$275 Million Expansion of the Indiana Convention Center Opens

The convention, tradeshow and special events industries take a monumental leap forward in Indianapolis, with the grand opening of the $275 million expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, propelling the facility from the 32nd largest to the 16th largest convention center in the U.S.

The expanded Indiana Convention Center now touts 566,600 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, plus 83 meeting and ballroom spaces. When combined with the attached Lucas Oil Stadium, the facilities offer 749,100 square feet of exhibit space.

The Indiana Convention Center is now connected via climate controlled skywalks to more hotel rooms (4,717) than any other convention center in the U.S. The lead architect for the project was Indianapolis-based Ratio Architects. This is the fourth expansion since the Indiana Convention Center initially opened in 1972.

This expansion project culminates $3 billion in new tourism related developments in Indianapolis over the last three years:

• Lucas Oil Stadium (host venue; Super Bowl 2012)

• Indianapolis International Airport Weir Cook Terminal (first designed and built post 9/11)

• Expanded Indiana Convention Center (16th largest in the U.S.)

• Marriott Place Indianapolis (four hotel complex anchored by the world's largest JW Marriott)

As a direct result of the expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, the city has already booked and retained conventions that will generate $1.3 billion in economic impact for Indianapolis. This doesn't include the estimated $150 million in economic impact the city will see because of hosting the Super Bowl in 2012—the expanded convention center was a crucial tool in enabling the city to even be eligible to submit a bid.

The mission of the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association is to increase Indianapolis growth by strategically selling the destination to conventions, meetings, events, and leisure travelers. For more information, www.VisitIndy.com.

Indianapolis celebrated the opening of the Indiana Convention Center expansion, propelling the city's facility from the 32nd to the 16th largest in the U.S.