Experts say a unique four-way partnership that includes the Pacers and Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association may be the favorite to run the city’s sports and
convention venues.
Greg Shaheen, NCAA senior vice president of basketball and business strategies, said the deal needs tweaking
because Lucas Oil Stadium was in the conceptual stages when Indianapolis won the bid to host the 2010
Final Four.
Indianapolis Colts team owner says he doesn’t expect fan backlash over pulling starters in loss to last long.
Indianapolis was up against Dallas, Las Vegas, Orlando, Atlanta and New Orleans to host baseball’s Winter
Meetings, which
will draw more than 200 media members from the nation’s top 30 markets.
An aide to Mayor Greg Ballard says he hopes a private operator can find “operating and maintenance savings in the millions."
The NFL spotlight will be shining brightly on the Circle City this Sunday night. Here’s hoping NBC doesn’t find it necessary
to shine the light on Lucas Oil Stadium’s pesky little problem.
While most of the once iron-clad National Football League is being hit by the economic downturn, the Indianapolis Colts sales
staff is benefitting from some of the most fortunate timing a professional sports team has ever seen.
Approaching the end of 2009, Indianapolis’ cash-strapped Capital Improvement Board is on much more solid financial footing.
Lucas Oil Stadium suite holders are upset that the NCAA is taking their luxury boxes for the men’s basketball Final Four
in April and reselling them on the secondary—or scalpers—market.
Dramatic decreases in sponsorship and ticket revenue this year and the recent resignation of the Circle City Classic’s
new executive director have some questioning if the event can survive. Now Classic leaders are considering a bevy of bold changes.
Mayoral Chief of Staff Paul Okeson said the city isn’t sure it makes sense to privatize operations now handled by
the Capital Improvement Board, “but we’re obligated on behalf of the taxpayer to find out.”
Ten years ago, the Indiana Pacers sold out their 69 Conseco Fieldhouse suites and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
barely touched a phone to sell its 120 luxury boxes. But entertaining at luxury suites is out of vogue
now, thanks to the recession and companies keeping a closer eye on spending.
One year after emblazoning its name on the Indianapolis Colts’ mammoth new home, Lucas Oil Products Inc. has leveraged
that sponsorship into a pact with Jiffy Lube that company founder Forrest Lucas thinks will score huge profits for his company.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning beat the heat in Miami Monday night using a new cutting-edge air-conditioned
shoulder pad system.
Manning’s endorsement of the product could send sales sky high.
A little more than six months before the 2010 NCAA men’s Final Four is set to tip off at Lucas Oil Stadium, the NCAA
has not yet finalized a rental deal for the facility. While officials for the NCAA and Local Organizing Committee,
the group charged with operating the event in Indianapolis, downplay any problems, sports business experts say it is unusual
not to have an agreement pinned down in the months leading up to the event.
When Brett Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings Aug. 18, cheers could be heard at MainGate Inc.’s 7900 Rockville
Road headquarters. Predictably, Favre jerseys went flying off the shelves—about 6,000 in the first 72 hours—and
MainGate gets to keep a portion of those sales. The Vikings are one of six teams the Indianapolis-based merchandising
specialist has signed deals with in 2-1/2 years, making MainGate one of the biggest retail players in the goliath of professional
sports leagues.
Three music events with direct visitor spending estimated at $28 million that were hosted at Lucas Oil Stadium offer proof,
city officials said, that the expense of the retractable roof and other features of the $720 million facility are paying off.
Members of the Indianapolis Capital Improvement Board this afternoon passed a $63 million budget for 2010 that hinges on the
City-County Council’s approval of a hike in the local hotel tax.
The National Football League and stadium operators are sending a strong anti-drunk-driving message to fans this year as
part of an effort to expand the league’s 1-year-old Fan Code of Conduct program.
A year ago, we opened Lucas Oil Stadium. We’ve been arguing about it ever since.
