IBJ reporter Mickey Shuey talks with John Downs, the CEO of the National Confectioners Association, to find out why the group decided to host its signature trade show—The Sweets & Snacks Expo—in person this year and how it picked Indianapolis to be the event’s location.
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The operator of the city’s convention facilities reported its best monthly financial performance since the pandemic led the Indiana Convention Center to temporarily close down in March 2020.
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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 herculean effort over the next 2-1/2 months will involve city and state officials, tourism and civic leaders, and likely thousands of volunteers.
Read MoreIndianapolis this week welcomed the Sweets & Snacks Expo at the Indiana Convention Center—its first major trade show since March 2020. John Downs, chief of the organization that organizes the event, said he’d like to see it return to Indianapolis in the future.
The aging system has created friction between the CIB and some users of the convention center—most notably Gen Con, which wrote in 2018 emails it was concerned the Wi-Fi system was falling short of meeting its needs.
In a statement on Gen Con’s website, event organizers said they believe the calendar change is the “best approach both to meet the many challenges of the moment and to explore possibilities for the future.”
Hundreds of people—many of them in town for the Big Ten men’s and women’s tournaments—turned Georgia Street into a destination again, hitting the bars, riding scooters and listening to bands.
The multi-genre popular culture convention is slated for July 9-11 at the Indiana Convention Center with a full lineup, organizers announced Tuesday.
Officials are hopeful new virus cases won’t ruin plans to host two dozen events in the first quarter of 2021—including efforts to bring the full NCAA men’s basketball tournament here.
Visit Indy President and CEO Leonard Hoops addressed the topic Friday during the monthly Capital Improvement Board meeting, indicating there are tentative plans for up to three separate bubbles.
The Sweets & Snacks Expo is expected to attract more than 13,000 attendees and generate an economic impact of $10.2 million.
But Executive Director Andy Mallon says he’s “very confident” the board will recover from not only the pandemic but also necessary spending cuts and financial hits over the next 18 months.
The Indianapolis City-County Council on Monday night voted unanimously to issue up to $155 million in bonds to pay for an expansion of the Indiana Convention Center at Pan Am Plaza.
The trade show in a typical year brings upwards of 67,000 people to the Indiana Convention Center and generates an economic impact of $65 million. Last year’s event had 1,100 exhibitors and 3,300 booths.
While the convention center began seeing some activity during July, those events had very little impact on the venue’s operating income for the month.
Overall attendance at Indiana Convention Center events has stagnated, but annual major conventions have seen explosive growth.
The pandemic hasn’t stopped all hospitality business in Indianapolis. Nearly 40,000 people have visited downtown since the beginning of July for events at the Indiana Convention Center or at major hotels.
The full City-County Council is expected to vote on the proposals next month. After that, the financing will need to be approved by both the Metropolitan Development Commission and the Indianapolis Bond Bank.
The Capital Improvement Board of Marion County approved a $132.3 million budget for 2021 during its Friday board meeting—a reduction of 26.4% from this year’s budget.
Ratio is architect for the $550 million project by Kite Realty Group Trust that includes a Signia Hilton, an expansion of the Indiana Convention Center and—eventually—a second, 600-room Hilton-branded hotel.
More than 940 exhibitors have already registered for the event, which could bring upwards of 67,000 people to the Indiana Convention Center and generate an economic impact of $65.2 million. But county health officials haven’t yet approved the event.
The $300 million hotel will be the most expensive and elaborate new lodging project built in the city since the $450 million JW Marriott complex was completed in 2011. And it will compete directly with the JW.
The city will not subsidize construction of Kite’s two hotels on the site but will ask the City-County Council to authorize a $150 million bond to finance an addition to the Indiana Convention Center.
