The convention industry in Indianapolis is almost where it was before the pandemic, say Visit Indy executives.

In a tourism report this week, Visit Indy CEO Leonard Hoops told Inside Indiana Business that between the NCAA Tournament, GenCon, the PRI Show and the FFA National Convention, Indianapolis has seen a huge comeback in business. of conventions and tourism in 2021 compared to 2020 pandemic closures.

“We got most of the big shows back last year,” Hoops said. “It all started because we were able to work with Marion County Public Health and State Public Health since July 2020.”

Hoops said most events in 2021 have gone off without a hitch when it comes to the pandemic, which has increased other organizations’ confidence that Indy can hold conventions safely despite the concern. always present regarding the spread of COVID.

Although the pandemic has been a difficult time for the convention industry, Hoops said it has also opened up new opportunities.

“We’ve had shows that we didn’t anticipate (in 2021,” he said. “Like the National Confectioners Association’s Sweets and Snack Show. It was a Chicago annual for decades, but they determined they could not meet in the spring of 2021 in Chicago under Illinois state rules.

They turned to Indianapolis to fill in, and Hoops says the pastry chefs were so impressed that Indianapolis could land the show again in the near future.

Looking ahead to 2022, Hoops expects things to return to “90%” normal if you measure 2019 as the last “normal” year for Indy’s convention business.

He says the numbers really depend on where we are going with the COVID pandemic.