Two locally hosted sporting events score national recognition

The inaugural Big Ten Football Championship and Super Bowl XLVI, both held at Lucas Oil Stadium, were recognized as ‘Event of the Year’ in their respective categories at the SportsTravel Awards held Oct. 4 in Detroit.

The inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game, which was played Dec. 3, 2011, won the 2012 SportsTravel Award for Best New Sports Event. More than 64,000 fans attended the game, which also included the Big Ten Fan Fest , the Georgia Street Tailgate Party and several youth initiatives. Indianapolis will continue to host the event through at least 2015.

Super Bowl XLVI, played on Feb. 5, won the Best Professional Single-Sport Event category after receiving rave reviews earlier this year.

In addition to the game featuring the New York Giants and New England Patriots, Indianapolis created a number of initiatives and programming around the event.

Over the course of 10 days, more than 1.1 million fans celebrated in the Super Bowl Village on Georgia Street, enjoying live music, a zip line and NFL-themed excitement.
 
A record 265,000 fans enjoyed NFL Experience at the Indiana Convention Center. The 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee also launched the Legacy Project, which included the building of the $11 million Chase Near Eastside Community Center and other initiatives that resulted in $154 million in investment, according to local Super Bowl host committee officials.

“The SportsTravel Awards are a tremendous honor for Indianapolis and the state of Indiana,” said Allison Melangton, Indiana Sports Corp. president who also served as CEO of the 2012 Super Bowl Host Committee. “There are thousands of great partners, committee members and volunteers who come together and make these events successful. It is a privilege to work with long-time partners in the NFL and Big Ten Conference to create monumental events. We are excited to continue hosting the Big Ten Football Championship Game through 2015, and pursue another Super Bowl in 2018.”

The SportsTravel Awards celebrate the best in sports-event management and production each year. The awards recognize excellence in amateur, collegiate and professional sporting events.