome
An 11th-hour deal to keep this year’s USA Cycling Masters Track National Championships at the Major Taylor Velodrome has fallen
flat, and the event has been moved to Colorado Springs.
BASILE: Following in the footsteps of Darwin in the Galapagos
There’s nothing like following the wildly influential thinker Charles Darwin’s own footsteps, which I had the pleasure of doing by visiting the beautiful, mysterious, isolated and enchanted Galapagos Islands.
Clean air strategy: Some nightspots opt to tighten smoking rules
Coaches Tavern, MacNiven’s Restaurant and Bar, and The Jazz Kitchen are among Indianapolis bars that recently limited or banned
smoking. Those establishments join a short list of bars that already buck the trend in Indianapolis. Smoking in public places,
including restaurants, has been banned in Marion County since 2006, but it’s still OK to puff away in places that don’t admit
minors.
Marketing veteran to lead Circle City Classic
The Circle City Classic has hired Marc Williams, an East Coast marketing consultant, as its executive director, a post vacated in March when Tony Mason left to become senior vice president for the 2012 Super Bowl Host Committee.
MARCUS: Urban entryways deserve attention
We need not have an arch to rival St. Louis, but more communities could copy work done on the north side of Bloomington and
the west side of Columbus to welcome visitors and bolster the pride of residents.
White River park passes on balloon
Conner Prairie has $2.2 million riding on a ballooning exhibit that opened June 6. One thing that won’t stand in the way of
its success is a competing ride–at least not at White River State Park.
Experts doubt Indianapolis can lure huge conventions
Indianapolis already hosts three of the top 200 conventions in the country. But additional meeting space coming online late next year could help the city double the number.
Outlying counties, tired of waiting for Indianapolis convention spillover, set own strategies
Some industry insiders worry that, while Indianapolis is busy chasing bigger conventions, adjoining counties may raid the cupboard made plentiful by investments within Marion County, particularly downtown.
Indianapolis outpaces Cincinnati in many convention measures
In this Quick Hits look at a competing convention city, Cincinnati boasts more convention space, but Indianapolis draws more guests.