Operators are pouring hundreds—in some cases millions—of dollars into renovations of existing barns or built-from-scratch centers that combine the rustic with the elegant, all to feed the still-growing trend of barns as places for weddings and other events.
The Indianapolis Downtown Restaurant & Hospitality Association is making big adjustments to its “Devour” events starting next year, the organization announced Monday.
Debbie Locklear’s firm, Meeting Services Unlimited, works with dozens of clients nationwide and has helped put on shows for some of the country’s biggest corporations and associations, including Indianapolis-based Custom Electronic Design Installation Association.
The biggest business deals often come together over a great dinner. But with all the amazing options—new and old—in Indianapolis, choosing just the right spot might seem daunting. Do you go for the best food? For the trendy new place? Or how about simply a spot where you can hear a conversation?
While Indianapolis pursues major sporting events and massive conventions—gatherings that attract tens of thousands of people and score tens of millions of dollars in economic impact—many neighboring counties are chasing small and midsize corporate confabs, weddings and senior-citizen bus tours.
The annual report of the city’s Capital Improvement Board shows the number of events at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium—and the total attendance for those events—fell sharply from 2014 to 2015.
Primerica Inc.’s annual gathering will be one of the city’s five biggest conventions in 2017. The deal came together in a matter of weeks, which is exceedingly rare in the world of mega-conventions.
City and Indiana Pacers officials will decide after they get bid requirements later this summer whether to pursue the NBA All-Star Game for Indianapolis.
A local hotel developer plans to build the 175-room Embassy Suites near the town’s Interstate 70 interchange and Indianapolis International Airport.
The museum is arguably the Indy area’s most magnetic force, luring visitors from virtually every state in the country and six of seven continents.
Hotel rooms booked by Visit Indy rose to a record in 2015. But the number of bookings from out-of-state organizations plummeted by more than 100,000, possibly because of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act controversy.
The survey found that only 45 percent of the 339 meeting decision makers polled agree with the city’s post-RFRA battle cry “Indy Welcomes All.” And a mere 28 percent surveyed agree with the statement “Indiana Welcomes All.”
The organization, a division of Hamilton County Tourism Inc., is launching a five-year calendar, increasing its budget by 25 percent and hiring another staff member.
The group that owns the landmark entertainment and hospitality venue in downtown Indianapolis has decided not to sell the building after Live Nation made an offer late last year.
In January, Kristin Eilenberg launched Lodestone Insights and has built up a team of 15 people feeding a searchable, sortable database of more than 4,100 conferences around the world.
A seven- to eight-story hotel and 20,000-square-foot conference center are part of the proposed mixed-use development at exit 210 just off of Interstate 69 in Noblesville.
Visit Indy is a big not-for-profit, bringing in and spending $13.6 million last year in its quest to promote Indianapolis' convention and tourism industry.
There’s no shortage of places to have a great lunch in central Indiana. But where do you go to close the big deal? IBJ asked locals where they like to go when it’s all on the line.
