Tourism officials expect another big impact from Big Ten Football Championship Game
Tourism bureau Visit Indy has spent about $60,000 on advertising over the past two weeks targeting Ohio State and Northwestern fans in Columbus, Ohio, and Chicago.
Tourism Groups
Kite seeks to minimize risk in convention-hotels project
Hospitality industry observers say this is far from an ideal time for Kite—a publicly traded real estate investment trust specializing in shopping centers—to veer outside its core business and tackle what would be a risky and colossal project that easily could cost more than $600 million.
IBJ Podcast: Detailing the Pan Am Plaza hotel-and-convention project
Guest host Lindsey Erdody (in for Mason King) talks with IBJ reporters Hayleigh Colombo and Anthony Schoettle about the public-private project, the city’s convention business and what remains unknown about the Pan Am Plaza project.
Kite to build 2 hotels at Pan Am Plaza; city to spend $120M on attached meeting space
The Capital Improvement Board has selected a Kite Realty Group plan from among three proposals in its effort to expand the city’s convention capacity. The CIB is expected to vote Friday to move the project forward.
Indiana Convention Center may be just big enough—for now
Since its first iteration opened in 1972, it’s undergone four major expansions. The last one, completed in 2011, increased its size to six city blocks and more than 566,600 square feet of exhibit space—or 745,210, if you include nearby Lucas Oil Stadium.
Gen Con wants tech upgrades at convention center to stay in Indy
Whether Seattle-based Gen Con and local officials can now reach an understanding on technology could spell the difference between Indianapolis’ hanging onto its most prized convention and potentially losing it to another city.
Local tech firm lands deals to run radio stations for airport, Georgia Street
Fishers-based audio marketing technology company Vibenomics Inc. on Tuesday announced it has signed deals with the Indianapolis Airport Authority and Downtown Indy Inc. to provide custom audio packages.
Indiana agency debuts new wine trail for wine lovers
The Indiana Grown program that’s run by the State Department of Agriculture has unveiled the new trail featuring 30 locations.
State’s tourism department puts out call for firm to boost marketing efforts
The department says its ambition is for the state to become “a leading regional destination” and to increase traveler spending.
Ohio set to market its tourist attractions to Indianapolis
Indiana was the No. 1 state outside of Ohio ordering 2017 Ohio Travel Guides, and Indianapolis was the most-searched major city other than Detroit and Pittsburgh on Ohio.org.
Hectic city schedule makes hosting football national championship trickier
Indianapolis officials say they’re up for the challenge of hosting the eighth annual College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2022, even as they’re planning six other big sporting events that take place within a 13-month stretch.
Visit Indy reports sixth straight year of rising visitor spending
The number of tourism and hospitality jobs in Indianapolis also grew—from 77,800 in 2015 to 80,600 in 2016, according to the report.
Noblesville ends lease agreement with Indiana Transportation Museum
The Noblesville Parks and Recreation Board voted Wednesday to not renew its lease with the museum, ending a strained relationship after years of feuding.
Visit Indy earns big win after long pursuit
Visit Indy signed a deal to host the American Wind Energy Association Windpower Conference & Exhibition June 7-10, 2021, in the convention center.
Torch relay cited as top promotional campaign
The Indiana Office of Tourism Development was awarded Best Public Relations Campaign for the Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay at the U.S. Travel Association’s 2017 Mercury Awards ceremony last month in Minneapolis.
Northern Hamilton County hopes to cash in on tourism with new train excursions
Trains might be permanently stalled on the Nickel Plate Railroad in southern Hamilton County, but officials in the northern communities are embracing the idea of getting passenger trains moving.
Fishers, Noblesville pick Nickel Plate rail plan that paves way for trail
Officials from Fishers and Noblesville, which share ownership of the 37-mile railroad corridor with Hamilton County, voted Monday morning to select the only bidder that plans to use just the northern part of the track. Hamilton County officials abstained from the vote.
Gen Con closing in on its first sellout in 50 years
Local hospitality officials are expecting the 50th edition of the annual gaming event to be one of the biggest conventions the city has ever hosted.
Late flurry of hotel room bookings gives Visit Indy strong finish for 2016
In the last two weeks of the year, Visit Indy signed deals to bring 41 conventions to Indianapolis in the next five years. Those deals helped push the group close to a new annual record for advance bookings of hotel rooms.
Gen Con organizers seek shorter-term extension with city
After initially seeking a five-year extension that would keep the massive gaming convention in Indianapolis through 2025, Gen Con officials have changed their request.