The four-day event is expected to generate nearly $40 million in economic impact, according to Visit Indy.
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The Indianapolis-based group devoted to agricultural education said Wednesday morning that it expects anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 people to attend its convention this fall at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium.
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The announcement was made during the kickoff event for the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo, which is expected to bring more than 71,000 FFA members, advisers, alumni and supporters to Indianapolis from across the country.
The event, typically one of the biggest annual conventions in Indy, was held virtually last year because of the pandemic.
Scott Stump’s most recent role was assistant secretary of career, technical and adult education for the U.S. Department of Education, where he served from July 2018 until January.
The agriculture-education group cited lingering concerns over the coronavirus pandemic for scuttling the four-day event, which last year brought more than 68,000 people downtown.
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.
Under an agreement with the state, FFA will receive $500,000 annually over the seven-year extension, which will help pay for convention-related expenses.
The National FFA Convention & Expo says the event, which draws nearly 70,000 visitors, had an estimated economic impact of $39.8 million when it was hosted here this year.
During his remarks at the National FFA Convention and Expo at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Saturday, President Donald Trump talked about the Pittsburgh shooting and trade deals, and brought two Indiana congressmen on stage.
The highly interactive and sophisticated Blue Room at this year’s National FFA Convention & Expo knocked the socks off thousands of students at the Indiana Convention Center. The initiative to highlight the advances in agricultural technology will continue year-round online.
President Donald Trump plans to speak at Bankers Life Fieldhouse at this week’s annual FFA event, which is expected to attract about 70,000 blue-jacket-wearing attendees from across the country to downtown Indianapolis.
Indianapolis is under consideration for a seven-year contract extension that would keep FFA’s giant national convention in the city until 2031—but it’s competing for the opportunity with another city.
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.
The Agriculture Department said Monday that Sonny Perdue will be in Indianapolis on Wednesday for the kickoff of the 90th annual convention and expo for the FFA
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.
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.
Mark Poeschl, of Brookville, Ohio, will take over leadership of the Indianapolis-based National FFA Organization and the National FFA Foundation on Aug. 1, succeeding Dwight Armstrong, who is retiring after leading the organizations for seven years.
Indianapolis will host the National FFA Convention & Expo every year from 2016 to 2024 under an agreement to be announced Wednesday morning by state and local officials.
National FFA Organization officials have canceled their option to conduct their massive annual convention in Louisville from 2019 to 2021, and would like Indianapolis to host it for nine straight years.
Businesses are scrambling to decide how to cater to the massive confab.
Joshua Bledsoe was named Friday to the post. He'll manage major FFA operations and oversee implementation of the 557,318-member FFA's strategic plan.
