Reigning PCMA Pickleball Champ/Visit Indy Chief Leonard Hoops Shares What’s New in Indianapolis

Photo of PCMA's Sherrif Karamat and Leonard Hoops standing on the Visit Seattle pickleball court at PCMA Convening Leaders 2024.
PCMA President & CEO Sherrif Karamat (left) and Visit Indy President & CEO and Chair of PCMA’s 2024 Board of Directors and Trustees Leonard Hoops stand on Visit Seattle's Pickleball court at PCMA Convening Leaders 2024.
 

Visit Indy’s president and CEO made his debut as the new Chair of PCMA’s 2024 Board of Directors and Trustees known by vanquishing the association’s president and CEO, Sherrif Karamat, on the pickleball court at Convening Leaders (CL).

Rendering of Signia by Hilton Indianapolis.
Rendering of Signia by Hilton Indianapolis. Credit: Kite Realty.
 

Thus sanctified, Hoops later sat down with Meetings Today’s Tyler Davidson to discuss the record-setting attendance and other happenings at CL—including the epic pickleball showdown—as well as the many exciting new developments happening in Indy.

Big Indianapolis meetings and hospitality news includes a new 800-room Signia by Hilton Indianapolis hotel; an expansion of the Indiana Convention Center and the new Eleven Park development right in the heart of the convention district; and why so many high-profile events—both traditional and extra-terrestrial—are choosing the capital of the Hoosier State for their gatherings.

[Related: 10 Photos That Encapsulate PCMA's 2024 Convening Leaders Event]

Marquee 2024 events include:

  • The NBA All-Star Game
  • A solar eclipse
  • The U.S. Olympic Swimming tryouts 
  • 3 Taylor Swift shows

[Related: PCMA Convening Leaders 2024 Sets Attendance Record; New Programs Launched]

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Photo of Leonard Hoops standing with his hand on a desk in the offices of Visit Indy.
Leonard Hoops. Credit: Visit Indy.
 

Listen next: Live From PCMA CL: Maritz CEO Peckinpaugh Digs Into 2024 Meetings and Events Trends

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About the author
Tyler Davidson | Editor, Vice President & Chief Content Director

Tyler Davidson is the vice president and chief content director for Meetings Today, which publishes the meetings industry trade magazine Meetings Today as well as MeetingsToday.com, various newsletters, webinars, the in-person Meetings Today LIVE! Hosted-buyer events and other meetings and events industry B2B channels.

 

Tyler has covered the travel trade for nearly 35 years.  In his role with Meetings Today, which recently won the prestigious FOLIO: Eddies Award for best magazine issue, Tyler leads the editorial team on its mission to provide the most in-depth meetings content in the industry. Previously, he worked as the Asia, Canada, Pacific Northwest and Western U.S. editor at Travel Weekly magazine and TravelAge West. Before joining the dual editorial staff producing destination sections for Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, Tyler was the Africa, Israel, Middle East, Switzerland and Pacific Northwest editor at TravelAge West. He also undertook general news and feature assignments while working at the magazines. 

 

Besides reporting on the travel trade, Tyler has covered the real estate industry, held various editorial positions at the San Francisco-based national satire magazine The Nose, wrote freelance technology industry pieces and covered the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders for a bilingual newspaper in San Francisco. He has a B.A. in Journalism from San Francisco State University, where he worked in various editorial capacities on its award-winning student magazine, Prism. 

Contact: tyler.davidson@meetingstoday.com