Indianapolis is gaining in prominence as a convention destination. The number of convention delegates is well over 1 million annually. The principal meeting facility is the Indiana Convention Center & RCA Dome. The complex, consisting of five exhibit halls and the multiuse RCA Dome, is the site of trade shows, banquets, sporting events, and concerts. Skywalks connect the convention center with the RCA Dome, Circle Centre Mall, and seven major hotels. In 2000 the Indiana Convention Center and RCA Dome underwent its third expansion/renovation. An additional 100,000 square feet of exhibit space was added, to make a total amount of exhibit space of 403,700 square feet. The RCA Dome features 95,000 square feet of floor space. Still, a feasibility study concluded that the city needed more space; construction on a new, multi-purpose stadium and expanded convention center is expected to begin in the summer of 2005.
More than 120 hotels in Indianapolis offer 28,000 rooms throughout the city. Most of the downtown hotels feature meeting space and ample facilities. University Place Conference Center & Hotel, on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, offers 28 meeting rooms (among them several banquet rooms), a 340-seat auditorium, and 278 guest rooms. The new, five-star Conrad Hilton hotel, with 10,000 square feet of meeting space, is slated to open in 2006 in downtown Indianapolis.
Unique facilities for meetings and special events include the Indianapolis Artsgarden, linked to Circle Centre Mall, Union Station (a Romanesque Revival-style train station built in 1887), and the historic Murat Centre. Following an $11 million renovation, the Murat Centre features a 2,700-seat theater and the Egyptian Room, modeled after King Tut's tomb. The Indianapolis Museum of Art's new Deer-Zink Pavillion offers seating for 500 people in the main dining room and can accommodate 300 in its reception lobby. Other unique meeting spaces include the Indianapolis Zoo, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the NCAA Hall of Champions.
Convention Information: The Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association, One RCA Dome, Suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46225; telephone (800)311-INDY