Residents of the Hoosier state are known for their fanatical passion for basketball, a penchant that permeates many of Indiana’s college towns. Meeting groups wanting to embrace that college spirit will find plenty of unique venues in town and on campus that also offer the opportunity to watch sporting events, attend local festivals, shop local and enjoy food at local hot spots.
Here are five Indiana college towns that make great destinations for meetings.
Bloomington
More than half of the population of Bloomington is made up of college students from Indiana University Bloomington. The university is connected to downtown Bloomington via the Sample Gates, an impressive entranceway at the intersection of Kirkwood and Indiana Avenue.
Meeting groups wanting to take advantage of the city’s proximity to the university can utilize its fine arts offerings or theater programs or take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Assembly Hall, where Big 10 basketball games reign supreme. Experts from the university are available to serve as guest speakers for conferences.
Groups can rent space overlooking IU’s Memorial Stadium and downtown Bloomington that can hold up to 250 guests. The 24,000-square-foot Monroe Convention Center downtown can host groups of 350 to 500 people. There is a 117-room Courtyard by Marriott attached to the convention center and several other hotels within walking distance, including the Hyatt Place Bloomington and Hilton Garden Inn Bloomington. The Indiana Memorial Union’s Biddle Hotel and Conference Center features 189 guest rooms and more than 50,000 square feet of meeting space, from the 5,000-square-foot Alumni Hall to more intimate conference spaces.
Off-site venues include WonderLab Science Museum, which can host groups of 160, and Oliver Winery, which can host groups up to 150 for evening social functions. The city’s most iconic bar and restaurant, Nick’s English Hut, is close to IU’s Sample Gates and can host groups of 100 upstairs. For fun, groups can sample international cuisine on Fourth Street, which is known as International Row.
Evansville
Evansville is home to the University of Southern Indiana and the University of Evansville. Situated on a scenic bend of the Ohio River, the city considers itself a small town with big city amenities. It is home to significant cultural sites, a robust arts scene and a burgeoning culinary scene. The downtown area is growing and thriving thanks to the addition of another educational institution — the Indiana University School of Medicine School of Medicine Evansville.
The colleges all offer facility rentals for meetings or events, and the city itself has several large venues.
The Ford Center is a 290,000-square-foot arena in downtown Evansville that is home to the Evansville Thunderbolts professional hockey team, as well as the University of Evansville’s men’s and women’s basketball programs. The facility also attracts major entertainers and concerts and is a premier facility for hosting meetings, exhibitions and conferences.
The arena can hold 10,000 comfortably. The theater can seat 2,200, and the ballrooms can break down to any size needed. The 241-room Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Downtown Evansville is connected to Old National Events Plaza and Ford Center by a skybridge. Hyatt Place Hotel Evansville and Holiday Inn Express and Suites Downtown Evansville are within walking distance of the facility.
Bally’s Evansville Casino and Hotel is also close to the Ford Center and features a 5,982-square-foot conference center that can host 560 for a banquet and three smaller meeting rooms that can host groups of up to 155. Bally’s has a 243-room hotel tower and a 95-room boutique hotel attached.
Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne is home to four universities: Purdue Fort Wayne University, University of Saint Francis, Indiana Tech and Ivy Tech Community College. They attract students from all across the country, as well as employers eager to hire from the talent pool they provide.
Meeting groups can host both indoor and outdoor events at the colleges. The 682-acre Purdue campus has several meeting spaces available in the Walb Union, including the Classic Ballroom, which can hold up to 350 guests, and the International Ballroom that can host 448 for a seated meal. Several smaller meeting rooms are perfect for breakout sessions. Outdoor venues include Alumni Park and Alumni Plaza.
Indiana Tech rents out its conference center, theaters and recreation center for conferences and events.
In town, the Grand Wayne Convention Center offers 225,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The 246-room Hilton Fort Wayne is attached to the convention center. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum includes a 13,000-seat arena, a 108,000-square-foot expo center, and a 27,155-square-foot conference center that can seat up to 1,810 for a banquet.
For fun, attendees can take in a TinCaps baseball game at Parkview Field; visit Science Central, which features hands-on activities and more than 200 exhibits; or wander the Botanical Conservatory, which sits across from the Grand Wayne Convention Center. Groups can rent kayaks at Promenade Park on the Riverfront, walk along the riverwalk or take a tour on a historic canal boat.
New Albany
New Albany is home to IU Southeast, a smaller campus of Indiana University with its own sports teams and mascot, the Grenadiers. Like most of the Hoosier state, New Albany and southern Indiana are full of sports fans.
Visitors to the area can embrace the Grenadiers spirit by attending sporting events on campus or taking in a show at IU’s Ogle Center, which features three indoor performance venues. Groups can rent out the 500-seat concert hall, 96-seat recital hall and 338-seat theater for meetings or events. The center also has a large outdoor amphitheater that can seat up to 6,000.
IU Southeast has a large conference center, which can host up to 375 in the Hoosier Room. There are also several smaller rooms that can host groups of eight to 90. In New Albany proper, there are several hotels with meeting spaces. The Calumet Club can seat 300 in its 5,000-square-foot Bliss Ballroom and up to 150 guests for a reception in Bliss Hall. The Grand is a former theater-turned-ballroom that can host 500 for a banquet or up to 1,200 guests for a reception.
The Sporting Club at the Farm has two barns and a conference room for large or small events. Groups can choose to participate in shooting sports or archery as part of their rental. Smaller groups can rent out Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site for a small dinner or murder mystery party.
In their free time, attendees can explore downtown New Albany, taking in the beautiful mansions that pepper the area, or cross the river to Louisville, Kentucky, to enjoy the city’s extensive bourbon scene or visit Churchill Downs Racetrack.
West Lafayette/Lafayette
Boilermaker pride runs deep in West Lafayette, the home of Purdue University, a globally recognized research institution. The area has a rich and diverse culture, and the university and community are always collaborating on events, including Purdue Athletics and festivals such as The Taste of Tippecanoe or the Feast of the Hunter’s Moon.
With a train as a mascot, along with Purdue Pete, Purdue infuses West Lafayette and its counterpart across the river, Lafayette, with youthful energy. Groups wanting to host events in this consummate college town can utilize the Purdue Union Club Hotel on campus, which is decorated in Purdue’s colors and is infused with the college’s history. The property is close to West Lafayette’s downtown, Chauncey Village, with its local restaurants and nightlife, and features 182 guest rooms and 20,104 square feet of meeting space across seven event rooms. The North and South ballrooms can be combined to accommodate nearly 800 guests. Attendees can play golf at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex or schedule a massage at the brand-new Union Club Hotel Spa.
Purdue Conferences has facilities and services that can accommodate groups of 10 to 6,000, the majority of which are connected to the Union Club Hotel by hallways or an underground tunnel. Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds and Event Center features 13 meeting and event spaces, a full kitchen, shelters and outdoor recreation areas. There are 34 hotels in the area, with a total of 3,102 rooms.
