Indianapolis is a sports town, and it has a competitive streak a mile wide. The city is racing to build several substantial expansions to attract the larger meetings business it’s been missing out on. Indy is betting billions that by 2010, hospitality investments will take it to the victory lane.
This is no modest acceleration; the city’s plans are designed to burn up the track. A major convention center expansion and a new arena alone will boost Indy’s ranking for exhibition and meeting space from 33rd to 16th in the nation.
“In the next three years, Indianapolis will bear the fruit of more than $3 billion in investments related to the hospitality industry,” says Doug Bennett, vice president of sales for the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association (ICVA). “Coming on-line in August 2008 is the new 63,000-seat, multiuse Lucas Oil Stadium, featuring a retractable roof. While serving as home to the Indianapolis Colts and future NCAA Final Fours, the stadium also has been designed with meeting planners in mind and will be connected via walkway to the Indiana Convention Center and downtown hotels. Later next year, a new $1 billion terminal will open at Indianapolis International Airport, making air access to our city easier than ever. Our Indiana Convention Center will expand and double in size by 2010.”
Meanwhile, over the next three years, the 11 hotel projects currently under way or on the drawing boards will increase Indy’s downtown offerings to 35 hotels. Chief among these is a massive JW Marriott Complex, which will connect via skywalk to the newly expanded convention center.
“The Hyatt Regency Indianapolis is undergoing a significant renovation aimed at being better able to serve its meeting clients, and in 2010 a complex of four Marriott properties—anchored by a 1,000-room JW Marriott—will add 1,568 rooms to our downtown inventory,” Bennett says. “We will grow from our current 5,800 hotel rooms downtown to more than 8,000 by 2010.”
In the meantime, downtown Indianapolis is home to numerous hotels that are well equipped for meetings, including the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, as well as the Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre Hotel (formerly a Radisson), Marriott Downtown, Hilton Indianapolis, Westin Indianapolis, Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Downtown–Union Station, Omni Severin Hotel, and Conrad Indianapolis.
Another premier option is University Place Conference Center and Hotel, situated on the campus of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).
Apart from the new hotels, facilities and attractions, why should planners bet on Indianapolis during the qualifying race for which city gets their business?
“Three words: convenience, connectivity and compactness,” Bennett explains. “We’re within one day’s drive of more than half the nation’s population. For those arriving by air, Indianapolis International Airport is only 15 minutes from downtown. We currently have eight hotels and more than 3,000 rooms connected to the Indiana Convention Center and Circle Centre mall via skywalks. More than 200 restaurants, the mall, 50 major attractions, and thriving entertainment and arts districts are within walking distance downtown.”
One final reason boils down to service and personality, according to Bennett.
“The ICVA has a meetings team that will work with [planners] and eliminate much of their legwork in identifying the right space at the right price at the right time,” Bennett says. “We give the same care and attention to meetings that we do to major conventions. We’re walkable and our people are friendly. Folks here go out of their way to make visitors feel welcome. One of the reasons for that is that we’re so proud of how our city has developed, we can’t contain our enthusiasm for showing it off.”
There’s no doubt that Indianapolis is setting its sights on being a frontrunner.
“We’re confident that we will continue the remarkable growth we’ve seen over the last two decades as a hospitality destination,” Bennett says. “People always remark how surprised they were when they came here the first time. That surprise is being replaced by expectation from repeat customers, as well as first-timers who have heard from others about all that Indy has to offer. With our new stadium, our expanded convention center and our growing hotel inventory, we are poised to rise not just another level, but several.”
Crowd-Pleasers
Indianapolis is an especially easy sell to sports fans. The undisputed car racing capital of the world and home to popular football and basketball teams, Indy offers sports lovers something fun to do no matter the season when they visit.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, the NCAA Hall of Champions and the National Art Museum of Sport at University Place-IUPUI each provide year-round, all-weather enjoyment, in addition to interesting off-site venue options for groups.
White River State Park offers a dozen different adventures in one accessible, 250-acre space. Among other attractions, it is home to the renowned Indianapolis Zoo, the nation’s only accredited combined zoo, aquarium and botanical garden; the Indiana State Museum; and Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.
Indianapolis is a city with a long memory for those who have served their country. It is home to more memorials than any other American city except Washington, D.C. Groups may appreciate a chance to visit the Indiana War Memorial Plaza Historic District in the city’s downtown to pay their respects to our nation’s heroes. Among the many memorials is the Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Monument in Monument Circle, where visitors can take an elevator up 230 feet for an impressive view of the city.
Another, and very different, way to experience heroism in Indianapolis is the American Super Heroes Museum, which is devoted to the appreciation of Superman and Batman. One of only two superhero museums in the country, the facility showcases a vast collection of toys, costumes worn by screen actors, replicas of a “batmobile” and “batboat,” and other dark knight and caped crusader memorabilia. Group discounts on admission are available for parties of 20 or more.
Planners can also get those teams out of the meeting rooms and into “combat” at Dark Armies, a 50,000-square-foot indoor paintball arena. Designed to replicate an abandoned city, the facility offers private group sessions.
Indianapolis Environs
Approximately eight miles southwest of downtown Indy, Indianapolis International Airport and its surrounding hotels offer groups convenience without sacrificing proximity to the city’s meeting venues and entertainment options.
Connections between the city and the airport will be easier than ever with the new IndyGo shuttle service that is scheduled to launch before the end of the year. The regular roundtrip service will cost $7 for the 12-minute ride from the airport to downtown hotels and the convention center.
The airport itself is completing a $1 billion expansion and upgrade, and at least two new hotels, a Westin and a Cambria Suites, are scheduled to open nearby in the next two years. The Adam’s Mark Indianapolis and the Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Airport, both of which recently completed renovations, are among the largest airport-area meetings hotels.
Located near the airport at the junction of Interstate 465 and West Washington Street, Western Bowling Center welcomes large groups with 80 bowling lanes, a separate billiards room with five tables, two bars, and karaoke on some weekend nights.
On the north side of Indianapolis, primary meetings hotels include the Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel and Suites, Hilton Indianapolis North and Marriott Indianapolis North.
On the northwest side of the city, Eagle Creek Park is home to a lake offering boat rentals, a nature preserve, a shooting range, and hiking trails.
The 36-hole, Pete Dye-designed Eagle Creek Golf Course boasts two highly rated layouts and a 4,000-square-foot conference center.
Planners can take groups on a journey back in time to Conner Prairie, located six miles north of Indianapolis in the town of Fishers. The 1,400-acre museum and village spotlights 19th century costumes, pastimes and customs.
The wide assortment of facilities available for event rental at Conner Prairie includes the museum, a barn, a covered bridge, and several covered outdoor spaces. Groups can do some culinary time traveling with the venue’s “Taste of the Past” catered banquet, where a costumed host describes each course of traditional food prepared from antique recipes.
For More Info
Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association 317.639.4282
www.indy.org
