Courtesy South Bend/Mishawaka CVB
When it comes to meetings, the University of Notre Dame gives South Bend and Mishawaka an Irish edge.
“Notre Dame is our international claim to fame, drawing thousands of visitors every year,” said Carolyne Wallace, director of sales for the South Bend/Mishawaka Convention and Visitors Bureau. “A meeting at Notre Dame is an automatic draw.”
In Indiana, the campus-conference connection is not unusual. Purdue University in West Lafayette; Indiana University in Bloomington; Ball State in Muncie; the University of Evansville in Evansville; IUPU-Fort Wayne; and Indiana State in Muncie, to name a few.
College towns add youthful exuberance to conferences. They also typically have plenty of good and reasonable restaurants, arts and music and a true night life that appeal to meeting attendees, as well as students and faculty. And in these small, Midwestern towns, planners get good bang for their buck, as well as a dose of Hoosier hospitality.
Here’s a look at college towns to consider when planning a meeting in Indiana.
