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.
Bebe Paluzza Productions, which started as a local trade show for parents and grew into a series of consumer events staged in five cities, has been sold to two industry veterans who want to continue that expansion.
The organization’s annual convention, which runs Wednesday through Saturday, attracted 375 exhibitors, an impressive number considering the tepid economy.
Local organizers expect the 2012 Super Bowl to be played as scheduled, despite growing concerns that an NFL work stoppage could force postponement or cancellation of the game.
CEO Allison Melangton deliberately hired only Indiana residents to tap a deep talent pool and play up Hoosier hospitality.
Indianapolis will host the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives’ annual meeting in July 2015, expected to attract more than 1,500 visitors and generate more than $2 million in visitor spending.
Labor meetings in Miami over the weekend did little to dispel speculation that the souring relationship between NFL players
and owners could jeopardize the 2012 Super Bowl at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Indiana Wine Grape Council and state officials say it’s Traminette, a fragrant and floral white wine from grapes that
flourish in Indiana’s climate.
Behind every convention that rolls into Indianapolis is a tedious sales effort as intense and invisible as a riptide. Sometimes
the sale cycle lasts as long as six years.
Meeting and event planners spend years poring over details for big functions, plotting minute-by-minute schedules, and
brainstorming every possible contingency to stave off disaster. Sometimes, though, even the best-laid plans go
awry.
Local hospitality firm’s early work with Lilly helped it carve out a major niche in the pharmaceutical market.
Once reserved for upper-crust weddings, ice sculptures-and their creators-have gone mainstream, finding their way to business
meetings, personal parties and hotel receptions nationwide. Of the 500 U.S. professional sculptors who design the icy artwork,
10 practice their craft in Indiana.
