November/December 2006
City Insider: Indianapolis
November/December 2006 Advertorial

Indiana Convention Center & RCA Dome (www.iccrd.com)
Expansion update: The most recent expansion was completed in 2001, and the next expansion will be completed in 2010.
Exhibit space: 403,700 square feet, including seven halls and an attached domed stadium. The facility also offers a 33,000-square-foot ballroom, three additional ballrooms, and 48 meeting rooms, for an additional 140,000 square feet of space.
Hotels: Eight hotels with a total of more than 3,000 rooms are connected to the Indiana Convention Center via skywalks. There are 6,000 rooms down town, and the metro area offers more than 28,000 rooms.

Visitor attractions
Within steps of the Indiana Convention Center & RCA Dome and the downtown hotel core, is White River State Park, a vast urban expanse that includes: The Indianapolis Zoo; White River Botanical Gardens; the NCAA Hall of Champions; the Indiana State Museum and IMAX Theatre; the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art; Victory Field (home of the Triple A Indianapolis Indians and recognized as the best minor league ballpark in America); the Congressional Medal of Honor Winners Memorial; and the southern portal to the Central Canal walk.

The Indianapolis Children’s Museum is the world’s largest. The 400,000-square-foot-plus facility houses 11 major galleries that explore the physical and natural sciences, history, world cultures and the arts. The recently expanded Indianapolis Museum of Art is among the largest and oldest general art museums in the United States. Founded in 1883, the museum now boasts a permanent collection of more than 50,000 works of art that span the range and scope of art history. In addition to housing its world-class art collections, the museum is also a premier showcase for national and international art exhibitions. 

Indianapolis is a professional and amateur sports paradise, with the RCA Dome (home to the NFL Indianapolis Colts and NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Fours and Regionals) and Conseco Fieldhouse (home of the NBA Indiana Pacers, WNBA Indiana Fever and the Big 10 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments). In addition, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts the two largest single-day sporting events in the world, the Indianapolis 500 and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. The “amateur sports capital of the world” has hosted more than 400 national and international events and is home to the NCAA, as well as 11 other national sports associations.

Making it easy to do business
• Stadium and convention center expansion: In September 2005, Indianapolis began the expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, breaking ground on the new Lucas Oil Stadium. In addition to playing host to the NFL Colts, the stadium has been designed with trade shows and conventions in mind, with 150,000 gross square feet of exhibit space and 12 meeting rooms. The stadium will be linked to the Indiana Convention Center. Once the Lucas Oil Stadium is completed in 2008, the RCA Dome will be leveled to make way for further expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, which will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2010.  The convention center and stadium are projected to offer 733,700 square feet of exhibit space.
• Location, location, location: More than half of the nation’s population is within a day’s drive of Indianapolis. In addition, the Indianapolis International Airport is a short (less than 15 minutes) hassle-free drive from downtown. Once downtown, more than 200 restaurants and more than 50 major attractions are located within walking distance of the Indiana Convention Center & RCA Dome.
• Airport expansion: The Indianapolis International Airport is undergoing more than $1 billion in upgrades. To be completed in 2008, a new passenger terminal that offers 1.2 million square feet and features two concourses, 40 passenger gates, more retail space for restaurants and shopping, state-of-the-art security, passenger conveyance and baggage handling facilities. The focal point of the terminal will be Civic Plaza, an expansive gathering place that reflects the art, history and culture of Indianapolis.

Contact us
Doug Bennett, Vice President of Sales, Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association
dbennett@indianapolis.org
317-684-2472

Linda Addaman, Director of Marketing & Sales, Indiana Convention Center & RCA Dome
laddaman@iccrd.com
317-262-3404