City to host NFL awards event on eve of Super Bowl
The NFL will announce its annual league awards, including Most Valuable Player, in a two-hour prime-time special, "NFL Honors," to air on NBC on Super Bowl eve, Feb. 4.
Tourism & Hospitality
Articles
Children’s Museum attendance hits another record
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis set an attendance record in 2011 with 1.27 million visitors, topping the high mark it set the previous year by 9.4 percent.
Fieldhouse promoters have high hopes for first tennis event
Pacers Sports & Entertainment and local tennis officials are hopeful a tennis event featuring Pete Sampras and Todd Martin at Bankers Life Fieldhouse will be a springboard to much bigger tennis events, maybe even a Davis Cup match.
Chicago mimicking Indy sports strategy
Tourism leaders in Chicago are launching an initiative some observers think is a direct shot at Indianapolis. In October, the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau formed its own sports commission and fed it $300,000 in startup cash.
Live Nation quietly unveils downtown basement venue
Live Nation is quietly ramping up the schedule for a new 500-seat venue in the basement of Old National Centre. Managers are putting off the grand opening until after Indianapolis recovers from Super Bowl fever.
Near-east-side Super Bowl efforts go beyond the big game
For a Super Bowl-related initiative to revitalize Indianapolis’ near-east side, the hardest work will come after the Feb. 5 game.
Openings launch new era for Indianapolis tourism
The $275 million Indiana Convention Center expansion was completed in January, and the 1,005-room JW Marriott opened the following month.
Far-flung areas court Super Bowl spending
Downtown will be the focal point of Super Bowl XLVI, but communities from Zionsville to Columbus are aggressively pursuing some of the money visitors are expected to shower on the region.
City announces street closures for Super Bowl
Several streets in downtown Indianapolis, including part of Monument Circle and those surrounding Lucas Oil Stadium, will be closed in the few weeks leading up to the Super Bowl on Feb. 5.
City tourism generated $3.6B in 2010, study says
An Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association study shows the amount of tourism dollars last year increased by $120 million from 2009. The city also attracted more visitors in 2010.
Ten Hoosiers chosen for Georgia Street memorials
The honorees include business leaders, former U.S. presidents, famous novelists, a Shawnee chief and a feminist pioneer.
Rolling Stone, Bacardi to host Super Bowl bash
Rolling Stone magazine and rum maker Bacardi say they plan to throw a star-studded party the night before the Super Bowl at a renovated factory called The Crane Bay two blocks west of Lucas Oil Stadium.
Sky Zone trampoline center bounces into Fishers
Sky Zone, a franchised all-trampoline indoor recreational complex operated by Jeff Mast, opens Monday in Fishers at Cumberland Road and East 121st Street, just south of Interstate 69.
Indianapolis’ revitalized Georgia Street is work in progress
Workers finished $12.5 million in improvements between the Indiana Convention Center and Conseco Fieldhouse in November. Now will building owners bring the entertainment spot to life?
Gen Con commits to city for five more years
The annual Gen Con convention, which had a previous commitment to Indianapolis through 2015, is extending its agreement through 2020. The latest Gen Con event drew a record 36,733 visitors.
Zoo launches $30M campaign to build orangutan center
Construction on the International Orangutan Center would start in August, with the opening set for Memorial Day weekend in 2014.
Cities roll out welcome mat, apps for Super Bowl
Central Indiana communities are launching smartphone applications, decorating cards to welcome visitors and taking other steps to promote local attractions in hopes of capitalizing on thousands of Super Bowl fans descending on the region for the Feb. 5 game.
Tapes show concern before Indiana stage collapse
A recording of dispatch radio calls shows that emergency workers were expressing concern about severe weather just minutes before winds ripped through the Indiana State Fair and caused a fatal stage collapse.
Defects prompt closure of county fair grandstands
A central Indiana county faces a big bill to replace its fairground's grandstand after numerous safety problems were found during an inspection prompted by this summer's deadly state fair stage collapse.
For Big Ten championship, even suites are for sale
Besides individual tickets, entire suites are being offered for as much as $28,000 on various online brokerage sites for the inaugural Big Ten championship football game.