The Capital Improvement Board, which runs the Indiana Convention Center and the city’s professional sports venues, had hoped to get an exemption to Senate Bill 292, which pre-empts local governments from creating their own rules about where people can carry guns.
An executive headhunter had been dogging Leonard Hoops for years about various career opportunities around the country. He always dismissed the leads—until recently, when he was told about the CEO vacancy at the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association.
The Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association has hired Leonard Hoops, executive vice president for the San Francisco Travel Association, to replace Don Welsh as its new president and CEO.
The massive powersports convention is one of the biggest annual events hosted by the city and is the first to use the expanded Indiana Convention Center since a $275 addition was completed.
The recently expanded Indiana Convention Center gives Indianapolis more space than Denver, but Denver has more hotel rooms and a larger budget.
City has a strategy to pitch Indianapolis to honchos.
The worst case scenario — no season — would mean the city of Indianapolis sustaining the most expensive hit in league history.
A lockout is predicted by many, but whether labor strife ultimately affects the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis remains to be seen.
Tourism honchos outline aggressive goals for 2011, including increasing hotel room nights for conventions from 650,000 to 725,000, and targeting leisure travelers from Chicago and the United Kingdom.
Large conventions typically get the most attention, but it’s the smaller meetings that will be critical to ensuring the expanded Indiana Convention Center is adequately occupied.
Three hospitality industry executives are holding down the fort as the ICVA board searches for a new leader to replace outgoing CEO Don Welsh. Directors are on no timetable to name a replacement.
With the $275 million Indiana Convention Center expansion built and set to open Jan. 20, one major question remains: Will enough conventions, trade shows and corporate meetings come here to make the big-dollar investment pay off?
Don Welsh was seen as a revolutionary force as CEO of the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association. Now he may be one of its biggest competitors as he takes the top job in Chicago.
Don Welsh, the top executive at the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association since 2008, is leaving the city to take the job as CEO of the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau, the ICVA announced Monday night.
Weak economy blamed for 5-percent decline. With Indiana Convention Center expansion set to be complete this month, booking should be on the rise.
As of mid-December, the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association had hit about 93 percent of its 2010 goal of booking 650,000 room nights for future conventions. The group is stepping up its efforts to meet the demands of the new JW Marriott hotel and convention center expansion.
Capital Improvement Board plans to spend about $2.6 million to replace 370,000 square feet of carpeting in the older portion of the Indiana Convention Center to match the carpet in the new addition.
Massive powersports trade show Dealer Expo has committed to keep its annual event in Indianapolis through at least 2016—extending its stay by five years.
Officials for Crowne Plaza Hotel downtown said a $400,000 enclosed connector linking the hotel to the convention center will be done in February.
Gen Con Indy runs Thursday through Sunday at the Indiana Convention Center. It’s in its 42nd year.
