Last week I filed a short report on the portion of our ICVA Annual Meeting that covered the look backward on 2008.

Thanks for all those that were game enough to call in - it has been great talking with you!

What I didn't share was the other aspect of the meeting - a look forward into our plans for 2009 and beyond.  With so much new and exciting development happening in the city, expectations are high as we continue to pursue our mission of increasing Indianapolis economic growth through tourism.

We have five high level goals we will work to accomplish this year and if you click on the logo in this post you'll have a chance to peruse these goals and the way we will go about achieving them.  But I think the one that was highlighted most at the meeting was goal #2.

Expand the positive perception of Indianapolis.

Before visiting Indianapolis, feedback that we hear from meeting planners, board members and site selection committee members often includes concern that they will have difficulty promoting an Indianapolis convention to their attendees. 

After conducting a site visit, however, the last words spoken by these same individuals as they depart for home is often "I had no idea..."  After selecting Indianapolis they know they may still have to work a bit harder than they would if they selected an ocean side location or one with snow capped mountains in the distance.  

But you know what?  They also rest well in the comfort of knowing that it will be well worth it once they've conducted their meeting and have the opportunity to hear the positive feedback from their attendees about how easy it is to navigate the Indianapolis package of hotels, meeting space, dining options and entertainment and how they enjoyed their time here.

When it comes to things to do in Indianapolis - it has (and will continue to be) so easy to do so much. 

But we get it - we recognize the disconnect between the expectation prior to visiting and the reality of what is experienced here in Indy.  And the new branding platform that was shared at the meeting last week will be a large part of addressing this. 

Those that attended the meeting were given a glimpse of what the new brand might look like in the form of a promotional video - it drew rave reviews for it's energy and attitude...and that was just one example of what we'll be rolling out over the next few months! 

But we all know successful brands are experienced and not easily explained with mere words, so I'll allow our new teammates at Young & Laramore get to work on putting the brand into action.  Stay tuned...

And if you missed it, our CEO Don Welsh talked with Gerry Dick on Inside Indiana Business this past weekend - check it out!