Indianapolis CVA Offers Weekly Video Podcasts to Promote City

Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 1/29/2007

The Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Assn. offers weekly video podcasts that feature various city attractions. According to ICVA Media Relations Manager Chris Gahl the podcasts, launched last March, have so far featured information of value to tourists, but the focus will shift to the meetings market too.

Visitors to Indy.com can view current and past podcasts — 40 have been produced thus far — or download them. Gahl said that when the podcasts began, the ICVA was the only convention bureau in the country to produce weekly video podcasts and that to his knowledge it still is, although there are other CVBs that produce audio podcasts. The podcasts, released every Wednesday, are made in-house by ICVA staff. Gahl said they attract about 15,000 viewers per month.

The podcasts resulted from recommendations by the ICVA's advisory board, which includes meeting planners. The board felt it would be a good idea to showcase Indianapolis to prospective visitors, meeting planners and show organizers, while saving them the time and expense of site visits to the city. Because the podcasts are produced in-house, they're cost-effective for the city.

"There's a two-fold strategy," Gahl said. The podcasts have been leisure-market driven, focusing on the Indianapolis 500 race and other such attractions, but future episodes will target meetings and conventions.

These episodes are expected to feature the city's new retractable-roof, 70,000-seat Lucas Oil Stadium, to be completed in fall 2008. It will replace the RCA Dome, which will be demolished. The new stadium will offer meeting and exhibition space, and be connected to the Indianapolis Convention Center.

Gahl said the extra meeting and exhibition space would be a boon to the city, which currently turns away business due to a shortage of space.