INDIANAPOLIS — Tourism in Indianapolis took a huge hit during the height of the COVID pandemic with many organizations having to postpone or cancel their annual conventions.
There was a resurgence in 2021, especially with the addition of many conventions to the Indianapolis card that were not held there before like the National Confectioners Convention.
“We took the Sweats and Snacks Expo from Chicago that had met there for more than two decades,” said Nate Swick with Visit Indy. “We said ‘hey, we can host you!’ when Chicago was unable to.”
That blossomed into even more convention business, according to Swick. He said 2022 was a huge year with over 500 different conventions hosted in Indianapolis. Some of them large and some of them small.
He added that Indianapolis’ tourism industry is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels as we close out 2022. Swick added that that will be reflected this weekend with the PRI Trade Show coming back to the Indy Convention Center.
“The PRI Show is the largest racing trade show in the world,” said Jim Liaw, the PRI General Manager. “It brings manufacturers, big and small, mechanics, car builders, race tracks.”
The trade show is expected to have an economic impact of around $48 million.
