Hotel rooms booked by Visit Indy rose to a record in 2015. But the number of bookings from out-of-state organizations plummeted by more than 100,000, possibly because of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act controversy.
Indianapolis has hit pay dirt with a multiyear deal intended to keep the lucrative NFL Scouting Combine here through 2020, just as competition to host the high-profile event intensifies.
The survey found that only 45 percent of the 339 meeting decision makers polled agree with the city’s post-RFRA battle cry “Indy Welcomes All.” And a mere 28 percent surveyed agree with the statement “Indiana Welcomes All.”
The Indianapolis gathering place is ready for its fifth addition, say the city’s top convention promoters.
The conference is expected to draw presidential candidates and national media because it will come not long before the Democratic and Republican national conventions.
A message on the home page of www.visitindy.com says that all are welcome to visit the city, and a separate page highlights some of the businesses that support the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender community.
A deal struck 10 years ago to bring the men’s Final Four to Indianapolis every five years has become a much-beefier cash cow for the city than any of the pact’s architects could have imagined.
The Final Four is so close, you can almost hear the trombones in the pep bands. Look around downtown.
Speculation is already boiling that Indianapolis would be a front-runner to host either the Republican or Democratic national convention. But Visit Indy officials think the city might be too busy to host either event in 2020.
The conservative-leaning American Legislative Exchange Council, which drafts model legislation for state legislatures, will host its annual meeting in Indianapolis in 2016.
Visit Indy in the last six months has signed deals for four sizable medical/pharmaceutical-related conventions—hard-earned wins for a city that for years has aimed to be a biomedical hub that attracts big players for annual gatherings.
