Indy Sets Convention, Tourism Records
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowVisit Indy says 2014 was a record-breaking year for convention and tourism business. The organization is reporting more than 880,000 convention hotel room nights have been booked for future dates, which is the most since its founding in 1923. The group says many factors led to the record, including the National Rifle Association announcing its national conference will return to the city in 2019 and 2023. Visit Indy says it also broke records for summer weekend leisure hotel room nights and website visits.
January 22, 2015
News Release
Indianapolis, Ind. — 2014 was a record-breaker for Indianapolis tourism. Visit Indy booked 880,552 convention hotel room-nights for future dates, the most since the organization’s founding in 1923.
The 2014 convention sales results significantly exceeded Visit Indy’s goal of 750,000 hotel room-nights for future dates (117.4%). The previous record was set in 2002 with 814,520 future convention hotel room-nights booked.
Just a few of the major groups that contributed to the record numbers include: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's 2017 North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference, American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2017 Annual Convention, GameStop Corporation’s 2018 EXPO, National Rifle Association’s 2019 and 2023 Annual Meeting, American Academy of Physician Assistants’ 2022 Annual Conference, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s conference in 2026.
“2014 was a phenomenal year for Visit Indy, the City of Indianapolis, and Central Indiana's tourism industry,” said Leonard Hoops, President & CEO of Visit Indy. “Thanks to a decades-long vision and the continued support of community leaders, Indy's tourism industry is producing more jobs and tax revenue than even the most optimistic forecasts could have predicted. I'm particularly thankful to everyone at the Indiana Convention Center and our hotel community for consistently delivering on Indy's promise of “super service” and Hoosier Hospitality.”
Hoops cited Indy's recognition last March as USA Today’s #1 Convention City in the U.S., as well as its inclusion on the New York Times “52 Places to Go” list, as major boosts to the city's visitor appeal in 2014.
In addition to the convention sales results, Visit Indy also set records for summer weekend leisure hotel room-nights (296,521) and VisitIndy.com website visits (2.41 million).
Hoops noted that Visit Indy is working closely with its civic and business partners to ensure 2014 does not remain the best year for Indianapolis tourism.
“We must continue striving to make Indy a must-visit destination or risk losing our hard-earned market share and visitor dollars to other cities,” he said.
The mission of Visit Indy is to increase Indianapolis economic growth by strategically selling the destination to conventions, meetings, events, and leisure travelers. According to Rockport Analytics, 26 million visitors provide $4.4 billion in total economic impact annually, produce $1.1 billion in tax receipts, and generate 75,000 full-time equivalent jobs in Central Indiana. For more information, www.VisitIndy.com.