Simon: All-Star Weekend will have long-lasting impact
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton helped lead the East to a record-setting win in Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, capping off the city’s second stint as All-Star host.
The weekend brought an estimated 125,000 visitors to downtown Indy with an expected $320 million economic impact coming from the festivities.
But some believe the All-Star Weekend will bring benefits to Indianapolis and the state well beyond the game’s final whistle.
Pacers owner and Alternate Governor Steve Simon told Inside INdiana Business Host Gerry Dick the impact will be substantial.
“You really got to look at the ROI in five years, because I think new partnerships, new relationships, new, developments, new corporate business, new talent is going to come over time after this event to our city and state,” Simon said. “We’re strategic in that. A lot of people really thought that this would be a way to continue to build our equity or vitality or economic prospects.”
And the Indiana Economic Development Corp. looked to do just that. The agency hosted “limited clients, prospects and partners on an event-by-event basis,” during the weekend, as first reported by our partners at the IBJ.
Indiana Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg told IIB the state wanted to take advantage of a unique opportunity presented by the All-Star Game.
“Once we get them here and they can see the momentum, they can see the people, talk to the universities, see the sights that we have like LEAP [in Lebanon], River Ridge [in Jeffersonville], up in New Carlisle, what’s developing there,” Rosenberg said. “They have to be here to see it, feel it, experience it, and once they’re here, they’re locked in. I think that’s why we’ve seen a lot of that record economic development that we’ve had.”
Rosenberg noted that part of the message being given to businesses is the diversity of the investment being made in Indiana, ranging from major solar projects to data centers and microelectronics, among others.
“We’re focused on these economies of the future, really high paying jobs that will drive our economy for decades to come,” he said. “And so semiconductors, AI, EV batteries, data centers, bio life sciences, ag-tech and others, those are bringing the high wage jobs as true careers that could put more money in Hoosier pockets and create that generational change we want.”
Simon noted that Indy hosting the All-Star Game created a major philanthropic impact as well, particularly with the Legacy Projects that were created throughout the state.
“We’re doing a lot of a lot of stuff…to showcase these great organizations that make up the fabric and the beauty of our area,” he said. “Those are the stories we’re going to bring out. We have a lot of stories to tell about what’s going on here that we want to illuminate, and it’s a pleasure to tell them.”
In the All-Star Game itself, Tyrese Haliburton had one of the top performances with 32 points, including 10 three-pointers, half of which were scored in about a minute and a half early in the game.
Simon said he is very excited about the future of the Pacers franchise.
“We couldn’t be happier,” he said. “We’re winning. The fans are engaged. We got a bright future. We expect to do well now and continue to do well and like we say, straight face, we want to compete for a championship, and I think we have a incredible team with Tyrese and a lot of great talent to hopefully raise a trophy here in Indianapolis one day.”