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 Capital Improvement Board voted Monday to retain the services of three firms that currently provide security at Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana Convention Center, at an annual savings of $300,000.
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.
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.
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.
Request for proposals calls for providing 24-hour security at both Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana Convention Center, as well as providing armed guards for special events. The CIB plans to award contracts in mid-March.
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.
Officials for Crowne Plaza Hotel downtown said a $400,000 enclosed connector linking the hotel to the convention center will be done in February.
The Pump & Cleaner Environmental Expo will be held in Indianapolis each year in February from 2012 to 2014. It is expected to attract more than 12,000 visitors annually and generate an estimated $24 million in spending over the three-year stretch.
Gen Con Indy runs Thursday through Sunday at the Indiana Convention Center. It’s in its 42nd year.
An agreement with the International Motorsports Industry Show will keep it in the city indefinitely. Attendance for the three-day
December convention is expected to top 20,000.
Well-known local sports columnist Bill Benner is leaving his job at the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association to
become senior associate commissioner for external affairs for the Horizon League.
Seven months before the $275 million expansion of the Indiana Convention Center is complete, convention planners and local
convention and tourism officials are calling for an upgrade to the existing Convention Center space.
