In early February of this year, a certain sporting event brought the city of Indianapolis into the national spotlight. By association, the state of Indiana has been enjoying the ride ever since. The Colts won the Super Bowl on that rainy February weekend, adding yet another plume to the state’s already feathery cap.
What meeting planners have known for years is now gaining widespread attention—Indiana is buzzing with excitement, offering a sporting good time for groups that isn’t limited to its reputation for football and basketball. From historic lures to sophisticated cultural offerings and from small-town charm to big-city pizzazz, Indiana is the state with a super attitude.
Central
The big city in Indiana is Indianapolis, still ebullient in the afterglow of the Colts’ Super Bowl win. But planners win here, too, thanks to an urban plan that continues to attract groups with its purpose-built infrastructure.
“With eight hotels connected to our convention center and downtown shopping mall via a climate-controlled skywalk, we drive home our walkability with planners and associations,” says Susie Townsend, director of convention services for the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association. “Our entire downtown package has been deliberately designed with conventions in mind, offering more than 200 restaurants and 50 attractions within walking distance of the center. Attendees save on transportation costs and time, making it an attractive package for planners.”
The central skywalk connects some 3,000 rooms in the downtown area, making citywides easy to manage and keeping groups tightly knit. The rooms are connected to the Indiana Convention Center, the RCA Dome (home of the Colts) and the expansive City Centre Mall.
Among the big projects currently commanding headlines in the city is the addition of a new stadium for the Colts. Scheduled for completion in 2008, Lucas Oil Stadium will be a seven-level, multiuse building with 63,000 permanent seats. It will host future NCAA Final Four men’s and women’s basketball games and hopefully the Super Bowl. (The city recently bid to host the big game in 2011.) The stadium also will be used for major conventions, trade shows and special events and will pave the way for an expanded convention center with the demolition of the current RCA Dome.
“More than $900 million is being invested in a new multiuse stadium and expanded Indiana Convention Center, set to be completed by 2010,” Townsend says. “The expansion will double the size of the center and offer groups a retractable roof stadium for large expos and trade shows. It’s estimated our expansion will realize an additional 18 to 23 major conventions per year, a huge boost for our local hospitality market.”
The convention center currently offers more than 400,000 square feet of exhibition space and 140,000 square feet of meeting space. The facility is complemented by other large group venues, including the Conseco Fieldhouse and the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Group-friendly hotels abound in downtown Indianapolis, and the 28,000-room supply will be increased soon with the addition of a 1,000-room JW Marriott, scheduled for completion by 2010. The current mix of properties includes the Marriott Downtown, the Hilton Indianapolis, the Westin Indianapolis, the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, the Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Downtown–Union Station, and the Omni Severin Hotel. The Conrad Indianapolis recently opened downtown as well, augmenting the growing inventory of luxury properties with meeting space.
University Place Conference Center and Hotel, located a few blocks from downtown on the campus of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, is another top meetings property.
There are also plenty of meetings-ready hotels in the areas immediately surrounding Indianapolis. Near Indianapolis International Airport, which will unveil a $970 million expansion next year, properties include the newly renovated Adam’s Mark Indianapolis and the Holiday Inn Select Indianapolis Airport, which will become a Crowne Plaza this summer following a property-wide renovation. Just north of downtown Indianapolis are several other property options, such as the recently renovated Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel and Suites, Hilton Indianapolis North and Marriott Indianapolis North.
Among the city’s numerous attractions, many of which are available for off-site events, Indianapolis is especially proud of it cultural offerings. In fact, by 2008, the city’s six distinct cultural districts will be connected by the $35 million Indianapolis Cultural Trail, giving visitors a designated biking/walking trail that will be lined with landscaping and public art and connect dozens of attractions. Many such attractions are located within White River State Park, including the Indianapolis Zoo, the Indiana State Museum, the popular NCAA Hall of Champions, and the recently expanded Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.
Among the rolling hills of south-central Indiana, Bloomington, home to Indiana University, features more than 10 top-notch function facilities, including the Bloomington Convention Center, and some 1,000 committable rooms.
“Bloomington offers a unique atmosphere for meetings and conventions,” says Julie Warren, director of convention sales and services for the Bloomington CVB. “The area’s unique meeting and event facilities include a historically significant convention center, a resort on the shores of Indiana’s largest lake, the nation’s largest student union on the Indiana University campus, and fun off-site venues such as Indiana’s oldest and largest winery, world-class museums and performance venues, or the Tibetan Cultural Center.”
Bloomington continues to improve its infrastructure for meetings and conventions, adding new hotels and function space each year.
“Bloomington has welcomed three new hotel facilities in the last 18 months,” Warren says, speaking of the recently opened Homewood Inn and Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites on the west side of town, and the Holiday Inn Express just a block off the downtown square. “These three new projects have combined to add over 350 new hotel rooms and over 7,000 square feet of new meeting space to the Bloomington area.”
Additionally, future plans call for a complete renovation of the former University Plaza Hotel, which will change flags to both a Radisson and a Comfort Inn. Scheduled for completion in August, the new property will feature approximately 4,000 square feet of meeting space and a restaurant.
Also brimming with college spirit are the towns of Lafayette and neighboring West Lafayette, where Purdue University is situated.
“We position ourselves as an affordable, safe Midwest destination offering the convenience of being located right off an interstate between two major cities, Chicago and Indianapolis, as well as being within a day’s drive of over half the nation’s population,” says Beverly Dussault, convention sales manager for the Lafayette–West Lafayette CVB. “We emphasize the assets found within a Big Ten University that just happens to have the fourth-largest conference division in the nation.”
Groups often hold functions on campus at facilities such as Purdue Memorial Union and Stewart Center. The campus also features a 6,000-seat theater.
In the historic downtown area there are additional function spaces and properties with conference space, including the Best Western Lafayette Executive Plaza and Conference Center and the University Inn Conference Center and Suites.
“The area is large enough to create a metropolitan atmosphere, yet small enough to retain the charming warmth and character of small-town Indiana,” Dussault says. “As the community and Purdue University continue to grow, this brings more contrast and diversity to the area and creates an influx of more variety overall in the hospitality industry, which enhances the destination’s appeal and overall image. More restaurants, entertainment, attractions, arts and culture, and opportunities for a variety of unique off-site events and unique experiences make Lafayette–West Lafayette a great place to meet.”
Near the center of the western Indiana border is Terre Haute, renowned as the summer home of the Indianapolis Colts.
With three college campuses, including Indiana State University, the college spirit is alive and well here. Groups often meet on campus facilities and take advantage of the many meetings-friendly hotels in the city.
Other interesting venues include the Swope Art Museum and the Candles Holocaust Museum.
In Muncie, whose unofficial mascot is the comic strip character Garfield the cat (thanks to his creator, Jim Davis, being a resident), there are numerous affordable options for groups, including the facilities of Ball State University as well as the Horizon Convention Center, with space for 2,500 people.
Muncie offers many smaller meeting facilities and a good inventory of reasonably priced accommodations.
Central Indiana is also home to Columbus, which continues to attract visitors for its rich architectural panoply, but it is also proud of its lesser-known heritage, such as being home to basketball shoe icon Chuck Taylor.
There are several hotels that offer function space for midsize groups, including the Holiday Inn Conference Center Hotel, and Columbus will debut a Hotel Indigo later this year with meeting space for up to 120 people.
Eastern
With its location in northeast Indiana, Fort Wayne is a convenient destination from at least nine major Midwest cities.
A popular drive-to destination, Fort Wayne’s function space includes the Grand Wayne Convention Center, which recently expanded to offer nearly 130,000 square feet of state-of-the-art function space; and the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, which also recently expanded.
The convention center is attached to the Hilton Fort Wayne, and other hotels catering to meetings include the Fort Wayne Marriott.
Fort Wayne offers roughly 4,500 hotel rooms and several engaging off-site venues that highlight the city’s history. Among the most popular venues is the Lincoln Museum, with dozens of interesting artifacts chronicling the life and times of the 16th president.
Northern
Anyone with even a remote interest in college sports relates the city of South Bend due to the University of Notre Dame and its iconic golden dome. But South Bend is as serious about attracting meetings and groups as it is about its football.
The city offers a designated Convention District, anchored by the architecturally dazzling Century Center, with more than 75,000 square feet of function space, two theatres and a museum. The center is situated on an 11-acre park overlooking the St. Joseph River and is connected via an enclosed walkway to the South Bend Marriott Riverfront Hotel and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Among the other meetings options are the Holiday Inn Downtown and the Windsor Park Conference Center, and 25 miles south of the city is Swan Lake Resort, which is set on 1,200 acres and offers meeting space for up to 500 people, a spa and championship golf.
Nearby Hammond, Gary and Merrillville lure small to midsize groups with properties such as Merrillville’s Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza, Hammond’s Ramada Inn and Conference Center and Gary’s Trump Casino Hotel and Majestic Star Casino.
Southern
The Indiana city nestled on the southern banks of the Ohio River is Evansville, a charming town with ties to Abraham Lincoln in its past and a bright future for meetings and conventions business.
With more than 3,800 hotel rooms and the Evansville Auditorium and Convention Center offering 280,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition space, the city draws a steady stream of government, association and corporate groups looking for affordability without skimping on quality.
Among the area’s additional venues are Casino Aztar and Executive Conference Center, Roberts Stadium, Mesker Amphitheater, and Victory Theater.
But the big news in the region is the nearby French Lick Casino Resort. The property recently reopened following a $382 million historic restoration and expansion. The newly expanded property features the 443-room French Lick Springs Hotel; a 109,000-square-foot conference center that also has a 13,000-square-foot ballroom and a 6,700-square-foot junior ballroom; an 84,000-square-foot gaming and entertainment complex; 45 holes of golf; and a 27,000-square-foot spa and health club. Other facilities will debut at the resort this spring, in addition to the historic West Baden Springs Hotel, located a mile away, following a major renovation.
For More Info
Bloomington/Monroe County CVB 812.334.8900
www.visitbloomington.com
Columbus Area Visitors Center 812.378.2622
www.columbus.in.us
Evansville CVB 812.421.2200
www.evansvillecvb.org
Fort Wayne/Allen County CVB 260.424.3700
www.visitfortwayne.com
Indianapolis CVA 317.639.4282
www.indy.org
Lafayette/West Lafayette CVB 765.447.9999
www.homeofpurdue.com
Lake County CVB 219.989.7770
www.alllake.org
Muncie Visitors Bureau 765.284.2700
www.munciecvb.org
South Bend/Mishawaka CVB 574.234.0051
www.exploresouthbend.org
Terre Haute CVB 812.234.5555
www.terrehaute.com
