Gen Con closing in on its first sellout in 50 years
Local hospitality officials are expecting the 50th edition of the annual gaming event to be one of the biggest conventions the city has ever hosted.
Conventions
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Gen Con to more than double space usage in Lucas Oil Stadium
Gen Con this year plans to use more than 750,000 square feet in the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium and in the connector between the two facilities. It’s the most space ever booked for an Indianapolis convention.
Hotel hiccup could cost agencies millions
Local hoteliers and hospitality officials are bracing for a soft 2018. And some in the industry are pointing to the fallout from a controversial 2015 law as the culprit responsible for an expected one-year downturn.
Locally based CEDIA sells massive electronics trade show
Visit Indy officials don’t expect the sale to affect the 2021 CEDIA show in Indianapolis and say they are hopeful it won’t have an impact on the city’s bid to host the event in 2024.
Group business has historic French Lick Resort on a roll
At a time when revenue from its work horse—a casino that opened in late 2006—remains unpredictable, French Lick Resort is rolling the dice on a new strategy: one built on pursuing group sales to increase bookings at the resort and build exposure that will bring guests back for leisure visits. It’s already paying dividends.
Local hotel revenue growth beats national average
Through November, downtown Indianapolis hotels saw their revenue increase 8 percent over the same period a year ago, far ahead of the national average of 4.9 percent.
Late flurry of hotel room bookings gives Visit Indy strong finish for 2016
In the last two weeks of the year, Visit Indy signed deals to bring 41 conventions to Indianapolis in the next five years. Those deals helped push the group close to a new annual record for advance bookings of hotel rooms.
Advanced bookings down for Indy hotels
The number of hotel rooms Visit Indy booked into future years took a tumble in 2016 to the lowest level since 2013. But local tourism and hotel officials aren’t overly concerned.
City inks one-year deal to keep Gen Con through 2021
The short-term extension allows the city to keep one of its largest conventions, with an estimated economic impact of $70 million, for at least another year.
Gen Con organizers seek shorter-term extension with city
After initially seeking a five-year extension that would keep the massive gaming convention in Indianapolis through 2025, Gen Con officials have changed their request.
Despite challenges, regional counties carve out convention, tourism niche
While Indianapolis pursues major sporting events and massive conventions—gatherings that attract tens of thousands of people and score tens of millions of dollars in economic impact—many neighboring counties are chasing small and midsize corporate confabs, weddings and senior-citizen bus tours.
Visit Indy chief says major convention center expansion not needed now
Visit Indy CEO Leonard Hoops told Capital Improvement Board members that standing pat is not an option when it comes to hospitality infrastructure, but a major expansion wouldn’t be needed in the near future.
Capital Improvement Board passes budget with hefty deficit
CIB Executive Director Barney Levengood implored the board not to be overly concerned about the projected $46 million shortfall. The City-County Council is set consider the budget at its Sept. 25 meeting.
City studies need for more hotels after losing 1,000+ rooms
The closure of a handful of hotels across the city has essentially wiped out the gains made when the JW Marriott opened with its 1,005 rooms. Now Visit Indy and the city’s Capital Improvement Board are studying whether the city needs more rooms and more convention center space.
Gen Con wants more lodging options in Indy to fuel growth
Total attendance for last week’s Gen Con show in Indianapolis inched up over last year’s record numbers. More hotel spaces could help the show expand, according to an organizer.
Fishers-based vendor loves doing business at Gen Con
In 2006, just three years after Indianapolis became the home of the national gaming convention, Tom Anders of Fishers decided to turn his gaming hobby into a business.
Hospitality industry braces for new overtime rules
While the new law applies to all employers, it could hit the hospitality sector harder than most. The hotel industry is one that relies heavily on modestly paid middle managers, who are exempt from overtime, to pick up the slack—and extra hours—when called upon.
New report exposes Indy convention soft spots
The annual report of the city’s Capital Improvement Board shows the number of events at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium—and the total attendance for those events—fell sharply from 2014 to 2015.
Central Indiana showcased as 200 mayors come to town
Mayors, their staffs and policy experts from across the country—about 1,200 conference attendees in all—will attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ annual summer gathering that runs Friday through Monday.
Gen Con’s expansion to Lucas Oil is test for conventions
Gen Con is the biggest and highest-profile convention to use both the stadium and convention center since the 2011 expansion—and others are watching to see how it works.