Southern Indiana is home to hip college towns and the newly revitalized French Lick Springs and West Baden Springs landmark hotels, and the area also has a diverse collection of museums, galleries and multicultural attractions, from the Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington to
the 19th century commune site of New Harmony near Evansville.
Bloomington
There’s a lot to love about Bloomington; the college-town atmosphere, trendy new hotels and a lively mix of ethnic museums and attractions provide a perfect package for meeting planners.
Home to Indiana University, the city hosts many educational and association meetings, according to Julie Warren, director of convention sales for the Bloomington/Monroe County CVB.
“We see a lot of educational conferences, but we also target government and military groups, and we’re pushing for more religious marketing as well,” she says.
Warren adds that Bloomington works with groups of up to 1,200, but the best fit is with 250 to 350 attendees. The city also has a value season from mid-November to mid-January, when meeting space is plentiful and planners can get good rates. In season, she recommends that planners make arrangements early, especially during the peak seasons of summer and fall.
The peak season will be even busier with the opening of two new hotels; the 120-room Radisson Hotel Bloomington (formerly the University Plaza Hotel), which opened last fall with 2,700 square feet of meeting space, and the 110-room Hotel Indigo, slated to break ground this spring and open by spring 2009.
Bloomington is rich with unique group venues, from the Gothic charm of the Indiana Memorial Union and Conference Center on the IU campus to the Oliver Winery. Several cultural attractions also offer space for groups, including the Buddhist Cultural Center, which also has a temple blessed by the Dalai Lama himself, and the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.
Other unique attractions include the Kinsey Institute of Sex and Reproduction, one attraction everyone likely wants to visit but would never admit. During free time, attendees can also enjoy the city’s thriving downtown area, packed with galleries, cafes, museums, and specialty shops.
“We’re a small town in a beautiful setting of rolling hills and lots of green space, where diversity is celebrated,” Warren says. “[Most planners] know about Bloomington already, they just need to know how great their meetings can be here.”
Meetings options include the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention Center, the Biddle Hotel and Conference Center at Indiana Memorial Union, Fourwinds Resort and Marina, slated to reopen in April, and Eagle Pointe Golf Resort.
Terre Haute
Once known as the historic crossroads of the country where the nation’s major roadways met, Terre Haute is still a lively city that boasts three colleges, including Indiana State University (ISU).
The city’s vibrant collegiate atmosphere is getting a boost from a downtown revitalization project, which includes road improvements and the establishment of an arts corridor at Seventh and Wabash, a historic spot that marks the actual crossing of the National Road and U.S. Highway 41 in the early years of the 20th century.
Factor in three campuses and it’s no surprise that the amateur sports market rules here. With large events like national cross-country running finals bringing in up to 30,000 people, the city is well equipped for groups. The average conference brings in 500 to 1,000 attendees, although groups of all sizes are welcome, according to David Patterson, executive director of the Terre Haute CVB.
“Our largest groups [number] 5,000 to 6,000, so we’re ready for planners,” he says.
He adds that a boost in religious travel is expected this year, since Terre Haute was the home of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, anointed to sainthood last summer in Rome. She was the foundress of the Sisters of Providence, and her shrine as Our Lady of Providence is located at the Providence Center at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.
As part of the revitalization, three new hotels will add approximately 300 rooms to the city’s inventory: the 92-room SpringHill Suites Terre Haute and the 109-room Hilton Garden Inn Terre Haute, both of which opened last October, and a new Candlewood Suites slated to open by late fall with approximately 99 guest rooms.
In addition to group tours at the Providence Center, attendees can also explore a variety of attractions, from the Candles Holocaust Museum to the Clabber Girl Museum, dedicated to the famous baking powder still made in Terre Haute after 150 years.
A popular spot for off-site gatherings is the Ohio Building, a renovated historic structure with a ground-level conference center for up to 300 attendees, and the top floor is a 13,000-square-foot private residence available for group rentals.
Other meeting venues include the Meadows Conference Center and several locations on campus, including the Hulman Center at ISU.
Columbus
Columbus is recognized around the world for innovative and impressive architecture, and new development is still going strong.
“We’re in a very exciting time,” says Lynn Lucas, executive director of the Columbus Area Visitors Center. We have several new hotels coming in, and we expect an announcement in the next six weeks regarding a new indoor sports complex.”
The Hotel Indigo Columbus opened in January with 85 guest rooms and meeting space for 120 people, and the Hilton Garden Inn Columbus is expected to open in March.
A major reconfiguration and renovation is planned this year in the Commons block, which will result in new offices for the Cummins Engine Company, a new Candlewood Suites and more than 25,000 square feet of meeting space. The project will begin construction this spring and is slated to open by summer 2009.
Three other hotels, including a Residence Inn, are slated to start construction this year and should be open in 12 to 16 months, according to Lucas.
“We’re getting more hotels and meeting space because we have a high occupancy rate,” Lucas says. “We’re seeing a surge in the sports market, and we expect to step up our association business once we have meeting space in the Commons.”
Currently, the Holiday Inn Conference Center is the city’s largest venue, with 20,000 square feet of meeting space. Off-site venues include the Historic Henry Breeding Farm, with a rustic 3,500-square-foot barn available for group events, and the Simmons Winery, which can accommodate up to 250 guests.
Attendees should make time for a city tour highlighting more than 70 buildings and public art works created by such design luminaries as I.M. Pei, Dale Chihuly, Richard Meier, and more. The architecture ranges from classic Italianate to mind-bending contemporary, and the city has a stunning collection of art in public buildings, parks and outdoor spaces.
Between Columbus and Bloomington, Brown County has gained a reputation as the art colony of the Midwest. Galleries and studios are plentiful in the area, and attendees can watch artists at work in Nashville at various locations around town, providing a colorful, relaxed background for small meetings.
Meeting facilities in Brown County include the Seasons Lodge and Conference Center, the Artists Colony Inn and Abe Martin Lodge.
French Lick/West Baden
Water built the historic destinations of French Lick and West Baden in Orange County, but gaming saved the area’s heritage.
In the early 20th century, tourists flocked to the French Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel to “take the waters” for their health, and celebrities from all corners spent time in Orange County, including Helen Keller, Al Capone and Bing Crosby.
After a colorful history, the properties are receiving new life as the French Lick Resort Casino; the $500 million project has been called the “Save of the Century,” literally rescuing two grand historic sites from ruin.
In 2006, the French Lick Springs Hotel reopened with 443 guest rooms, a 27,000-square-foot spa and a 109,000-square-foot conference center. The 42,000-square-foot casino, separate from the historic hotel, also opened that year. In 2007, the West Baden Springs Hotel reopened with 246 guest rooms and a reconstructed natatorium faithful to the 1902 original, with a spa, pools and a fitness center. The development also offers championship golf courses, including the new Pete Dye Course, slated to open in 2009; restaurants; retail outlets; a bowling alley; and a sports center.
With so much to offer, it’s easy for attendees to stay on property for recreation, but there’s also plenty to see and do in the area, from the Indiana Railway Museum and French Lick Winery to the offbeat Hair Museum, which has old perm machines and even some of Elvis’ hair in the collection. Skiers can get their fix in nearby Paoli, and outdoor activities abound at area lakes and parks.
The French Lick Resort Casino is the central meeting venue in the area, with a total of 130,000 square feet of meeting space.
Evansville
With two colleges, hip hotels and historic sites, Evansville has something for everyone. Home to the University of Southern Indiana, the fastest-growing college in the state, Evansville is delicately balancing the demands of progress with historical preservation.
The newest development is the opening of the 100-room Le Merigot hotel in 2007, part of Casino Aztar’s downtown waterfront entertainment district project. The property offers high-end amenities for the exclusive hotel experience, with 20,000 square feet of meeting space across the street at the casino’s Executive Conference Center.
An upcoming sports complex demonstrates the growing amateur sports market in Evansville. The project is estimated at $12 million and should be online by 2010 for softball and baseball events. Other markets include associations, large religious conferences of up to 12,000 people and small corporate meetings, according to Marilee Fowler, executive director of the Evansville CVB.
“We love to see those large group events and hope for more, but for regular conferences, 500 to 800 attendees is a good fit for us,” she says.
The city offers such off-site venues as the rustic O’Day Discovery Lodge or Bosse Field, the country’s third-oldest baseball stadium and the site where the movie A League of Their Own was filmed.
“They can go to a game,” Fowler says. “Or when there’s not a game scheduled, they will often book the facility for a private party and allow attendees to play baseball on the field, which everyone loves.”
For a bit of area history, attendees can visit the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, the Evansville African American Museum and Grouseland, home of America’s ninth President, William Henry Harrison.
Meeting facilities include the Executive Inn Evansville Hotel and Conference Center, the Holiday Inn Evansville Conference Center and the New Harmony Inn and Conference Center, located 30 miles west of town in historic New Harmony.
Outlying Casino Resorts
Southern Indiana has become popular in recent years not only for its art, culture and college life, but also for relaxation and gaming.
The Caesars Indiana Casino Resort in Elizabeth, amid the historic sites and country charm of Harrison County, offers 503 luxury guest rooms and 14,000 square feet of meeting space. The property is slated to be rebranded this year as a Horseshoe Casino Resort.
In Switzerland County, the Belterra Casino Resort and Spa offers gaming fun right on the Ohio River. The facility has 608 guest rooms and suites, golf, shopping, spa treatments, restaurants, and 33,000 square feet of meeting space. While the casino provides a complete destination experience, the surrounding area also has several interesting attractions, including the Life on the Ohio River Museum and the Schenk Mansion.
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.com
Orange County CVB 812.936.3418
www.orangecountyin.com
Terre Haute CVB 812.234.5555
www.terrehaute.com
