Meeting News - March 23, 2009 - (Page 18)

Gary Merrillville South Bend 30 69 Fort Wayne MIDAMERICA REGIONAL Indianapolis Revs Up for Groups Big upgrades boost the city’s meetings appeal By Michael Goldstein Indianapolis is known for its sports success, from the Indianapolis 500 at the “Brickyard” to the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts. But $3 billion in new meetings infrastructure may make the city as attractive to meeting INDIANA 65 Lafayette Muncie 69 70 Terre Haute Bloomington Nashville French Lick 64 Evansville Louisville, KY Indianapolis 74 planners as it is to sports fans. The changes begin at the airport, where the $1.1 billion Indianapolis International Airport Colonel H. Weir Cook Terminal opened in November. The 40-gate facility can handle up to 12 million passengers per year. “Some 70 percent of our meetings are fly-in,” said Don Welsh, president & CEO of the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association. The airport, which already has 15 to 20 nonstop flights from the East Coast, is looking to add direct service from the West Coast as well. Civic Plaza, a pre-security checkpoint with 25,000 sf of space and 100-foot glass windows overlooking runways and the city’s skyline, is available to planners for events and receptions. “Meeting planners can set up reception and registration at the airport, and put delegates on a $7 downtown shuttle that takes 15 minutes,” Welsh said. A second growth spot is Lucas Oil Stadium. The new $720 million stadium offers 185,000 sf of meeting space “with every technical element and great food and beverage outlets,” said Welsh. There’s a 31,000-sf “party plaza” and 11 loading docks. Some 60 groups have already booked the stadium, said Welsh. It’s a 10-minute walk from the convention center and is connected via underground walkway. The third piece of the puzzle is the expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, growing from 325,000 sf to 566,000 sf. Expansion will be completed in January 2011. Finally, downtown is adding a new 1,626room hotel complex, called Marriott Place Indianapolis, with a 1,005-room JW Marriott, along with Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn, and SpringHill Suites properties. The JW Marriott Indianapolis will have 104,000 sf of meeting space, including a 40,500-sf grand ballroom— the largest in Indiana and the largest hotel ballroom in the Midwest. Rooms will be available starting in 2010, bringing the number of rooms connected to the convention center to 4,800. Welsh said the city’s positives aren’t just about infrastructure. “We’re about walkability— there’s an Art Deco bridge over the White River and 200 restaurants and pubs within walking distance of the convention center.” Indianapolis also has the largest children’s museum in the U.S., a percussive arts museum opening this fall, and the recently reopened National Collegiate Athletic Association Hall of Champions—all available for buyout. “A planner has a lot of options here,” Welsh concluded. I www.meetingnews.com 18 MeetingNews March 23, 2009 http://www.meetinthedells.com http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - March 23, 2009

Meeting News - March 23, 2009 Contents What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com Meetings Mean Business As 'Meeting Matter' Marriott Unveils Promo Columbus, OH, Addresses Convention Hotel Issues People Making News Orlando Strives for Cost Transparency Is Biz-Class Air Travel Dead? Greenest Planner Awards Mid America Insider Report: Conference Centers Destination Insider: Mississippi Gulf Coast Las Vegas Destination Insider: Cleveland Ad Index Live from the Forum

Meeting News - March 23, 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.