Indiana Convention Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Indiana Convention Center |
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Indiana Convention Center at Capitol Avenue and Georgia Street in 2020.
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| Address | 100 South Capitol Avenue |
| Location | Indianapolis, Indiana 46225 |
| Coordinates | 39°45′55″N 86°9′45″W / 39.76528°N 86.16250°W |
| Owner | Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority (State of Indiana) |
| Operator | Capital Improvement Board of Managers of Marion County, Indiana |
| Built | 1969–1972 |
| Opened | 1972 |
| Expanded | 1984, 1993, 2000, 2011 |
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Former names
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Indiana Convention-Exposition Center |
| Enclosed space | |
| • Total space | 937,000 square feet (90,000 m2) |
| • Exhibit hall floor | 566,600 square feet (50,000 m2) (11 halls) |
| • Breakout/meeting | 113,302 square feet (11,000 m2) (71 rooms) |
| • Ballroom | 62,173 square feet (5,776.1 m2) (3 rooms) |
| Parking | Pay parking nearby |
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Bicycle facilities
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Indiana Pacers Bikeshare |
| Public transit access |   8, 24 |
The Indiana Convention Center is a very large building in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It's a place where many big meetings, shows, and events happen.
The first part of the building was finished in 1972. Since then, it has been made bigger five times. Today, it has 71 meeting rooms, 11 exhibit halls, and three large ballrooms. The nearby Lucas Oil Stadium also adds more space for events.
Contents
History of the Convention Center
The Indiana Convention Center was first called the Indiana Convention-Exposition Center. Work on the building started on December 8, 1969. It cost about $26.1 million to build.
Early Years and First Expansion
When it opened in 1972, the center had one ballroom, three exhibit halls, and 23 meeting rooms. This covered about 160,000 square feet.
The first big expansion happened in 1984. This added another ballroom, two more exhibit halls, and 16 meeting rooms. This made the total space about 371,000 square feet. At the same time, the 60,500-seat Hoosier Dome (later called the RCA Dome) was built next door. Both projects together cost around $94.7 million.
More Growth in the 1990s and 2000s
The convention center grew again between 1992 and 1993. This $43 million addition made the center two stories taller. It added the Sagamore Ballroom and 16 more meeting rooms. The total space became 419,000 square feet. Skywalks were also built to connect the center to nearby hotels like the Westin Indianapolis and Hyatt Regency Indianapolis.
Another expansion took place in 2000. This added a ballroom, two exhibit halls, and seven meeting rooms. The total space reached 539,000 square feet. A skywalk was also built to connect to the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.
Connecting to Lucas Oil Stadium
Work on the 67,000-seat Lucas Oil Stadium started in September 2005. It opened in August 2008. This stadium has about 183,000 square feet of exhibit space.
After Lucas Oil Stadium was finished, the RCA Dome was taken down. Its famous air-lifted dome was deflated, and the rest of the stadium was demolished in December 2008.
The convention center's biggest expansion happened from 2008 to 2010. It opened in January 2011. This $275 million project added 400,000 square feet of space where the RCA Dome used to be. An underground walkway was built to connect this new part to Lucas Oil Stadium. A skywalk also connected the center to the JW Marriott Indianapolis.
Many Indiana companies helped with this big expansion. Ratio Architects, Inc. was the main architecture firm. Shiel Sexton Co. Inc. was the main construction manager.
Modern Features and Future Plans
Today, the Indiana Convention Center has 49 loading docks and seven ramps for vehicles. It also has three food courts. It is connected to 12 hotels and 4,700 hotel rooms by skywalks. This is more than any other convention center in the U.S.
In September 2020, the Indianapolis City-County Council approved plans for a new expansion. This will add a 50,000-square-foot ballroom and more meeting space. Two new hotels with 1,400 rooms will also be built. The first hotel, a Signia by Hilton, is expected to be ready in 2024. This expansion will make the center's total rentable space more than 1,000,000 square feet.
Exciting Events and Shows
The Indiana Convention Center has hosted many different meetings and conventions. Here are some of the notable events:
Annual Events
- Big Ten Football Championship Game Fan Fest
- FDIC International (since 1994)
- Gen Con (since 2003) - A very popular gaming convention!
- Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration
- Indiana Comic Con (since 2010)
- Indianapolis Auto Show
- Indy PopCon (since 2014)
- National FFA Convention & Expo (2006–2012, and since 2016)
- Performance Racing Industry Trade Show (1998–2004, and since 2013)
Past Events
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- Miss Gay America (September 1986)
- 1987 Pan American Games (August 1987) - This included sports like:
- Boxing
- Fencing
- Field Hockey
- Modern Pentathlon
- Rhythmic Gymnastics
- General Council of the Assemblies of God (August 2000)
- Star Wars Celebration II (May 2002)
- USA Wrestling 2003 Senior World Team Trials (June 2003)
- Star Wars Celebration III (April 2005)
- NCAA Bracket Town (April 2010)
- NFL Super Bowl Experience (January–February 2012)
- NCAA Final Four Fan Fest (April 2015)
- NCAA Tourney Town for the Women's Basketball Final Four (March–April 2011) and Women's Basketball Final Four (March–April 2016)
- National Rifle Association Annual Meetings & Exhibits (April 2014, April 2019)
- Church of the Nazarene General Assembly and Conventions (June 2013, June 2017)
- NFL Scouting Combine Experience (2017 and 2018)
- United Pentecostal Church International North American Youth Congress (2017)
- Church of God In Christ Auxiliaries in Ministry Convention (2018)
- National Catholic Youth Conference (1991, 2001, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019)
Public Art at the Center
You can find several interesting art pieces around the convention center:
- Female Tourist by American artist Tom Otterness
- Free Money by American artist Tom Otterness
- King at Rest by American artist Lorenzo Ghiglieri
- Male Tourist by American artist Tom Otterness
Images for kids
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The RCA Dome and the 1993 convention center expansion.
See also
In Spanish: Centro de Convenciones de Indiana para niños
