Business View Magazine | August 2019

203 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE AUGUST 2019 INDI ANA STATE FA I RGROUNDS & EVENT CENTER Berkery: “Of the 60 buildings, I would consider 18 to be multi-use buildings for events on a year-round basis. We have 30 designated outdoor spaces, including parks and an amphitheater of sorts, and almost 50 acres of open parking lot space. We also have a number of stables (horse barns) on the campus. In the center of the fairgrounds is a mile track, where standardbred horses train daily. And the centerpiece of the fairgrounds is a historic coliseum. “The Indiana Farmers Coliseum was built in 1939, and underwent a $353 million renovation from 2012 to 2014, when we renovated the entire interior and exterior of the building - basically, demolished the interior down to the four outside walls and rebuilt a brand new modern facility with seating capacity for 6,000. It was constructed for livestock and hockey as its primary tenants; we have a minor league professional hockey team that calls it home, as well as an NCAA Division One basketball program, and many other year-round uses, such as concerts and family events.” Whelchel: “What makes us truly special is that we not only produce the largest event in the state every year, the Indiana State Fair (averaging 900,000 guests, annually), but we also play host to over 400 other events. So, while the fair is our history and the tradition of why we exist, the impressive operation we have outside of that really sets us apart.” BVM: Are you self-supporting or publicly governed and financed? Hoye: “We are a quasi-governmental agency. As a treasured Indiana institution, we have an appropriation through the state, annually, but there are also other appropriations given to the Indiana State Fair, at times, to make sure it is a thriving enterprise for the state. The economic impact of this institution is almost $200 million in direct impact on the city and the state, with the job equivalency of almost 1,100 full-time jobs. “Over the last 20 years, we’ve invested almost $160 million into this property from a variety of different sources - philanthropic, private