Indianapolis is taking a giant leap forward – as well as upward and outward – in terms of convention and meetings facilities. An expanded convention center, a new 1,600-room hotel complex, a new stadium and a new airport terminal will all come on line by early 2011. This dramatic convergence of construction projects will transform the city’s hospitality industry and give Indianapolis an unparalleled package of convenience and facilities.

• Lucas Oil Stadium, a multi-use, all-weather venue featuring a retractable roof is now open. The stadium seats as many as 70,000 for football games and other events. It also will have 12 meeting rooms with a total of 13,000 square feet of meeting space, as well as 179,000 square feet of exhibit space.
• The expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, when completed in 2010, will feature 72 meeting rooms with a total of 118,000 square feet of meeting space and more than 566,000 square feet of exhibit space. The expanded Indiana Convention Center will be connected to Lucas Oil Stadium via a climate-controlled walkway.
• The stadium and convention center expansion will give Indianapolis more than 745,000 square feet of space for trade shows and 131,000 square feet of meeting space, making it the 17^th largest facility in the country.
• The Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium are physically connected via skywalks to more hotel rooms (4,700) than any convention center in the U.S.
• Of those hotel rooms, more than 1,600 will come on line when a new JW Marriott Complex is completed in 2011. The complex, featuring a JW Marriott tower and three other Marriott properties, will boast 100,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including a 40,500 square foot grand ballroom - the largest hotel ballroom in the Midwest.
• Getting to Indianapolis will be even easier on Nov. 12, with the opening of the new, $1 billion midfield terminal at Indianapolis International Airport, just 15 minutes away from downtown via interstate highway.