Long associated with premier motor sports, Indianapolis is revving its engines more than ever these days, with billions dedicated to development, dozens of unique cultural and historical attractions, and a new CVB president in the driver’s seat.
Several projects are coming together within the next few years. The new Lucas Oil Stadium, connected to the Indiana Convention Center, opened in August with 183,000 square feet of exhibition space. The convention center is undergoing a $273 million expansion and slated to greet conventioneers in spring 2010 with 254,000 more square feet of exhibit space. Together, the two facilities will offer more than 1.2 million square feet of event and meeting space, just in time for the Men’s Final Four basketball playoffs that year. While that would be enough to put a feather in any destination’s cap, Indianapolis doesn’t stop there; they will also host the Super Bowl in 2012.
“Everything has to be ready to accommodate the Super Bowl,” says Don Welsh, president of the Indianapolis CVB.
Another arm of the development boom is the JW Marriott Complex, which will include a 34-story, 1,000-room JW Marriott tower as the landmark property. Also part of the complex will be a 250-room Courtyard by Marriott, a 168-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, and a 150-room SpringHill Suites. The complex will add 1,568 rooms to the downtown inventory, as well as 110,000 square feet of meeting space. With completion slated for early 2011, the complex will boost the number of hotels connected to the center via skywalk to a dozen, with 4,700 guest rooms within a few minutes’ walk of the stadium and convention center.
With so much already in progress, Welsh hit the ground running when he joined the Indianapolis CVB as president in August and immediately saw the built-in potential of the city as a meetings destination.
“Looking at the downtown area, one of the city’s strengths was that it was initially laid out and built to be a great convention destination. Everything is very easy and convenient; the walkability of the city is great, with many attractions downtown and others just 15 minutes away by car,” he says.
Welsh sees the new stadium, convention center and JW Marriott Complex as a tremendous boon to the meetings market, giving Indianapolis the ability to handle multiple meetings and conventions at the same time. Currently, the average group size is 4,000 to 5,000, and the ability to center those events downtown gives the city an extra selling point.
“We’re also looking at more national conferences, and we’re ready to go after the larger national associations and corporate business, which we haven’t focused on greatly in the past,” he says.
While the sports market is the hot topic, Indianapolis also has a solid base in life sciences, biomedical and education. Both Wellpoint, the country’s leading health benefits company, and the Eli Lilly company, one of the world’s top biopharmaceutical employers, are based here, as well as Butler University, the University of Indianapolis and Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis. As the health care and education market grows, Welsh and the CVB are receiving positive feedback from local corporations and universities, and can arrange speakers for meetings and events.
“We’re going through a once-in-a-lifetime boom, with a lot of our development happening in a two- to three-year period,” Welsh says. “We’re creating a good awareness that we’re not a typical Midwest city, and all that hard work is earning us some respect in the top-tier markets.”
The city has numerous venues perfect for off-site events, but one tops the list for many planners: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500 and the only track to host racing’s triple crown of events, the Indy Racing League, NASCAR and Formula One. The speedway offers group packages and behind-the-scenes tours of the track’s landmarks. Another popular pick is the Indianapolis Museum of Art, located on 152 acres of park-like surroundings. For smaller meetings, attendees can enjoy the Garden Terrace event area, and larger groups should definitely take advantage of the Deer Zink Events Pavilion, which offers dramatic views of the massive outdoor fountain and gardens. Planners can add the option of Wolfgang Puck Catering and create an event that delegates will talk about for years.
“This museum is one of the bigger surprises I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Welsh says. “It rivals galleries in New York and London with beautiful spaces and an incredible array of contemporary and traditional art.”
For history buffs, planners might consider an event at the breathtaking Scottish Rite Cathedral, a stunning 1929 Gothic-Tudor building with several spaces available for groups, or Conner Prairie, a living history museum just 16 miles from downtown, but a world away on 900 acres of natural beauty. The attraction offers several options for groups, from an outdoor picnic to an indoor reception in the Great Hall. Conner Prairie also offers entertainment and historical interaction options as well, giving attendees a chance to travel back in time and experience the 19th century, and still be back in time for dinner or a meeting in this era.
In addition to the new group venues coming on-line in the city, other meetings-friendly properties include the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis; Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre Hotel; Indianapolis Marriott Downtown; Hilton Indianapolis; Westin Indianapolis; Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Downtown–Union Station; Omni Severin Hotel; and Conrad Indianapolis.
Also available is the University Place Conference Center and Hotel, located on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Environs
While downtown is receiving a meetings makeover, the airport region just a few miles away has its own development buzz.
More than 1.1 billion in upgrades and construction has resulted in the new Indianapolis International Airport, the first airport designed and built in the security-conscious post-Sept. 11 world. While the upgrades are part of the old airport complex, the entire facility has been so radically redesigned and expanded that from the passenger’s eye, it will seem like a completely new place and is being promoted as such. The new terminal and concourse opened in early November, and the facility will include four new gates and expanded parking. Art is also an important part of the airport, from shimmering glass walls to murals and public displays from a range of diverse cultures and media.
Hotel properties with meeting facilities near the Indianapolis International Airport include the Adam’s Mark Indianapolis, Radisson Hotel Indianapolis Airport and Holiday Inn Select Airport.
Groups can travel to the north edge of the city and discover Eagle Creek Park, the fourth-largest city park in the country. The park has relaxing natural diversions such as hiking trails, a nature preserve, wind-surfing and boat rentals, plus a nice assortment of meeting or retreat spaces. For attendees who need a bit more excitement, the Eagle Creek Golf Course, designed by Pete Dye, offers a conference center for the meeting and 36 holes for post-meeting downtime.
Meetings-friendly properties in the area include the Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel and Suites, Hilton Indianapolis North and Marriott Indianapolis North.
For More Info
Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association 317.639.4282 www.indy.org
