Massive snacks convention picks Indy over sweet home Chicago for 2021 expo
The Sweets & Snacks Expo is expected to attract more than 13,000 attendees and generate an economic impact of $10.2 million.
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Tourism experts disagree on wisdom of planned convention center expansion
Overall attendance at Indiana Convention Center events has stagnated, but annual major conventions have seen explosive growth.
City plans to continue statewide tourism campaign despite rollback in reopening
Visit Indy said about $75,000 of the $1 million budgeted for the “You’ve Earned It” advertising campaign has so far been spent, generating about $400,000 in visitor spending.
Airport could see lower-than-expected activity for up to 3 years, leader says
Mario Rodriguez, executive director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority, said activity has dropped to as low as 5% of typical operations, with the the facility serving only 14 of its 53 destinations.
Visit Indy to cut employee hours amid forced events lull
The tourism bureau’s 62 employees will see their work weeks cut to four days through at least April.
New Indy 500 date could come just when tourism industry needs it most
The race—rescheduled for Aug. 23—is on an otherwise open weekend in the city’s summer event calendar, which could fill hotel rooms at a time they would otherwise have been empty.
Holcomb signs coal, panhandling and teacher evaluation bills into law
The governor also signed legislation that will eventually put more money into the state’s unemployment trust fund, a move that comes as the coronavirus outbreak has led to a jump in unemployment claims.
Local tourism, convention officials prepare for impact from coronavirus
Officials say no events have been canceled locally, but groups—including the NCAA and Visit Indy—are watching the news and weighing their options.
Convention industry swells, but future hinges on Pan Am development
Visit Indy, which isn’t involved in the Pan Am negotiations, is in “somewhat of a holding pattern until we have the exact details finalized and presented to us,” Vice President Chris Gahl said.
They’re going for it: Indy to make pitch for NFL Draft
Visit Indy has held preliminary talks with the NFL about the city’s hosting the three-day event as soon as 2024.
Development plan for Pan Am Plaza hotels could be split into phases
While the city and Kite Realty Group discuss a slower development timetable for the massive hospitality project, White Lodging said it is holding off on plans for another downtown hotel “until we figure out what’s going on at Pan Am Plaza.”
Indy wants the NFL Draft, but not right away
Indianapolis is making moves to host the NFL Draft in coming years, but it’s unlikely the city will aggressively pursue it until a slew of previously scheduled events have occurred.
Visit Indy reports seventh straight year of rising visitor spending
A record 28.8 million people visited the Indianapolis in 2017, generating a $5.4 billion economic impact, according to figures released Wednesday afternoon by Visit Indy as part of its State of Tourism event.
Visit Indy seeking 3 percent increase in CIB funding for 2019
The city’s tourism agency plans to ask the Marion County Capital Improvement Board of Managers for an increase in funding, but is planning a slightly smaller overall budget in 2019.
Tourism officials expect another big impact from Big Ten Football Championship Game
Tourism bureau Visit Indy has spent about $60,000 on advertising over the past two weeks targeting Ohio State and Northwestern fans in Columbus, Ohio, and Chicago.
Kite seeks to minimize risk in convention-hotels project
Hospitality industry observers say this is far from an ideal time for Kite—a publicly traded real estate investment trust specializing in shopping centers—to veer outside its core business and tackle what would be a risky and colossal project that easily could cost more than $600 million.
IBJ Podcast: Detailing the Pan Am Plaza hotel-and-convention project
Guest host Lindsey Erdody (in for Mason King) talks with IBJ reporters Hayleigh Colombo and Anthony Schoettle about the public-private project, the city’s convention business and what remains unknown about the Pan Am Plaza project.
Kite to build 2 hotels at Pan Am Plaza; city to spend $120M on attached meeting space
The Capital Improvement Board has selected a Kite Realty Group plan from among three proposals in its effort to expand the city’s convention capacity. The CIB is expected to vote Friday to move the project forward.
Indiana Convention Center may be just big enough—for now
Since its first iteration opened in 1972, it’s undergone four major expansions. The last one, completed in 2011, increased its size to six city blocks and more than 566,600 square feet of exhibit space—or 745,210, if you include nearby Lucas Oil Stadium.
Gen Con wants tech upgrades at convention center to stay in Indy
Whether Seattle-based Gen Con and local officials can now reach an understanding on technology could spell the difference between Indianapolis’ hanging onto its most prized convention and potentially losing it to another city.